“By developing a specific theory of knowledge for design sciences, I do not only hope to improve the appreciation of these areas within the broader field of philosophy of science and science studies, but also to augment the self-reflexivity of the design disciplines in their capa­city of genera­ting genuine knowledge.”

Scientific Career

Since 2016: Speaker of DFG Research Group "Knowledge Dynamics in the Engineering Sciences", Technische Universität Berlin

2014–2016: IPODI Fellow, Technische Universität Berlin

2014–2015: Researcher and lecturer, Technische Universität Darmstadt

2013–2014: Researcher and lecturer, Brandenburgische Technische Universität Cottbus-Senftenberg

2011–2013: Postdoc, Co-director of the research group “Image and Design”, NCCR Iconic criticism, Universität Basel

2010–2011: Research stay, ETH Zürich

2009–2010: Fellow, Forschungsinstitut für Philosophie Hannover

2008–2009: Research Associate, Technische Universität Berlin and Universität der Künste Berlin

2008: Dr. in Phil., Technische Universität Berlin

Contact

Email: ammon[at]tu-berlin.de

Webpage

Epistemology of Designing: The Example of Architecture

Duration: 15 September 2014 – 14 September 2016

Mentor: Prof. Dr.-Ing. Jörg H. Gleiter, Faculty VI, Institut für Architektur, Architekturtheorie

Abstract: The research project undertakes an analysis of design processes grounded in the philosophy of technology and the philosophy of architecture, with the aim of exploring their epistemic dimension and their production of genuine knowledge. Specific for processes of designing is that they not only create novel artefacts, but also a genuine knowledge of these future artefacts and the related processes which until now has been usually ignored by epistemology and philosophy of science. Although designing must be considered as a core cognitive activity in architecture, engineering and design, i.e., tantamount to experimenting in the natural sciences or interpreting in the humanities, a general theory of the dynamics of this knowledge is still missing. This is where the research project steps in. In order to gain a better understanding of these “sciences of the artificial” from an epistemological point of view, the project investigates designing as an epistemic praxis using the example of architecture and secondarily also engineering. By drawing back to empirical sources, the project epistemically analyses characteristic ways of searching and testing to be found in specific techniques and methods such as sketching, notating, projecting, modelling, calculating, or scaling. as a consequence, epistemic strategies that play a crucial role in establishing the design knowledge are identified and, most importantly, a theoretical framework of an epistemology of designing can be developed.