Abstract
Authorship in architecture is an essential yet suppressed topic. The concept of authorship in architecture has historically been tethered to the singular vision of the architect as a creative genius, yet the rise of autonomous architecture challenges this paradigm by redefining the role of the architect as a creative agent in performative and adaptive design processes. Especially in recent years, authorship dissolves into performative expression and intuitive design processes. We intend to critically interrogate how autonomy reconfigures notions of authorship, control, and intentionality in contemporary architectural design. This essay proposes a progressive theoretical framework for understanding autonomy not as a loss of authorial agency, but as a radical redistribution of it.
Drawing on the radical theoretical propositions in Coop Himmelb(l)au’s avant-garde approach, we want to explore how Coop Himmelb(l)au disrupts traditional notions of authorship through interdisciplinary, dynamic, and autonomous design practices. Coop Himmelb(l)au vision of architecture as “buoyant and variable as clouds” emphasizes performativity, where buildings transcend static plans to become responsive organic structures that engage with users and environments. This shift reimagines authorship as a collaborative, decentralized process, incorporating inter-trans-disciplinary inputs, user interactions, and self-regulating systems inspired by Coop Himmelb(l)au’s design traditions.
By examining Coop Himmelb(l)au’s early programmatic texts, such as the speculative rejection of ground plans and embrace of mobile, transformative structures like Astro Balloon (1968), this essay posits that autonomous architecture redistributes authorship across human and non-human creative agents, including intelligent systems and environmental dynamics. It addresses key challenges, such as balancing creative control with adaptability, and highlights benefits, including enhanced sustainability and user empowerment, toward a progressive theory of performative architecture that aligns with ecotopian and futurist ideals.
Note: The publication drew leading architects and scholars, among them Patrick Schumacher of Zaha Hadid Architects.
Drawing on the radical theoretical propositions in Coop Himmelb(l)au’s avant-garde approach, we want to explore how Coop Himmelb(l)au disrupts traditional notions of authorship through interdisciplinary, dynamic, and autonomous design practices. Coop Himmelb(l)au vision of architecture as “buoyant and variable as clouds” emphasizes performativity, where buildings transcend static plans to become responsive organic structures that engage with users and environments. This shift reimagines authorship as a collaborative, decentralized process, incorporating inter-trans-disciplinary inputs, user interactions, and self-regulating systems inspired by Coop Himmelb(l)au’s design traditions.
By examining Coop Himmelb(l)au’s early programmatic texts, such as the speculative rejection of ground plans and embrace of mobile, transformative structures like Astro Balloon (1968), this essay posits that autonomous architecture redistributes authorship across human and non-human creative agents, including intelligent systems and environmental dynamics. It addresses key challenges, such as balancing creative control with adaptability, and highlights benefits, including enhanced sustainability and user empowerment, toward a progressive theory of performative architecture that aligns with ecotopian and futurist ideals.
Note: The publication drew leading architects and scholars, among them Patrick Schumacher of Zaha Hadid Architects.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | Autonomous Architecture and Design |
| Publisher | Routledge / Taylor & Francis Publisher |
| Publication status | In preparation - 2026 |
Keywords
- Architecture
- Authorship
- Creative Genius
- Creative Agent