OPEN ARK

OPEN-ARK (Open Academic and Research infrastructure in Key creative domains) addresses a structural gap in European open science: design-led and spatial research outputs: architectural and urban projects, 3D and GIS datasets, parametric workflows, photogrammetric captures, evaluation studies, remain largely outside mainstream research infrastructures and are systematically lost. The initiative explores governance, technical, and community foundations for treating these outputs as FAIR, interoperable, and reusable research objects within the EOSC Federation, working towards a thematic EOSC Node dedicated to architectural, urban, and spatial research. Through alignment with EOSC and OpenAIRE practices, and engagement with the design and spatial research community, OPEN-ARK contributes to broader efforts in open science for the creative and built-environment disciplines.

OPEN-ARK addresses a structural gap in the European open science landscape: design-led and spatial research outputs – including 3D and GIS data, parametric workflows, photogrammetric captures, and evaluation studies – are at present poorly represented in mainstream research infrastructures. By exploring governance, technical, and community foundations for treating these outputs as FAIR, interoperable, and reusable research objects, the initiative contributes to wider efforts to extend open science practices into creative and built-environment disciplines. Preparatory work towards a thematic EOSC Node for architectural, urban, design, and spatial research is likely to influence how complex non-textual research objects are documented, evaluated, and shared internationally. The approach may also inform comparable undertakings in adjacent creative and design-oriented fields, where established repository and metadata frameworks remain limited.

For Slovenia, OPEN-ARK creates an early position in the emerging European infrastructure for design-led and spatial research, with potential long-term effects on how Slovenian architectural, urban, and creative research outputs are made visible and reusable. The initiative supports capacity building in open science across the Slovenian architectural, design and spatial research community and reinforces connections between academic and industry partners working with high-performance computing, digital cultural heritage, and spatial data. Alignment with EOSC and OpenAIRE practices contributes to the national open science agenda and to the gradual digital transformation of architectural and design practice. Over time, this may strengthen the international visibility of Slovenian research outputs in spatial and design disciplines and provide groundwork for further national and European initiatives in this area.