Using the notion of "Realdesign", as a parallel to Realpolitik, the authors aim to highlight political, social and methodological obstacles when designers turn to design thinking, participation and "living labs", with the hope of changing the world for the better.

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The fiercely social and vigorously innovative Mei realizes trend-setting buildings in the Netherlands and abroad. This Rotterdam-based architecture firm has built up an idiosyncratic oeuvre in which respect for the environment is central.

This first overview shows works of the past 25 years. From the 1995 modular Smarthouse to the wooden residential building Sawa that is currently being developed: they all display a fascination with intelligent building...

The city is not only the habitat of people, but also of plants and animals. Building Urban Nature is a plea for nature-inclusive, bioreceptive architecture that inspires designers to give nature a place in their work.

Through the presentation of realized projects, the book shows how the values of nature can be incorporated into our buildings. It discusses the conditions under which flora and fauna settle on and around our buildings, and the design methods, strategies and techniques that can h...

It is a major challenge to write the history of post-WWII architectural theory without boiling it down to a few defining paradigms. An impressive anthologising effort during the 1990s charted architectural theory mostly via the various theoretical frameworks employed, such as critical theory, critical regionalism, deconstructivism, and pragmatism.

Yet the intellectual contours of what constitutes architectural theory have been constantly in flux. It is therefore paramount to ask what kind of ...