Paper long abstract:

Generous research funding and (the announcement of) stricter building codes have created a powerful incentive for engineers and architects to find answers to the question of what makes built structures sustainable. In this paper I focus on two prominent groups of answers. First, like many other areas, the built environment is currently in the process of becoming profoundly informatized. With better and more data - it is claimed - more efficient resource use will be possible. The outcome of this approach is ever more advanced numerical modelling of constructions' performance that is combined with fine-grained real-time monitoring during the use phase. Second, particularly architects stress the importance of non-measurable qualities and a whole that is more than the sum of its individual measurements. Where the efficient machine is the leading metaphor for the first group, here, nature is the major source of inspiration.

Following a well-established tradition within STS, in this paper I explore the space between the extremes by following a group of young engineers and architects that weave together nature, technology and humans in new and surprising ways. More specifically, I describe how built structures are currently rethought as relational constructs drawing on principles, tools and metaphors from both machines and nature. By combining basic insights from ANT and assemblage theory with these new architectural and engineering approaches, I argue, exchanges between STS scholars and practitioners are possible that serve both sides.