Marie Davidová passed away on April 10, 2026. Marie was a bright light in systemic design, always present, a lively discussion partner, and a mentor to many. Please contribute to an article on Marie’s influence on systemic design by adding your remembrance below.
Dr Marie Davidová, MArch, MNAL, PhD, SF HEA, was an independent junior research group leader at the Cluster of Excellence IntCDC University of Stuttgart and a registered architect in Norway. She was a founding member and chair of the Collaborative Collective practice design-research network NGO, a founding board member of the Systemic Design Association, and a founding member and auditor of the Creative Systemic Research Platform Institute. Before starting her position in Stuttgart, Marie had been a lecturer (teaching & research) at the Welsh School of Architecture and an affiliate of the Sustainable Places Research Institute at Cardiff University. At the same university, she served on the Biodiversity and Resilience Action Plan Committee. Marie founded the Systemic Approach to Architectural Performance research by co-design field. This field discusses the question of cities’ transition towards Post-Anthropocene.
Marie was an SDA board member serving 2021–2022, 2022–2023, 2023–2024, 2024-2026 (Chair).
What is the author’s memory of Marie, and what topics did they discuss during their meetings at RSD8 and RSD9?
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I first met Marie ten years ago, at RSD in Toronto, and we immediately connected. She was incredibly warm and generous as a friend, dedicated to her students, and visionary in her design. The last time I got a message from her was on April 5th, and although I did not hear from her after that and was worried, still imagined that she was slowly on her way to recovery. It was a shock to see the in memoriam notice today, and I am still in disbelief that a person who has always been so alive and vibrant is no longer there. I am so glad to have known her, and to have had the opportunity to spend quality time with her last spring and summer. This is a huge loss, both to me personally, and to the RSD community.
Marie and I were in the same hospital room in August 2025. We talked so much and learned so much about each other. She was such a joyful person who fought so hard. We stayed in close contact afterwards, but since January 2026 I haven’t been able to reach her anymore. Now I found out that she has passed away. That really hit me deeply. I truly believed she would make it. I will think of her often.
Marie attended the RSD conference in Delft. Although this was our first meeting person, Marie had a way of reaching and connecting with me. For me, it felt like I was meeting an old friend. I will remember Marie’s sincere interest in, and support toward the research pursuits of all those around her. Rest peacefully.
I’m very sad that Marie is no longer with us. If there is one word that I would use to describe Marie it would be enthusiasm. At RSD conferences she would always be there and make everyone feel welcome. She even made it to RSD10 which we organised in Delft with a small audience in a hybrid mode during the pandemic. As organising committee we were quite stressed to get all the logistics done. The evening before the event Marie arrived in town and messaged me: let’s have some fun tonight! We were exhausted and a fun night out was not exactly what I was thinking of. But of course she was very right to want to make the most of the time we had together as a community. Marie was very committed to the SDA and she clearly felt at home at the RSD symposia. RSD will not be the same without her.
My sincere condolences to her family and friends.
I sowed marigold seeds in her memory today.
Mieke
Incredibly saddened to hear of Marie’s passing, especially at such a young age. On a personal note, Marie’s bright smile, kind word and timely joke will be sorely missed, while the loss of her continued professional contributions are a loss for all of us, as well as the world. Wishing everyone who knew her sincere condolences. Let’s honour her spirit by joking and laughing in spite of this grief.
I was so sorry to hear this. I remember Marie as so full of energy and dynamism to bring systemic design approaches to wider communities. I think the first time we had a long conversation was walking near Ostana in the Alps after RSD8, with a big group of systemic design people, and then the next year I ran into her while I was wandering around the IIT campus in Chicago, at RSD9. We looked at the Mies van der Rohe architecture building together and talked about ways to combine education and research and how from a constructionist perspective they could be, perhaps, the same thing. Marie has done so much for the systemic design community and I know her influence, inspiration, and legacy will continue.
This is shocking news. I met Marie in 2016 if I recall well, at a conference in Portugal, then we kept in touch due to our similar interests on concepts such as more-than-human. We met again in New Zealand at a CAADRIA conference and we connected even more. We wrote two papers together and presented at another conference. I admired her for her dedication, clear vision and passion for everythong she was involved in. For me, having known it quite well, it’s extremely difficult to soak her loss. I cannot imagine how it is for those who were closer, it must be devastating. There aren’t many people like her left around, at least of those I have known. At least, she deserves to see from where she is now that some of her views flourish through the work of those of us who are still around.
