Case studies: The role of speculative work in architectural practice

The case studies included in this dossier were selected not for the projects themselves, as interesting and varied as they are, but for the impact that these unbuilt project moments had on the practices that created them. They represent an internal reflection on the agency of the unbuilt to change practice, rather than an outward projection of the project. Hunting again for the new forms of work that the unbuilt makes possible, these small and design-focused practices variously recognize, in financially constrained contexts, the value of the unbuilt as: … a way of advocating for issues beyond a single client’s preoccupations and budget; … a means of establishing a platform for broad conversation and advocacy within today’s media; … a low-risk invitation to create a discussion and work with new networks of co-designers and collaborators; and … a testing ground for a young practice to scale up processes and ambition. For the materialists among us, this is nothing more than talk and wasted time. But for more reflective practitioners, finding ways to engage the unbuilt, as a central plank in an