Research for Architectural Practice

Katharine A. Martindale

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2021
• ISBN:
  9781000409727
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Architecture
• Subtopic: Professional Practice in Architecture

This book provides a clear guide for practitioners looking to establish or already conducting research projects in a practice context and graduate students looking to support their studies and role within practice.

The book is divided into three key sections. The first section, across ChaptersTwo andThree, discusses why research is relevant to practice, how it benefits both practice and their clients, the breadth of topics, and tackles the key challenges facing research in practice and discusses how to overcome them, including how to fund research in practice. Section two, across ChaptersFour to Seven, focuses on the mechanics of a research project, providing a step-by-step guide to reviewing literature and publications, data collection and research methods, ethics, writing up and publishing.

In the final section, ChapterEight presents profiles of twelve architecture practices ranging in size, structure, location, research interest and approach, followed by illustrated profiles of their design influenced research work. The practices featured here are Counterspace Studio, ZCD Architects, Baca Architects, Tonkin Liu, Pomeroy Studio, Architecture Research Office, Architype, Gehl Architects, Hayball, PLP Architects, White Arkitekter and Perkins&Will.

With practice based examples throughout, beautifully illustrated and written in a clear and accessible style, this is an essential guide to conducting research that is relevant for architectural practices of all size, location and expertise.

Chapter One

Introduction

The role of research is becoming increasingly important to practising architects. Many new practices starting out, including all those featured in Chapter Eight, include research as part of their practice, and most large architecture studios have established research teams over the last 30 years. However, there exist several misperceptions about the role and relevance of research for architects and their practices. Research can be seen as an academic pursuit that has little impact or relevance to the practical practice of architecture or clients, as traditionally, research has not been part of the architect’s remit. This is in part due to the perception that the pragmatic, scientific approach of research is incompatible with the creative process. However, with the evolution of practice through fields such as parametric design and issues of environmental performance and sustainability, alongside the resolve to demonstrate expertise, this is changing.

The aim of this book is to demonstrate that research is not only relevant to practice but essential, and that the academic process of research can be adapted and made relevant to practice. For those who already see the benefits of research, in part because of growing interest from clients, this book addresses the knowledge gap in research training reported by practices interested in research but unclear where to start, the process, and how to fund, and tailor research to their practice and their clients. This book offers a practical guide to developing, funding, and conducting research independently and in collaboration, both for graduate students and practitioners.

This book’s seven core chapters fall into three categories. First, the motivations for and scope of practice-based research and its financing. Second, taking the research process from proposal to publishing, and then finally, international case studies from established research-driven practices.

Chapter Two discusses the motivations and benefits of conducting research in practice, the barriers, and how to overcome them. The second part of the chapter discusses the breadth of current research reviewed by sector, ranging from workplace and materials testing, to aged care design and education buildings, and then cross-sector approaches such as post occupancy evaluation and Modern Methods of Construction. As funding research work is the most frequently cited challenge for practice, Chapter Three reviews research and development tax schemes, client commissioned work and academic collaborations, and concludes with details of funding sources available to practitioners.

The second section, Chapters Four to Seven, focusses on the mechanics and processes of a research project. Chapter Four discusses how to develop proposals for a research project and make them relevant to practice, funding bodies and the wider industry. Chapter Five sets out the literature review, referencing and citations, before moving on to discuss the range of data sources and their reliability, different collection methodologies and analytical approaches, before concluding with a guide to writing up.

Chapter Six discusses a range of ethical issues that practice may encounter, including an overview of research ethics and how this works when collaborating with an academic partner, the issues to be considered when children and vulnerable adults participate in the process, issues of data capture, storage and management, and addressing plagiarism and copyright issues. With the research completed, Chapter Seven reviews the benefits of knowledge capture and management in practice, and the varied options for publishing research, from books and academic journals, to exhibitions and industry events, and social media.

In the final section, Chapter Eight discusses how research is approached and conducted in twelve practices located in Australia, Denmark, Singapore, South Africa, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The case studies range in size from micro to global and demonstrate different fields of expertise and interest, and approach to process, funding, and publications, and each is accompanied by a profile of their research. This chapter offers an insight into the structures, processes, and challenges that each face and how they address them with the ambition that those reading this chapter can take inspiration from these and identify a path forward for their own research.

Chapter Two

Making the case for research in practice

2.1 Introduction

Establishing a new area of work within practice faces challenges, concerns, and questions. As they relate to research, this chapter aims to address these; first among them, ‘why do architects in practice conduct research?’ There are several, regularly cited motivations for conducting research in practice that span developing and demonstrating expertise, making space for new thinking, supporting passion projects, innovating, raising the practice profile, and attracting new clients, colleagues, and collaborators. The concerns and challenges addressed in the following section discuss funding, training, senior level support, university research partnerships, issues of confidentiality, and the persistent stereotype that research is the preserve of large practice. The range of practice based research embraces a great diversity of topics reflecting the architectural interests of a practice. Collated through interviews, publications, presentations and practice websites, and are arranged here by sector topic and then cross-sector approach.

2.2 Why do architects in practice conduct research?

Among those practices interviewed specifically for this book, along with other architects engaged in discussions regarding research and the benefits to their practice over several years, there has been universal support for research and its continuing benefit to their practice. The motivations and benefits, discussed below, varied between practices but many were shared perspectives and were not dictated by size, research focus or geographic location. There were six recurrent responses with the drive to develop and demonstrate practice expertise and to encourage innovation, the most frequently cited. This was followed by fulfilling client commissions, taking time to focus on passion projects, fostering and introducing new thinking, raising the practice profile, and the unexpected increase in response to recruitment opportunities.