I’m very saddened to hear of the passing of Marie. She was always such an enthusiastic, bubbly presence at RSD conferences. I remember meeting Marie the first time at RSD10 at TU Delft in 2021. She was so passionate about making the world a better place through SOD and systemic design. Anytime we crossed paths while I was deep in my PhD studies, she always shared such supportive and encouraging words. My sincere condolences to Marie’s family and friends.
Marie was a longterm advocate for Systems Oriented Design and brought it into new contexts and applications both in academia but also for example in the streets og Prague. We worked together in periods since she was my student at AHO in 2006. I find myself thinking of her every day. It is sad that we lost her so far to early.
Marie had a unique ability to create a dynamic, creative spark. She cared deeply about others and was attuned to issues of equity, which she always called out and looked for ways to address. She provided great advice and gave others the confidence to do their work, their way. Several years ago, Marie wrote this article, which I have shared many times. https://rsdsymposium.org/papers-and-your-academic-path/. Her trajectory of work is inspiring. Her unparalleled skills in mapping always surprised, and she was unwavering in her regenerative, post-Anthropocene mindset. Marie shook our paradigms while making us laugh and embrace joy. Her place in our lives and her work in systemic design will be both remembered and missed. —Cheryl May
My brief interaction with Dr. Marie Davidová was when she moderated one of RSD’s paper sessions. I remember her as a patient, curious, and generous intellectual researcher and mentor.
Marie Davidová’s passing marks a profound loss to the systemic design community, one that is felt not only through her intellectual contributions but through the relationships and networks she so thoughtfully nurtured over time. I have fond memories of knowing Marie since RSD2 in Oslo, and thereafter connecting with her year after year through the RSD symposia, spaces where conversations extended beyond presentations into shared explorations of ideas, values, and commitments to the field.
Marie embodied a rare combination of energy and rigour. Her work consistently advanced the knowledge of systemic design, particularly through her practice-based research and her articulation of the Systemic Approach to Architectural Performance (SAAP), which foregrounded ecological integration and post-anthropocentric thinking . She was deeply invested in expanding the field, not only through her scholarship but through her sustained engagement with communities of practice across geographies, disciplines, and institutions.
Her association with India, and with the National Institute of Design in Ahmedabad, was especially meaningful. She contributed significantly to the organisation of RSD9, where she also delivered a plenary, bringing her characteristic clarity and generosity of thought to the theme of design for wellbeing. She held a genuine appreciation for the work emerging from NID, and her engagement helped strengthen important bridges between contexts and communities.
In her professional roles, as President of the Systemic Design Association, educator at the Welsh School of Architecture, and co-founder of Collaborative Collective, Marie demonstrated a commitment to building platforms that enabled dialogue, inclusion, and transdisciplinary exchange. She was soft spoken, well grounded, and widely regarded, yet quietly powerful in her ability to connect people, ideas, and institutions. Her presence was consistent, active, and deeply generative.
My personal interactions with her, even in brief exchanges, reflected her openness and thoughtful engagement. Whether discussing shifts in the character of RSD or responding to concerns about inclusivity in submissions, she brought a balanced perspective, acknowledging tensions while encouraging constructive evolution of the field.
Marie’s contribution to systemic design will endure, in the ideas she shaped, the networks she strengthened, and the many individuals she influenced. She will be remembered not only for what she built, but for how she carried herself within the community, with care, conviction, and a quiet determination to advance a more inclusive and ecologically attuned design practice.
Praveen Nahar, INDIA
I first met Marie in New Zealand in 2019. She was attending the CAADRIA conference. And won an award if I remember correctly. We found mutual curiosity in the space between her work on multi species architecture and my work on blockchain and economically autonomous architecture. We remain in constant over the years collaborating. Cross teaching. My fondest memories are of Marie laughing. I can’t remember a meeting that wasn’t punctuated with her laughter and smiles. And swearing! We swore a lot in each other company which made recording a conference presentation together really hard 😂. I will miss her.
So sad to read this. I did not know Marie very well, but we’ve been in some sessions together over the past years, and her comments were always inspired and relevant. My condolences to her family and friends.