Sánchez Sotés, G., Fischer, T., Herr, C.M., 2025.

A Method for Examining the Merits of Theory Appropriation in Architecture

In this paper, we outline a method for examining the merits of cross-disciplinary theory appropriations in architecture. We then apply this method to examine the merits of the appropriation of autopoiesis theory in Patrik Schumacher's two-volume treatise on The Autopoiesis of Architecture. The theory of autopoiesis was originally developed by Chilean neuro-biologists Humberto Maturana, Francisco Varela, and Ricardo Uribe in the early 1970s to describe the organisation of living systems. Since its inception, this theory has been adopted in sociology by Niklas Luhmann to describe social processes of communication and, based on that, in architecture by Schumacher to describe the architectural profession. To examine the merits of the latter appropriation, we develop and apply a text analysis method drawing on discourse analysis, close reading, visual interpretation, and inference to the best explanation. We use this method to analyse a set of pertinent samples from The Autopoiesis of Architecture, focusing, within the limited space of this paper, on a single, representative sample. Our analysis uses previously established categorisations of language use and merits of theory appropriation. We thereby determine how Schumacher's theory relates "architecture" to prior (i.e. Luhmann's or Maturana et al.'s) instances of autopoiesis theory, the degree of literality of these references, and the likely beneficiaries. We hope the proposed method will be of value to others who wish to contextualise, evaluate, and appreciate other instances of theory appropriation in architecture from a rigorous research perspective.