Introduction to

Research in
Architecture.
SANTOSH KUMAR MISRA
PRINCIPAL ABIT AND PROFESSOR OF ARCHITECTURE ( DESIGN CHAIR )
PILOO MODY COLLEGE OF ARCHITECTURE, CUTTACK, ODISHA.
Abstract

  Title: Introduction to Research in Architecture:

 Abstract: Generally, research in India has not been very encouraging.
And this has been even more acute in the field of architecture and
planning. The presentation is intended to inform the participants the
fundamentals of what is research, the different types of research, the
ingrains of a PhD level research and the Characteristics of a good
research work.
 It then goes on to elaborate on the structure of a research work and the
importance of presenting the research in a systematic way. The author
elaborates on what makes a good research topic and how to choose a
thesis project. Then several thesis titles are discussed to give the new
researcher a lead in identifying a topic. Finally examples of two PhD
works are selected to see how they were worked upon. The presentation
is concluded by stating that an open mind is the key to doing good
research.
Fields of Academic Enquiry

SCIENCE HUMANITIES
Fields of Academic Enquiry

DESIGN

SCIENCE HUMANITIES
Fields of Academic Enquiry

Design /
Architecture

SCIENCE HUMANITIES
Introduction

Research in common parlance refers to a search for knowledge.

Research comprises creative work undertaken on a systematic
basis in order to increase the stock of knowledge, including
knowledge of man, culture and society, and the use of this stock
of knowledge to devise new applications.  It is used to establish
or confirm facts, reaffirm the results of previous work, solve
new or existing problems, support theorems, or develop new
theories. 
Types of research
Research may be generally placed under any of the following heads or under a
combination of the following heads:
Fundamental or Basic research.
Applied Research.
Descriptive Research.
Analytical Research.
Experimental Research.
Theoretical Research.
Theoretical-experimental research.
Design Research.
Computer Based Research.
Quantitative Research.
Qualitative Research.
Empirical Research.
Mixed Research.
Fundamental or Basic Research.

 Basic Research is research in pure science subjects

such as Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Material
Science , Mathematics, Astronomy, Astrophysics and
others. Research in pure sciences makes a nation
inherently strong. This is also known as curiosity
oriented research. However a lot of resources are
needed for this and there is no immediate benefit.
Applied Research.

 Under the classification of Applied Research subjects such

as Computer Science, Technology, Electrical, Mechanical,
Civil, Aerospace, Biomedical, Sustainable Development,
Architecture and others may be placed.
 Developing countries like India invest a lot of money in
Applied Research as this gives immediate economic
returns.
 As a consequence they have invested large amounts of
funds in engineering and technology projects.
 The right thing to do would be to achieve novel and
successful technologies based on basic and curiosity
oriented research.
Descriptive Research

One of the goals of science is description (other goals include

prediction and explanation). 
 Descriptive Research methods are pretty much as they
sound — they describe situations. They do not make
accurate predictions, and they do not determine cause and
effect.
 There are three main types of descriptive methods:
Observational methods, case-study methods and survey
methods. 
Descriptive Research
Observational Method
 With the Observational Method (sometimes referred to as
field observation), human behavior with in the physical
environment is closely observed.  There are two main
categories of the observational method — naturalistic
observation and laboratory observation. 
Descriptive Research

Case Study Method

 Case study research involves an in-depth study of an people
and places .  Case studies often lead to testable hypotheses
and allow us to study rare phenomena. 
 Case studies should not be used to determine cause and
effect, and they have limited use for making accurate
predictions.   
 In Architecture and related subjects this method is very
widely used.
Descriptive Research

Survey Method
 In Survey Method research, participants answer questions
administered through interviews or questionnaires.  After
participants answer the questions, researchers describe the
responses given.  For the survey to be both reliable and
valid, it is important that the questions are constructed
properly.  Questions should be written so they are clear and
easy to comprehend.
 Architecture and related subjects can use this method to a
great extent.
Analytical Research

