Research in architecture: reflection on three approaches linking research and design

Research in Architecture is not new, it is usually known as analysis or pre-design stage. Architects get acquainted with program requirements, project context and/or other inspiring works, including concepts on theory, philosophy or history. Seldom are the architects who design without any conceptual constraints. Ranging from a pure mental exercise to a fully noted process, each architect processes the available knowledge and converts it into a project proposal. As such, architecture is always somehow a product of a research into a solution for a problem. In this paper we analyze and discuss the pros and cons of three approaches linking research and design: evidence-based design, design in analogy and free design. Besides the state-of-the-art, this paper illustrates the approaches with final design projects by graduates (2009-2012) from the department of the Built Environment, Eindhoven University of Technology, the Netherlands, to exchange the experience gained over the past years while applying the different approaches in MSc graduate studios in Architecture. The paper discusses the role of Research in Architecture, elaborating on the argument that research and design have seen different forms of integration related to paradigmatic shifts in history. A school of Architecture should not be alienated to those; it should explore and reflect upon their impact. As such, the proposed reflections shall also include a discussion on the inherent raise of transparency and educational quality, as well as, on the added value of teaching multiple approaches within the context of one single School.