Research and design. Knowledge transfer

From Firenze University Press Journal: Techne. Journal of Technology for Architecture and Environment

Elena Mussinelli, Dipartimento di Architettura, Ingegneria delle Costruzioni e Ambiente Costruito, Politecnico di Milano

The editorial team of Firenze University Press poses the question: “Why do we keep measuring knowledge transfer in architecture with criteria designed for industry?”

“Research and project knowledge transfer” is the title of a monographic issue of TECHNE, published in 2014, over a decade ago, under the direction of Roberto Palumbo and Editor-in-Chief Maria Chiara Torricelli. The issue aimed to provide «an idea on the researches carried out inside Architectural Technology; this in order to promote concrete recurrences in the contexts in which it operates, aiming towards the different operators and subjects involved in the transformation process of the territory» (Torricelli, 2014).

This was a forward-looking intuition for the architectural field, especially considering that in Italy, significant interest in technology transfer within universities only began to emerge in the early 2000s, predominantly in the industrial sector, driven by the rise of the so-called “third mission” of universities. This shift occurred in a broader context of increasing emphasis on in-novation and national competitive-ness, inspired by successful international models.

National and regional policies and funding mechanisms were introduced to encourage these activities, alongside the establishment of Technology Transfer Offices (TTOs), tasked with supporting the transfer of knowledge and technologies from academia to industry through initiatives such as intellectual property management (patents) and the creation of spin-offs.

Although collaboration with building industry stakeholders and public institutions has long characterised the field of Architectural Technology, it is important to acknowledge that the architecture and construction sector is not typically an active generator of technological innovation but rather a recipient of innovations developed in other domains. At the design production scale, for instance, the adoption of “invisible technologies” originating in economic and managerial domains has led to the rationalisation and modernisation of the design process (e.g., quality systems, validation tools, certification protocols).

In architecture, knowledge transfer may not produce patents, but it transforms the way we design, coordinate, and shape our built environment.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.36253/techne-18302
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