Public defence, Architecture, MSc (Arch) Tommy Lindgren

Title of the thesis: Vibrant figures. Visual tools as mediators within the actor networks of the development of the built environment

Thesis defender: Tommy Lindgren
Opponent: Prof. Albena Yaneva, Politecnico di Torino, Italy
Custos: Prof. Antti Ahlava, Aalto University School of Arts, Design and Architecture

Architectural drawings are used everywhere in building projects: in competitions, permit processes, on construction sites and in public presentations. Yet they are often treated as neutral carriers of information — as if they simply show transparently the wishes of architects, clients or authorities. The doctoral thesis, Vibrant figures: Visual tools as mediators within the actor networks of the development of the built environment, challenges this view.

The thesis studies architectural drawings and other visual tools as active participants in the processes through which the built environment is planned, negotiated and built. Using actor-network theory, the research examines how drawings influence projects by shaping what can be discussed, compared, approved, and constructed. The study asks how the production of the built environment can be described as a network of relations, and how the effects of visual tools can be understood within that network.

The research consists of three articles. One traces the history of a specific drawing type, the volumetric diagram. Another develops conceptual tools for understanding architectural drawings as technological mediators. The third analyses the Low2No project in Helsinki, from its ambitious sustainability goals to its realization as the Airut block in Jätkäsaari. Together, the articles offer a broad view of how drawings operate across architectural and urban development processes, beyond the architect’s studio.

The main result of the thesis is that drawings do not merely represent projects: they help make projects happen in particular ways. They coordinate actors, translate goals, set limits, enable action and sometimes redirect intentions. In other words, the choice of our tools can support a project’s aims, but they can also interfere with them. The thesis shows that projects can be understood as sequences of changing settings, where both human and non-human actors — including plans, diagrams, permit documents and construction drawings — exercise agency.

The Low2No case demonstrates the practical importance of this insight. The project began with strong sustainability ambitions, but over time drifted toward a more conventional outcome. The thesis argues that this drift was partly enabled by the way key documents, such as the detail plan and competition proposal, were used — or not used — to secure the project’s original goals. This finding brings new understanding to sustainable urban development: documents and drawings are not just administrative necessities, but potential allies in keeping a project on course.

The thesis contributes to architectural research by extending the study of drawings from questions of representation and design authorship to their wider role in development networks. It also provides concepts and methods that can be applied in practice. The findings can help architects, planners, clients, authorities and researchers evaluate whether the visual tools used in competitions, regulation and construction actually serve the goals set for a project.

The research suggests that by paying closer attention to visual tools, we may identify points where projects can be guided more effectively — whether the goal is sustainability, clearer regulation, more suitable competition practices or more inclusive design processes. The conclusion is simple but consequential: to understand how our built environment is produced, we must look not only through drawings, but also at what drawings do.
 

Key words: actor-network theory (ANT), mediation, visual tools, architectural drawings.

Thesis available for public display 7 days prior to the defence at Aalto University's public display page. 

Contact information: tommy.lindgren@aalto.fi,
+358503771428