Towards a Cosmological Turn in Architecture

This session proposes to discuss the role of cosmology in architectural practices, as a means of addressing questions of continuity and change. Cosmology refers to understandings of the universe—including ideas about its structure, its constituent elements, and the processes which govern it. Far from neutral descriptions of reality, cosmologies are inherently political forces, shaping human action by situating it within broader narratives of past, present, and future. In this sense, cosmologies are not only intrinsic to patterns of continuity (such as in forms of tradition), but are the foundational source of new meanings, practices and institutions.

Historians of architecture have demonstrated the longstanding connection between cosmologies and architectural practices (such as in ancient, medieval and Renaissance cultures). Today, however, architectural thought is largely assumed to be driven by technological rationality, disconnected from cosmological concerns. While numerous disciplines, such as science and technology studies (STS), philosophy of technology, and political theory have begun to recognise the contemporary power of cosmologies, particularly in shaping colonial and environmental conflict, architecture has been slower to do so. At the same time, some of architecture’s most active discourses are deeply informed by cosmological concerns, even if not explicitly acknowledged as such. Established architectural discussions in phenomenology and postcolonial theory, as well as philosophical perspectives such post-humanism and new materialism, engage with a range of cosmological themes (such as ontology, epistemology, and temporality).

This session proposes to explore the value of a renewed focus on the role of cosmology in architectural and spatial practices. Some of the questions it asks include:

How might attention to cosmology’s role in architectural practices help broaden discussions about change beyond the frameworks and concepts of Western technoscience?
How might a cosmological awareness help to navigate the tensions inherent to discussions of continuity and change (such as those connoted by concepts of preservation, tradition, innovation or repair)?
How can a recognition of cosmological plurality help to destabilise dominant narratives of architecture’s role in planetary crises, and how might these narratives be creatively transformed?
How can modern societies overcome political barriers to translating non-Western and non-Modern lifeworlds into new paradigms for spatial practice and urban theory?
How can architecture’s material sites, objects, and practices uniquely inform cosmological analyses, and help to develop stronger theories about change in architectural ideas and practices?