Transfer of Knowledge, Loss of Knowledge

Building is based on knowledge; construction history is therefore also history of knowledge: knowledge encoded in books or similar media, the practices involved in its implementation, and tacit knowledge all underpin design decisions and the execution of construction work.

We want to understand the relation between building technologies and knowledge society: How can the transfer and integration of new knowledge, alongside innovation in complex construction projects, influence the planning, design, technology and appearance of buildings? And how, likewise, has the loss of knowledge – whether through the breakdown of personal networks, changes in how established sources of information are used, or phenomena such as the loss of books and the dissolution of institutions of knowledge – shaped architecture in different eras – and is it perhaps also shaping it today?