The architect as a “semantic agent” in the dialogue between new practices and digital technologies

Abstract

The paper aims to offer insights into the new conditions the designer is called upon to face in the wake of the technical, cultural and cognitive transformations the spread of ICT is triggering in the construction industry. Digitization, in particular, might place architects in a position of intermediation between new forms of intelligence and new professional skills, defining a design ecosystem in which the effectiveness of decision-making increasingly depends on the way information is managed. In such a scenario, the designer is asked to perform tasks of coordination and “meaning control” of complex and automated processes, which require a deep understanding of the digital phenomenon.