NFDI4ING contributed to the workshop “Datafizierte Welten: Kritische Untersuchungen zu Datenpraktiken in der Architektur,” hosted by the Institute of Architectural Theory and Science at TU Darmstadt in collaboration with Netzwerk Architekturwissenschaften e.V. The two-day event brought together an international group of participants to examine the growing role of data in architecture.
The discussions explored how data centers and network infrastructures are driving rapid physical transformations of the built environment, alongside shifts in global power structures and cultural dynamics. Participants also reflected on how these developments are reshaping workplaces, cities, and neighborhoods, as well as influencing architectural practice and academic discourse. A key focus was the role of data literacy in professional, scientific, and participatory contexts, and whether decentralized AI systems could counterbalance current trends of centralization and data extraction.
In its contribution, NFDI4ING highlighted how its services and tools facilitate data exchange in engineering and support open, sustainable research practices. Particular emphasis was placed on the importance of data literacy, which NFDI4ING promotes through curriculum development, training programs, and initiatives such as summer schools.
NFDI4ING also continues its collaboration with NFDI4Culture and NFDI4Objects in the field of the built environment. At the workshop, exchange took place with projects such as the Digital Construction Archive, which focuses on preserving digitally produced architecture, and the Architectural Research Data Management Pipeline, which develops user-friendly tools to improve data handling in architectural research.
The workshop marks an initial step toward a planned book publication on the evolving significance of data in architecture. For further information or to get involved, please contact: dataworlds@architekturwissenschaft.net.
Andreas Noback