 Analytical research is a type of research that involves

evaluation of facts and information already available. This
is then analyzed using critical thinking skills and a
conclusion is arrived at. 
 A variety of people including students, architects, doctors
and psychologists use analytical research during studies to
find the most relevant information. From analytical
research, a person finds out critical details to add new ideas
to the material being produced.
Experimental Research.
The experimental method is usually taken to be the most scientific of all
methods, the 'method of choice'.  The main problem with all the non-
experimental methods is lack of control over the situation.  The experimental
method is a means of trying to overcome this problem. The experiment is
sometimes described as the cornerstone of psychology and Environmental
psychology : This is partly due to the central role experiments play in many of
the physical sciences .  A considerable amount of environmental psychological
research uses the experimental method.
The sequence of developing sections in a typical experimental report might
be the following:
1)Theory.
2)Equipment.
3)Procedure.
4)Results.
In Architecture, Experimental Research can be done for climate related
studies with the use of sensors. Climatic comfort in historic buildings,
lighting in buildings etc. Environmental issues in the neighbourhood can also
be studied experimentally.
Theoretical/Conceptual Research.

The term theoretical is sometimes informally used in lieu of hypothetical (conjectural,

imaginary) to describe a result which is predicted by theory but has not yet been
adequately tested by observation or experiment. 
It is research in which the goal is to prove/disprove a hypothesized truth. 
While doing theoretical research , the theoretical base or framework has to be found out.
The theoretical framework is a foundation for the parameters, or boundaries, of a study.
Once these themes are established, researchers can seek answers to the topical
questions they have developed on broad subjects. With a framework, they can resist
getting off track by digging into information that has nothing to do with their topic.
Often researchers are curious about broad subjects, but with a theoretical framework
they can stay tightly within the theme or topic.
The general pattern of development usually moves from the known to the unknown,
and the typical theoretical report might be as follows:
1) Existing theory.
2) New theory.
3) Application.
In architecture a lot of the research work is theoretical. Any work on Architectural
theory, history and criticism will be theoretical.
Theoretical-Experimental research.
In some research, a substantial theoretical development is produced and then tested
experimentally to determine the validity. Such a research is, in effect, both a theoretical and a
experimental project. A typical report might contain the following developing sections:
1) Existing theory.
2) Theoretical development.
3) Theoretical predictions.
4) Equipment.
5) Procedure.
6) Results.
7) Comparison of predictions and results.
 Here some of the research work can be done theoretically and then validated by
experimentation. A PhD in architectural photography can combines practical
photographic work with a textual thesis.  
Design Research.
In a design project, the problem is to design a new system or subsystem or to
design a modification to an existing one. Thus the reporting of a typical project
might include the following developing sections:
1) Detailed analysis ( of the problem)
2) Theory.
3) Design.
4) Fabrication. (Application in Architecture)
5) Testing and Evaluation.
Doctoral degree programs in Architectural Design may include research into
building design and development theories. These days ,certain schools have
chosen to focus on the development of a design-based research, where
practical elements and experiments constitute essential parts of the research
methodology and dissemination.
Architectural issues such as Health Care Design , Facility planning,
Robotics etc. can be placed under the head of design research.
Computer projects / Research
 A computer research is one in which the primary effort is centered
upon the development of a computer program or on the use of
computers in developing results. The development might include
the following:
1) Detailed Analysis ( of the problem)
2) Theoretical Development.
3) Development of the program.
 In architecture and planning computers can be used  for the
analysis of spatial configurations . It can be used as a tool to help
urban planners simulate the likely social , organizational and economic
performance of their designs
 Space Computing and Virtual Reality in Architecture -applying
technology to research into the built environment, bringing
computational approaches to the heart of the design process.
The in-grains of a PhD level research
work.
 The work should contain original contribution of the author
as against what others have done or said.
 All current work will inevitably be built on previous works
but in research work, this has to be spelt out more precisely.
 The test of a good research is that at least two learned
papers can be drawn up from it.
 The capacity of critical examination and sound judgment
have also to be looked for.
Characteristics of a research work.

