Hibrid design: A hálózatkutatás és a design szövetsége – Bauhaustól a kortárs ökológiai innovációig

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. 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). 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. 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. 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.