Project kick-off: The New Open

Consider a near future where data related to buildings and cities is open. Imagine how the look and feel of our world would be different, and how it could perform all kinds of radical new feats. If it was able to consider the critical ecological needs of the planet and manage our lifestyles in the way it creates and sustains built environments, could an open data world have more impact on change than any other space?

The New Open is a flagship project of the Department of Architecture, TU Delft, initiated and led by Georg Vrachliotis and the Theory of Architecture and Digital Culture Group to explore the role of open data for design and social change. We aim to address today’s and tomorrow’s most pressing concerns, from sustainable building materials and better design, to data literacy and data democracy, to curating the cohesive fabric of highly functioning, ecologically savvy, smart societies.

As a dynamic platform with ongoing critical contributions from global thought leaders in architecture, design, climate, data science, art, culture, economics and politics, The New Open rethinks the future foundations of design and its impact on our societies.

The project kicks off with an event: “The New Open (Minds)”, invites the public into discussions about open data and the future of design alongside international luminaries and master storytellers, who will exchange their latest research on climate, artificial intelligence, architecture, data-driven design and social and cultural change.

The public event will feature keynote talks, interview-like conversations and panels from architects, designers and academics, including Sarah Williams (Civic Data Lab, MIT), Andrew Witt (Certain Measures / Harvard University), Kees Kaan (Kaan Architecten), Nathalie de Vries (MVRDV), Ruchi Choudhary (University of Cambridge / Alan Turing Institute) and Roberto Bottazi (The Bartlett, UCL), among others, who will each bring their expertise to the (open) table.

More information

• The New Open