 There has to be discovery of facts.

 Or a fresh approach towards interpretation and application
of facts or theories.
 Or a distinct advancement in Instrumental Technology.
Thesis Structure

 Identification of research problem

 Literature review
 Specifying the purpose of research
 Determine specific research questions
 Specification of a Conceptual framework  
 Choice of a methodology
 Data collection
 Analyzing and interpreting the data
 Reporting and evaluating research
 Communicating the research findings and, possibly,
recommendations
What makes a good research topic?

 Thinking about the end result, your examiners will be

looking for research which is;
 novel (original)
 set in the context of the existing research in the field, and
 competently executed
 When choosing a thesis topic, it makes sense to use these
criteria to help you.
Novelty
 It’s incredibly hard to come up with a completely new idea. Almost every
invention or discovery or new theory depends on a combination of
existing ideas, but put together in a new way or applied to a new problem.
 There are three approaches to novelty. The first is to aim for a specific
outcome nobody has achieved before. In research projects like this, there
is a clear goal, but a risk that another group working on the same problem
might beat you to it.
 The second approach is to pick a specific subject you want to study, and
identify a question or problem that hasn’t been addressed before in that
niche. This could be a specific group of people, a species of butterfly or a
new class of materials.
 The third is to apply a new methodology. There could be a subject which
has been widely studied, but never before using your methodology. The
methodology doesn’t need to be new, just new to the problem you are
addressing in your research.
Context
 You might have found an interesting problem to work on, but that isn’t
enough. It needs to be put in context with existing research.
 This is because you want to make sure nobody else has already done it
 You can learn from the methodologies used by other researchers
 You need to justify why your research matters
 So you need to do some reading to find out what other people are doing in
your chosen field.
Competence
 Do you have the skills and resources to carry out your
project? And if not, will you be able to attain them?
 An idea is only a good one if you can carry it out
competently. So you must consider what resources and
expertise you will have access to.
How to choose a thesis topic ?

Now that we have some guidelines for what we’re looking for,
how to choose a thesis topic?
 If you sit and wait for one idea that ticks all the boxes, you
will be waiting for a very long time. Instead, there is a
process you need to go through, which may be repeated
several times.
 Idea generation
 Testing
 Elimination & refinement
 Idea generation
 Rather than look for one perfect idea, it is better to consider several. In the
initial stages, you should be open to all ideas, even if they seem crazy.
 The ideas don’t need to be completely unique, you could start with one idea,
then consider multiple variations on a theme. However you approach it, take
some time to think of as many different topics as you can.
 This takes away the pressure to choose the perfect topic immediately, and
will open up potential avenues of exploration you may otherwise never have
considered.
 Once you have a few ideas, you can pick the best ones and then proceed.
Testing
 This stage is crucial, and can save you years of pain.
 Before you finalise your thesis topic, you need to test potential ideas for
viability.
 Ask yourself, what is the simplest first step that would need to be taken, and
figure out if it is possible
 Testing may involve:
 Doing simplified experiments or mini-investigations
 Checking that you will have sufficient access to equipment, people or
information
 Reading relevant literature
 Asking relevant experts
 It’s best to do this as early as possible! Don’t worry if it doesn’t work, that’s
the point of testing.
Elimination and refinement
 It’s OK to let go of ideas if they don’t work or are
impractical (and much easier to do if you start with several
possibilities). But others may just need a little refinement to
become viable.
 Or you might find new ideas evolve out of ideas which
failed testing. A piece of one idea combines with a piece of
another, in a way you never would have found without
going through those rejected ideas first.
Get good data
 Your aim is to get good data. No matter how good or original your idea,
everything you present in your thesis will rely on getting good data. No
amount of writing or analysis or insight or creativity can correct for poor
quality data, so make this the ultimate criterion when choosing your topic.
 If not, reject the idea, and choose another. It might take longer to find your
topic, but you will save time in the long-term.
 I know that “data” doesn’t apply to all projects, in which case consider
whether you can get good source material or information.
 In summary, how to choose a thesis topic? Consider multiple options,
do preliminary testing, and then refine good ideas, eliminate bad ones.
Some research areas in architecture and related fields.

