Acceptance speech by Sven Stremke – Thursday December 7

Posted by on November 30, 2017 in Homepage, Presentations

Sven Stremke has been appointed Professor of Landscape Architecture at the Academy of Architecture and leads the High-Density Energy Landscapes research group. The research of the group focuses on the development of sustainable energy landscapes, with special attention for the role of design and the designer in energy transition. On Thursday December 7th he will give his acceptance speech at 20:00 at the Academy of Architecture.

You are cordially invited to join his speech Mind the gap (and the right-brain hemisphere). Sven Stremke will embark from the ‘mother of all gaps’ in the human brain to discuss a series of gaps that are pertinent for environmental designers active in the energy transition. He will make use of historical references as well as present-days design research and, ultimately, sketch the research agenda of the High-Density Energy Landscapes research group (see below for the complete abstract).

Program 
19:30 Arrival, coffee and tea served
20:00 Welcome by Academy director Madeleine Maaskant
20:05 Acceptance speech by Sven Stremke
20:40 Introduction members of the advisory committee by Dirk Oudes
20:45 Reflection by Dirk Sijmons, Andy van den Dobbelsteen & Lennert Goemans
21:00 Discussion panel, research group and audience
21:20 DSL book launch ‘Landschapsarchitectuur: tussen ontwerp en onderzoek’
21:30 Drinks and bites

Time and location
Thursday December 7, 19.30-22.00 at the Amsterdam Academy of Architecture, Waterlooplein 213 in Amsterdam. The language of the evening will be English. Free entrance.
Please register via avb-webredactie@ahk.nl.

 

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image: Vincent Peters, WUR/NRGlab, 2016

Abstract

Neuroscientists have been examining the differences between the two brain hemispheres for more than a century, with increasing fascination. They stress that certain brain functions are lateralized – they are located in the left or the right part of the human brain. Whereas some claims of popular psychology such as the lateralization of creativity have been refuted, empirical evidence suggests the following: The left-brain hemisphere, for most humans, plays an important role in speech and linear reasoning. The right-brain hemisphere is non-verbal and processes the majority of spatial information and holistic reasoning. This division of labour and the so-called corpus callosum, which bridges the gap between the two hemispheres, are critical to understand many dilemmas. It may help, for example, decipher the (perceived) tension between general support for renewable energy and the opposition against energy technology in the every-day living environment.

During this acceptance speech, we will embark from this ‘mother of all gaps’ in the human brain to discuss a series of gaps that are pertinent for environmental designers active in the energy transition. Focusing on these gaps, for example between courageous bottom-up energy initiatives and redundant top-down policies, can help to advance the shaping and materialization of energy landscapes in areas with high population densities. We will make use of historical references as well as present-days design research and, ultimately, sketch the research agenda of the High-Density Energy Landscapes research group. All attempts to reconcile the two brain hemispheres are destined to fail, and rightfully so, but we ought to start minding the gap and embrace the right-brain hemisphere.