About Production Studies

Against the contemporary context of disconnected relations of production, depletion of resources, ever-worsening conditions of construction across the globe, TF/TK looks to Ferro’s work to advance the critical understanding of relations between architectural design and the production and labour of building. Following Ferro, the project resists the social and technical elevation of architects over builders, by generating new knowledge in Production Studies through co-production with formal and informal building producers, design practitioners, teachers and academics. Our aim in proposing the urgently needed field of Production Studies is to foster interdisciplinary critical analysis of these relations, while at the same time advancing the development of responsible and just alternatives. 

In addition to investigating the production of the built environment and the histories and theories of their relations, we seek to identify existing alternatives and possible new forms of production, in which building processes – in themselves and not just their products – can become catalysts for social change. By integrating the intellectual and empirical projects with an active program to engender autonomy, equality, justice, creativity and joy in the social and material production of space, we seek to advance these values as fundamental aspects of social and material production of space.

As a means to effect change, the project will transform knowledge of design and building production through a series of activities held with academics in the field of Production Studies, researchers and producers of the built environment, and with wider publics including: 

i) an annual programme of Production Studies symposia and exchanges in the UK (Newcastle, London) and in São Paulo state (São Paulo; São Carlos). 

ii) the co-production of 24 new case studies - that are aimed as exemplars to both address the gap in academic knowledge of production (histories of informal and formal production, related disciplinary approaches such as anthropology, political science) and to provide resources for further action and change (documenting the work of social movements and self-builders, recording and trialling alternative forms of design pedagogy that engage with production).  

iii)  publishing and other outputs, including booklets; anthology website; audio play; exhibitions