emergent

a vision of architectural research

We have reached the stage in contemporary architectural practice where the most common form of research and innovation lies in creating ‘shock’ architecture.  Much time and effort is allocated for the research of new computational methods in creating the new ‘look’ of fluid forms, but how much of this actually constitutes proper practice based architectural research.

Commonly, architectural research within a practice is classed as ‘research through building’.  This however is not a true reflection of contemporary research modes.  Specifically, project based research is often internalized and bound to the practice through commercial interest, intellectual property and trade secrets.  It is obvious that in order to successfully contribute the pool of architectural knowledge, modes of communication must be established that bequests research outcomes to a range of recipients.  It then becomes pivotal to decipher what actually constitutes architectural research and, more importantly, how it relates to normal modes of architectural practice.

Buildings as physical products function in a number of independent but interactive ways – they are structural entities, they act as environmental modifiers, they function socially, culturally and economically. Each of these types of function can be analysed separately but the built form itself unifies and brings them together in such a way that they interact. Research into architecture thus has to be conscious of these interactions across traditionally separate intellectual fields.

In order to provide scope of what is considered architectural research, the main areas can be identified as follows:

Architectural processes
This mode of research encompasses the processes involved in the design and construction of buildings, and thus might include for example, issues of representation, theories of design, modeling of the environment, design methodologies and tools, etc.

Architectural products
This mode refers to research into buildings as projected or completed objects and systems and may include for example issues of aesthetics, materials, constructional techniques, prototyping, etc.

Architectural performance
This mode refers to research into buildings once they are completed and might include for example issues of social occupation, environmental performance, cultural assimilation, etc

Architectural academia
This mode refers to research through collaboration with academia and might include for example lecturing, tutoring, workshops, writing, curriculum, etc.

By classing architectural research broadly into four modes it avoids comparison to science/art and qualitative/quantitative splits, and allows interdisciplinary research into any of the four modes.  This methodology removes itself from focusing on the method of research and inquiry, instead placing focus upon the emergence of a thematic approach that aligns with the design attitudes of a specific practice or individual.

Crucially, this approach conveys architecture temporally as opposed to a set of static fragments.  One stage leads to another and, importantly, creates an iterative loop in which one stage is informed by another.  For research to be most effective and architectural knowledge to develop, it has to feed this loop.  For example:

• Research into performance in use informing the process of design.
• Research into the products of design looking backwards to knowledge of the process of design.
• Research into the performance of buildings being critically informed by knowledge of the processes of architecture.
• Collaboration through academic lecturing at a University level, conveying information that is informed by knowledge of the processes of contemporary architecture.

Through the considered integration of an architectural research stream within a practice, architecture can move beyond the standard approach to practice based research, towards a new mode that promotes the intelligent investigation of all aspects of architectural process, products and performance.

© 2008 we have NO VISION.