design theory

Speculating the
Limits of
Theory by
Malini Foobalan

As a second year architecture student, I find myself speculating about things that I never thought I would. The question to myself in fact, is why I care questioning, and what is it that has made me come up with such questions. Is it the influence of people around me, my developing critical thinking or, is it an arbitrary questioning that a typical architecture student would engage in? One of my favorite questions is concerning theory itself and how it affects the design world in a positive or negative manner. As one pursues his or her journey through the many years of their career and life as a designer, does one query in a theoretical manner, the limits of design within the human species itself?
It is very obvious, that it has been thought of or considered, but to what extent have we come to analyze the limitation on

design with regards to the mentioned specific‐ human species. Our ability to design has always been a commendable characteristic of human nature.
Sometimes, it seems to me like designers almost take place of ‘The Creator – God’.
My experience over a semester in studio shows how we all think in different ways despite a common understanding on certain rules and criteria. Seventy two students and all of us came up with different design solutions to our design problem. Now, what exactly is the relativity of the question on limits of design to our design capabilities and theory one may wonder? The answer does not always have to be direct. However, as a design student, it’s perhaps important to put the point out there? As designers in the built environment, to what length do we evaluate design possibilities with regards to theory? To what extent do we allow factors like theory and criticism to set boundaries in our way of thinking and creating? It