2.2.1 To expand and demonstrate practice expertise

The opportunity to develop expertise in a field was most frequently cited by practitioners as their motivation for engaging in research, and this was evident across all sectors. As Irene Gallou, Head of the Specialist Modelling Group at Foster + Partners notes, “in the short term it is gaining knowledge and expertise and developing interesting partnerships in other fields of expertise” (Martindale, 2017, p. 22). In the longer term, becoming known as a specialist in a field, and being able to demonstrate that expertise beyond architecture, was viewed as essential to their approach to design, the evolution of the practice, and when attracting new clients. The opportunity to build on, or expand, the skill set offered to clients on existing projects as an added benefit to their research, is an approach adopted by White Arktekter (see Section 8.5.3). Richard Partington, founder and director of Studio Partington, stated that their research enables them “to advise clients on best practice and building performance and in this way can offer a different service” (Martindale, 2017, p. 42).

When accompanied by a publishing and marketing strategy, past research strengthens a practice’s ability to win future research and design commissions, as well as establishing collaborative partnerships, particularly in academia. For ZCD Director Dinah Bornat, their research, published on an open-access basis on the practice website, has established the practice as experts in engaging with young people and children in the design of urban spaces. This has, in turn, led to invitations to speak and write, new design work, further research commissions, and additional collaborations and supporters, including their local mayor. In interview, Bornat noted that publishing their research work “was a more effective method of winning work than entering competitions” and that it has allowed the practice to charge higher fees for their work.

2.2.2 To innovate

Innovation is frequently linked to research in job titles, websites, and the professional literature, and often the initial perception of innovative research in practice is that it is the exclusive domain of high tech material development, new software, or robotic design. However, practice understanding of innovation and the route to it through research is much broader. At the core of the determination to innovate is the need to answer a question that is not available elsewhere, a quest for new knowledge, a better solution or to improve an operation or process. This point was highlighted by Jason Pomeroy, Founder of Pomeroy Studio, who remarked in interview that the innovation in their zero energy future developments built on existing “knowledge of passive environmental design principles, balancing lessons learned from past cultural practices with new technologies and techniques” developed by the practice.

Innovation was considered to be significant by all of the practices interviewed for this book. With the competitive advantage innovation can offer, or at least promise, of universal concern was the aim to drive innovation in design. For Tonkin Liu directors Mike Tonkin and Anna Liu, this was the main function of research within their practice, while for Ron Bakker of PLP Architecture it is of far greater significance; “innovation is the biggest driver in the global economy”. For Fiona Young, Director of Hayball’s Sydney studio, research is considered essential as it “significantly de-risks a project from the initial design phases through to project delivery, enabling us to innovate.” For Hayball, this innovation extends beyond the ambition to increase the environmental sustainability of their school buildings to support new pedagogical thinking for the spaces they design.

2.2.3 To fulfil passion projects

Not all of the research conducted in practice is directly related to design projects, the subject of a commission, or an investment in the direction of the practice to develop a new field of expertise. For some, encouraging individual staff members to develop small projects, supported by providing paid time away from usual activities and research expenses, is widely viewed as a staff perk that introduces new thinking to design projects and fosters new working collaborations across the practice and with external partners. In some cases, these have later developed into further commissions in both research and design, or research streams within the studio. Several large practices, including Perkins&Will, White Arkitekter and Fielden Clegg Bradley Studios, have established programmes to which staff can submit small research proposals. Arup’s scheme, part of Arup University, offers a ring-fenced fund totalling £5 million per annum which covers the scheme that aims to establish collaborations with external organisations. Successful applicants are afforded a short period of time to focus on the project, usually a week or two, expenses, mentorship and guidance on research methods and writing. This structure and scope is replicated at other practices.

In almost all cases, it is the larger practices that operate such schemes but smaller studios also support staff looking to explore ideas and develop research projects. A principal at Amanda Levete Architects, Max Arrocet’s passion for football and previous experience on the design team for the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu in Madrid, combined with an awareness of the shortage of available land for public sports facilities in high-density urban areas, led to the development of Pitch/Pitch (AL_A, 2020). Research work for Pitch/Pitch included a needs assessment and scoping study, materials development for the structural elements, and an accompanying digital management and booking system. The resulting design is a demountable and reusable system of sports pitches that can stack vertically and fit into a standard 40 ft shipping container for transportation and secure storage, intended both for temporary occupation in meanwhile space, as well as for longer term tenure (Figure 2.1).

2.2.4 To introduce new thinking

The benefits of conducting research related to design projects and speculative or passion projects were widely acknowledged among the interviewee group. Anna-Johanna Klasander Director of Research and Development at White Arkitekter considers it an effective method to “get some oxygen into the office”. The acknowledged advantages focused on the introduction of new thinking to the practice through new methodologies, effected by exposure to new ideas through collaborations, new or adjacent fields of literature, data and approaches that could be applied to design work. It was suggested that in some circumstances, research projects had the potential to discover something new that might take a project in a different direction. This ‘out of the box’ thinking was more likely to be identified in research projects not linked to practice design projects but rather those following an independent thread either as passion projects, new fields of architectural focus, or speculative ideas. In some cases, these were later developed as larger or ongoing research projects.

Figure 2.1 The Pitch/Pitch proposal for stackable football pitches. © AL_A

2.2.5 To raise the practice profile

As both Dinah Bornat and Max Arrocet can attest, the publication and any subsequent media coverage of research work can distinguish a practice from the typical stories of architectural work. If the research project is dramatic enough, demonstrating radical thinking, this potential is amplified. PLP Architecture has employed this to great effect with two research proposals. Their proposition for a 130 m tall timber tower with Cambridge University (Ramage, ...