 PhD in Architecture and Urban Design

 PhD in Urban Planning, Design, and Policy.

PhD in Preservation of Architectural Heritage.
 PhD in Design
 PhD in Architectural and Planning education
PhD titles for research by Architects.

 (PhD in Design Dissertations)

 Exploring the integration of sustainability and green building themes within formal
 architectural education by Traci Rose Rider.
 Supporting intergenerational interaction: affordance of urban public space by Michael
R. Layne.
 Understanding change in place: spatial knowledge acquired by visually impaired users
 through the change in footpath materials by Andrew Phillip Payne.
 Mapping the web of landscape aesthetics: a critical study of theoretical perspectives in
 light of environmental sustainability by Hyosung Chang.
 semiotic phenomenology of visual rhetoric: communication and perception of
 attributes of cultural sustainability in the visual environment of public housing by
Magdy Ma.
 Neighbourhood design: associations between suburban neighbourhood
morphology and children's outdoor, out-of-school, physical activities by
Kristin Thorleifsdottir.

 Children and urban neighbourhoods: relationships between outdoor activities of

children and neighbourhood physical characteristics in Dhaka, Bangladesh by
Mohammed Zakiul Islam.

 The relationships between objective and subjective evaluations of the urban

environment: Space Syntax, cognitive maps, and urban legibility by Yixiang Long.

 Creating creativity in the design studio: assessing the impact of metacognitive skill
development on creative abilities by Ryan Anthony Hargrove.

 Effect of space on health and well-being: an environmental assessment for home-

like long term care setting by Orcun Kepez.
 A photometric characterization methodology for daylighting fixtures by K. Daryl
Carrington.

 Physical environmental influences on the physical activity behaviour of independent

older adults living in continuing care retirement communities by Arleen A. Humphrey.

 Children's friendship with place: an exploration of environmental child friendliness of

children's environments in cities by Sudeshna Chatterjee.

 The influences of site design on physical activity and social interaction in residential
planned unit developments by Evrim Demir.

 An exploratory study of interpersonal distances and perceived spaciousness and

crowding in four shopping malls across two cultures by Aydin Ozdemir.

 Colour as cognitive artefact: a means of communication -- language and message by

Dennis M. Puhalla
 Visualizing communication structures of nonverbal
information for online learning environments by Claudia R.
Winegarden.
 An assessment of understanding universal design through
online visual resources and role-playing simulation
exercises by Marcelo Pinto Guimaraes.
 Residents' attachment to new urbanist versus conventional
suburban developments by Mine Hatun Hashas.
 Women's spatial needs in housing: accommodating gender
ideologies, use patterns, and privacy by Zeynep Toker.
 Understanding the adoption of sustainable natural resource management
practices and the role of ecological design within the milieu of chronic
conflict and political instability: a case study of small holder households in
Nimba County, Liberia by Cynthia Fay Van Der Wiele.
 Understanding children's environments: the effect of outdoor physical
environments on children's activities and quality of life within Al-Wihdat
Palestinian refugee camp and environs in Amman, Jordan by Eyyad Al-
Khalaileh.
 Space for innovation: effects of space on innovation processes in basic
science and research settings by Umut Toker.
 The design and assessment of advanced daylighting systems integrated
with typical interior layouts in multi-story office buildings by Jianxin Hu.
 The effects of spatial layouts on students' interactions in middle schools:
multiple case analysis by Celen Pasalar.
Topics on which academic staff in different institutions currently
welcome PhD proposals include:
 The lived and built reality of cosmopolitan urbanism.
 Understanding buildings: Developing a sociology of architecture and
urban development.
 Re-Interpreting environmental design: Theories, discourses and
practices of sustainable architecture and cities.
 Architecture and urban futures: Identifying pathways of urban design
and development.
 Sensing the city: Architecture and multi-sensory environments.
 Architecture as culture, studies of architectural practices: design
thinking, visualization and cognition in design.
 Socio-historical and socio-technical understanding of
debates surrounding museum architecture, architecture of
renovation, architecture of addition.
 The development of analytical tools for the better
understanding of socio-technical constraints and potentials for
more sustainable buildings and cities.
 Cognitive Science and Architecture.
 The urban grid and its implications for social interaction.
 The role of climate, culture, religion and history in shaping
traditional building layout.
 Urban artefacts as mirrors and mediators in contested cities.
 The urban built environment and sustainable social practices.
 The development of analytical tools for the better understanding
of socio-technical constraints and potentials for more sustainable
buildings and cities.
 Cognitive Science and Architecture
 The urban grid and its implications for social interaction
 The role of climate, culture, religion and history in shaping
traditional building layout
 Urban artefacts as mirrors and mediators in contested cities
 The urban built environment and sustainable social practices
 New urbanism - theory and practice
Examples of two research works and how they were worked upon.

