Architectural Research: Develop a Research Plan

ARCHITECTURAL RESEARCH METHODS A PRACTICAL GUIDE TO RESEARCH FOR ARCHITECTS AND DESIGNERS--NOW UPDATED AND EXPANDED! From searching for the best glass to prevent glare to determining how clients might react to the color choice for restaurant walls, research is a crucial tool that architects must master in order to effectively address the technical, aesthetic, and behavioral issues that arise in their work. This book's unique coverage of research methods is specifically targeted to help professional designers and researchers better conduct and understand research. Part I explores basic research issues and concepts, and includes chapters on relating theory to method and design to research. Part II gives a comprehensive treatment of specific strategies for investigating built forms. In all, the book covers seven types of research, including historical, qualitative, correlational, experimental, simulation, logical argumentation, and case studies and mixed methods. Features new to this edition include: Strategies for investigation, practical examples, and resources for additional information A look at current trends and innovations in research Coverage of design studio-based research that shows how strategies described in the book can be employed in real life A discussion of digital media and online research New and updated examples of research studies A new chapter on the relationship between design and research Architectural Research Methods is an essential reference for architecture students and researchers as well as architects, interior designers, landscape architects, and building product manufacturers.

The Designer's Guide to Doing Research An essential introduction to applying research for busy architects and designers The competitive design market and the need to create enduring value place high demands on architects and designers to expand their knowledge base to be able to digest and utilize multiple sources of information. Expected by their clients to be well versed on all aspects of a project, time-constrained architects and designers need quick responses in the face of daily challenges. As a result, these professionals must--more than ever--rely on, and apply, readily accessible information culled from sound research to gain a competitive advantage. The Designer's Guide to Doing Research serves as an introductory guide on the general concepts and processes that define "good" research. Organized logically with the practical tools necessary to obtain research for all facets of the designer's workflow, this book offers: Material written in an accessible format specifically for practitioners Reliable content by experienced authors--a noted environmental psychologist and an interior design educator who is also a practitioner and writer Tools for planning, executing, and utilizing research presented in an easy-to-follow format along with case studies, sources, and applications Written for all practices and people concerned with the built environment, from architects and interior designers to facility managers, landscape architects, and urban planners, this book serves as an invaluable starting point for gathering and implementing research effectively.

Illustrated evidence-based building and open space case studies demonstrate E-B's continuing design impact. Fundamental theory and practical research methods are presented for planning, programming, designing, and evaluating the effects of physical environments in use. Part I describes how designers and researchers employ a similar creative process that promotes collaboration and yields greater design creativity and research effectiveness. Part II focuses on research methods to understand how buildings and spaces work: observing behavior and the physical environment, asking questions in interviews and surveys, and employing archival records that include data and physical plans.

A practical, single-source guide tosuccessful strategies for landscape architecture research As the scope of landscape architecture expands to engage with other disciplines, and streams of information directing this field continue to grow and diversify, it becomes increasingly important for landscape architects to be able to implement a range of effective research strategies when seeking, creating, and validating knowledge. Landscape Architecture Research offers a framework for advancing better design thinking solutions by supplying readers with a system of inquiry tactics that open up a wider range of research possibilities. With a logical and innovative approach that favors legitimacy of knowledge based on collective, grounded practices, rather than strict adherence to protocols drawn only from scientific models, this comprehensive, illustrated guide produces a sound argument for establishing a new paradigm for legitimizing research quality. Landscape Architecture Research presents: Case studies that show how the range of presented research strategies have been successfully used in practice New perspective on the relationship between theory, research, practice, and critique, a relationship that is specific to landscape architecture Detailed coverage of the ways that new knowledge is produced through research activities and practical innovations in landscape architecture The first and only book on this topic of growing importance in landscape architecture, Landscape Architecture Research keeps professionals and students in step with the latest developments in landscape architecture, and delivers a dynamic and flexible game plan for verifying the integrity of their work.

While fundamentally a design discipline, architectural education requires an element of history and theory, grouped under the term "research." However, many students struggle with this part of their course. This practical handbook provides the necessary grounding in this subject, addressing essential questions about what research in architecture can be. The first part of the book is a general guide to the fundamentals of how to do research, from assembling a literature review to conducting an interview. The second section presents a selection of case studies dealing with such topics as environmental psychology, the politics of space, ethnographic research, and mapping. The range of methods explored illustrates the variety of possible approaches, with authoritative guidance on how best to deploy a research framework.