Preferences in Architectural Research

Academics often claim to have insufficient time to do research, and yet academic life provides many freedoms and opportunities. It is possible to talk with other staff without having to support the 'business'; it is possible to meet and share discussions that started many years, even decades, ago. It certainly was possible to do so in 1974 when one of us met Ranulph Glanville for the first time. His 20-minute presentation stimulated a 15-minute question, possibly to the despair of the chair of the session. His ideas on objects were highly stimulating. This event started a trip to the bar as well as life long discussions. We also started to participate in each other's work-as when Ranulph spent some years as staff in the Centre for Innovation and Cooperative Technology of the University of Amsterdam. He made strong and important contributions to the series of conferences called 'Problems of . . .' .'Among them was the way he was able to meet 'low flying pubs' and still be present the next day to be a model for aspiring academics. He opened their world. Later Ranulph helped both of us to participate in the exciting developments linking research and architecture in Belgium. Here we continue to discuss some parts of his work as a tribute to a rare mind-a person who saw the present as the beginning of the future rather than as the end of the past.