 “ Indigenous Church Architecture of Kerala before 15th century.” by Prof. Sunil Edward.
 The origin of Christianity in Kerala goes back to the earliest period of the Church itself. In fact, it is believed
that St. Thomas the Apostle, one of the twelve disciples of Jesus, landed on the Kerala coast in 52 A.D. and
preached the Gospel, and died a martyr in Mylapore, Chennai, in 72 A.D. However, modern historians
disagree with this story. The exact year of his arrival is disputed due to lack of credible historical evidence. In
345 A.D., a Palestinian business man, Thomas Cana, along with 72 families, came and settled in Kerala,
thereby augmenting the Christian community. During this period the Church Architecture was totally
different from what we see today. 
 However, with the coming of the Portuguese to India, lead by the discovery of the sea route by Vasco Da
Gama in 1498 , a second period of intense Latin Christian missionary activity began. At this point of time the
Portuguese changed the facades of the Churches and gave them an occidental (European) appearance.
 There is now very little of the original Church form left to be seen in Kerala.
 Research Methodology adopted:
1. Found out from literature and otherwise a list of churches build before 15th Century AD.
2. Short listed a 100 odd churches from the above.
3. Surveyed and documented the plans, elevation and features of these churches.
4. Identified the typical features of the churches.
5. Design a number of typical churches using these features as model designs.
 The work is simple and it is original, It is necessary to get a nice idea and then take the work forward in a
systematic way.
 “ Integration of pedestrian networks into the fabric of Indian cities” by
Prof. Santosh Misra.

 During my studies in the UK and my visits to Europe I observed that they

were having very elaborate pedestrian routes for the people of their cities. I
also noted that the number of people using them was not large. I then thought
of my own country where There is a large population and therefore a large
walking units. The Indian economy is struggling and there fore motorizes
transport cannot be provided for many. The climate is salubrious and hence
walking is a pleasant activity.
 Proper pedestrianisation will help to reduce accident and save the people
from the trauma and the medical costs. Finally pedestrianisation is
sustainable and environment friendly and hence India should be provided
with a pedestrian planning policy which can be used by the architects,
planners, and administrators. This Idea placed me on the path of doing a
PhD on the above mentioned title.
 Research Methodology adopted:
 Data collection through survey of literature, interviews, questionnaires and
Case studies.
 Formulate a theoretical framework for pedestrians and pedestrianisation.
 Pedestianisation in the different parts of India would be different as the
terrain and climate is different. Divide the country into zones based on the
above.
 Prepare a method for upward integration of the pedestrian system with the
road network of the city and then into the railway , air, and road network of
the country.
 Recommend a set of guidelines for pedestrian planning at national, regional
and use zones of the city.
 Employ the recommendations for best application on a selected city .
Conclusions

 Whatever the type of research, it is essentially an attitude

of mind and the application of a technique in confronting a
problem. This attitude is synonymous with an open mind,
that is a mind free from prejudices and preconceptions.
 In conclusion, the work of research is very satisfying and
enjoyable and it also brings considerable benefits to society.
Thank you