Hybrid Design: The Alliance of Network Thinking and Design -From the Bauhaus to Contemporary Ecological Innovation

Abstract

This study examines the contemporary paradigm of hybrid design, a design approach that simultaneously draws on the knowledge of art, science, technology, and ecology, aiming at their sustainable integration [17]. The essence of hybrid design is not merely the creation of objects, but the reorganization of complex ecosystems, social and natural relations, and the establishment of new dynamics. Within this framework, the designer is not only making aesthetic decisions but acts as a mediator, a network bridge: capable of connecting engineers with biologists, social scientists with computer experts, artists with industrial partners. In this process, network research is not only a theoretical background but a universal design toolkit, offering a shared conceptual language for the unified modeling and coordinated transformation of diverse domains and heterogeneous systems (materials, processes, communities, technologies) [2,22]. The historical trajectory (Bauhaus–MIT) demonstrates how the network logic of interdisciplinarity became institutionalized, while contemporary case studies (Neri Oxman’s material ecology, Tomás Saraceno’s spiderweb-based installations, Michael Strano’s bioluminescent plants) illustrate the metaphorical, analytical, and operative applications of network thinking in design practice [23,25,16]. We highlight that scale-free, small-world, and multiplex network models in hybrid design enable the identification of key actors, the acceleration of knowledge flow, and the layering of collaborations [5,27,15]. Our conclusion is that the potential expansion of hybrid design as a discipline lies in the alliance of network science and design, which enhances transparency, flexibility, innovation potential, and sustainability in design, while simultaneously offering a renewed, structured role for the arts.

Keywords

hybrid design, network research, discipline, design, art, science, technology, interdisciplinarity, systems, structures.

Email: floravattay@gmail.com

ORCID: 0009-0007-8329-6247