Comics Everything: Speculating Architecture Through Comics

The ever-changing built environment forces architecture to be speculatively re-imagined at every critical juncture to explore what-if scenarios. Speculative architecture seeks solutions beyond conventional tools to discover alternative, unique dimensions for future praxis—which is imperative to propel architecture in new directions. The desire to explore alternative fictional scenarios in comics* aligns with the pursuit of speculative thinking in architecture. This thesis argues that future architectural praxis can employ comics as a design mechanism for architectural speculation, focusing on the medium’s formal specificities, narrative structure, and fictional world-building. As a design mechanism, the comic medium facilitates the generation of speculative architecture and elevates the design process. Oscillating between the possible and impossible, comics afford designers new ways to conceive and create a liberated speculative architecture. *The term ‘comics’ is used as a superordinate term that comprises many graphic styles such as American comics, Japanese manga, the Franco-Belgian style Bandes dessinées, and graphic novels.