#1 SHARE | Luís Carlos Mestrinho

How to speak the language of dolphins? Challenges and opportunities for interdisciplinary knowledge transfer to inform a multispecies architecture

8 de julho, Sexta-feira, das 12h00 ás 13h00.

Sala EA1.09 da Escola de Arquitetura da Universidade do Minho, Campus de Azurém.

Abstract
“…to understand what animals have to say, all the resources of science and of the humanities have to be put to work.” Bruno Latour

A distinguishing feature of a multispecies architecture is the concern to meet the critical needs of the target non-human species, along with those that are demanded by man. In this sense, non-human species can play the role of client and agent of the project, as they are able to influence it with their own requirements. However, asking these stakeholders about their wants and needs regarding the project is, of course, not something that can be done directly.  Thus, a dialogue between professionals from different backgrounds can be crucial for the achievement of a good result, as it would allow clarifying which specific needs of the species should be observed in the project. However, it was already highlighted in the literature the difficulty in establishing this dialogue in the face of language barriers and the interpretation of concepts between different areas.

This essay explores the challenges and opportunities that may rise for interdisciplinary knowledge transfer in the context of a more-than-human project. The study put a light on the fact that some commonly used concepts such as “livability” and “nature” may vary according to the interpreter background, the human and non-human perspective and their application in a natural or urban environment. In addition, by taking two case studies as examples, the renovation works of Elliot Bay Seawall (USA) and Afsluitdijk Dyke (NL) it is illustrated how a different layer of perception not acknowledged by human beings may be integrated in the project solution to favour non-human species and how the design of an urban infrastructure may reinstate an essential ecological feature once lost providing an opportunity for the integration of needs coming from non-human agents in the project´s solution.

#multi-species architecture; more than human; interdisciplinary knowledge transfer

Bio
Luís Carlos Martins Mestrinho de Medeiros Raposo, MSc, DEA is a PhD candidate at the University of Minho - School of Architecture, Art and Design where he investigates the role of architecture in promoting reconciliation between the built environment and the marine environment. He is an accredited environmental lawyer (OAB-RJ 85493) and holds a master's degree in Environmental Law (Université Paris I Pantheón -Sorbonne) and in Sustainable Urbanism (UCL-University College London, Distinction). Some of his published works deal with green infrastructure, disaster risk reduction and underground urbanism.