Transdisciplinarity: A New Generation of Architects and Mediocritas

Abstract

The discussion about the legitimacy of architecture being an autonomous discipline or a part of an interrelated system of areas of knowledge has been long discussed[i]. This article connects the scenario described by Fraser[ii] and Wigley[iii] where architecture needs to be considered in an expanded field as consequence of the post-critical period, to the work of a new generation of architects whose interest lies on questions that are peripheral to architecture sensu stricto. The type of architecture that emerges in this scenario is characterised by a proclivity towards other disciplines, including politics, economics and social studies. The article presents a series of examples of recent projects and discusses the impact of their approach to architecture. As a conclusion, this paper proposes the notion of mediocritas to establish a right balance between architecture as an autonomous discipline and its contamination with other cultural fields.