ar·ti·fact

/ˈärdəfakt/

This issue aims to explore artifacts from a disciplinary approach, both as an objective and subjective matter, an artifact that could be understood not only as a Fact but also as the state of the Art. Critical questions are raised here regarding the position of matters of fact in architectural history, philosophy, and design. In our discipline, we constantly “build” intellectual and concrete artifacts, which not only brings the physical or digital object into existence but also the discourses built around it.

If facts imply certainty and probabilistic assurance while design signifies an act of subjectivity and speculation, does that make architecture more artifactual than factual? If the discipline rests on the aggregation of individual conceptualizations and beliefs, doesn’t that make it less empirical and more aesthetic? Is the intellectual collective consensus sufficient to constitute facts in the architectural discourse?