Sevaldson, Birger
Professor
Birger Sevaldson [dipl NCAD MNIL PhD] is professor at the Institute of Design at AHO – Oslo School of Architecture and Design and a principle researcher in OCEAN design research association.
He is an academic and designer working in a broad field of design and architecture. He has been in private practice since 1986. His practice spans from architecture, interior to furniture and product design including design of lighting armatures and boat design. It also includes experimental architecture and several art installations in collaboration with the composer Natasha Barrett on the context of OCEAN.
Birger Sevaldson has been developing concepts in design computing and his doctoral thesis from 2005 is based on 15 years of research into this field. He has been collaborating in OCEAN design research association since 1997 and the experimental design projects resulting from this collaboration have been published worldwide. The research into digital design developed into a wider interest in the design process and especially design processes for uncertainty, unforeseen futures and complexity. This research grew out of the digital research which initially engaged in time related design, where time was explored as a design material. Later this approach was further developed and new concepts for systems thinking in design emerged. He has defined Systems Oriented Design as a designerly way of systems thinking and systems practice.
Birger has been lecturing and teaching in Norway, Europe, Asia and USA and has held a visiting professorship at NACD in Oslo and has been a visiting critic at Syracuse University School of Architecture, USA. He is currently visiting professor at the University College of Ålesund, Norway. He was collaborating in the start-up of the academic design journal FORMakademisk and is in the editorial board of the journal. He has been in a number of international evaluation committees amongst them the evaluation committee for Danish design research under the Ministry of Culture of Denmark, and the evaluation committee for a science master for the Higher Education and Training Awards Council (HETAC), Ireland, and the evaluation committee for the EID project by the Swedish energy authorities. Birger is member of the council of the Design Research Society.
Birger has held several positions amongst them, leader of the National Council for Design Educations in Norway, Vice Rector of Oslo School of Architecture and Design and director of OCEAN Design Research Association and the committee for NORDES 2011. He is currently the curator of the Gallery AHO.