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Superhistory - Architecture in the Face of Time

Part 2 Dissertation 2007
Daniel Kerr
University of Huddersfield | UK
In architecture the product may exist, long after those who have commissioned or designed it have ceased to exist. Architecture can persist. This is an important attribute that can affect the motivations of architects, their clients and society. The things that affect this attribute should be understood

Futurologies are invariably cultural and technological extrapolations of the present. The key premise of 'superhistory' is that these standard futurologies mask the more fundamental factors, which determine architectural persistence. By investigating a future beyond an historic time scale (superhistory), the influences of culture and technology diminish. The influences that predominate in superhistory are the geological future of the earth, the persistence of information and the how design can be informed by the very nature of the universe itself.

This superhistoric exploration takes the form of a science fiction screenplay based on the ideas and characters of the authors Douglas Adams and Phillip K Dick. Knowledge from the fields of complex dynamic systems, chaos theory, fractals, plate tectonics, terrestrial erosion, evolutionary phenotypes, memes and spatial geometry are combined as a narrative and analysed through dialogue.

Daniel Kerr


'Superhistory' is an investigation into architectural persistence beyond the constraints of culture and technology. Its themes include geology and the consequences for things built on the earh's surface, the underlying nature of the universe and the information by which we commincate design

It is delightfully presented as a science fiction play, which brings together an unexpected range of scientific and philosophical ideas in a lucid and often witty way

The use of narrative lends coherence and direction to the diverse ideas considered

The use of dialogue is a classic and engaging way to explain difficult and sometimes dry philosophy




2007
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