Describing Liminal Knowledge in Architectural Design

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Abstract

In this article, we argue that the concept of liminal knowledge provides a suitable alternative account for the long-established concept of tacit knowledge. We identify two theoretical issues (the semantic problem and the expressibility problem) that the concept of liminal knowledge altogether avoids. We discuss the usefulness of liminal knowledge in addressing complex problems and design problems. Furthermore, we provide two overlapping definitions of the concept—one from philosophy of science and one from education—and relate it to existing findings in design theory, demonstrating their links to liminal knowledge. In particular, the concepts of discursivation, scenario immersion and epistemic dissonance will be discussed. Concluding, we provide a concise, yet preliminary, description of the epistemic status of liminal knowledge in architectural design processes.