Utopian architecture in fictional film universes: An interdisciplinary workshop experience

Abstract

This study presents an interdisciplinary workshop experience within spatial and environmental design education, aimed at developing critical thinking and utopian design skills. The workshop included undergraduate students from architecture and interior architecture, as well as associate degree students in interior design. It focused on the process of identifying social, cultural, and spatial problems within science fiction and fantasy film universes and designing alternative utopian solutions. Through this approach, the study aimed to introduce a new perspective to design practice via fictional design. During the workshop, the participants' outputs—including their film selections, problem definitions, and design proposals—were systematically observed. The findings indicate that students produced critical and creative spatial interventions by reinterpreting the sociological and spatial conflicts present in science fiction and fantasy universes within the context of the architectural discipline. The developed designs included public structures to support interaction among diverse groups, multi-functional assembly buildings for alternative governance scenarios, transitional spaces representing cultural passage, and interstitial spaces aimed at transforming social inequalities. While developing these spatial proposals, students focused not only on the relationship between form and function but also on layers of symbolic representation. In this context, it is concluded that utopia workshops hold a transformative potential for fostering creative thinking in design-based education.

Keywords: utopia, fictional design, social space, science fiction cinema