SABRE Output 4

Applied Research in the Marketplace: Architectural Design Research

Results of SABRE Output 4: Centre for London Urban Design (CLOUD), Bartlett School of Architecture, UCL: counterproposal housing scheme for Upton Gardens, East Ham, London

This output will develop a model for highlighting, articulating, producing and disseminating the design research going on in architectural practices, primarily elaborated from the publication model of the Bartlett Design Research Folios already developed at UCL. To do so, the output will produce and use applied examples of design research that involves SMEs and external stakeholders from the cities of London and Gothenburg, focusing on designing new social housing projects on two respective sites within their run-down former docklands areas. It will showcase best practice in architectural design research, and produce two useful design proposals for London and Gothenburg, and furthermore employ new types of design portfolio publication to demonstrate how European architects can communicate their innovative research outputs both in print and online.

The output will therefore use the strength of architectural design research in leading European universities to make architectural practices more academically informed, in the belief that architects need to become more based in research/knowledge creation if they wish to connect more productively the different forms of ‘languages’ that they use in their work – i.e. designs, drawings, visualisations, texts, buildings, etc.

Another feature of this output will be the close collaboration of subject experts from academia and practice in two differing European countries, thus comparing and contrasting issues and approaches to the design of new social housing projects. By using the respective strengths of the two partner institutions in London and Gothenburg, this output will promote best practice in design research to European architectural firms.

Elements of innovation

The model of extended research folios will help in creating awareness of the specific design research already going on in many European architectural and built environment firms. The Bartlett Design Research Folio is in itself an innovative and successful model for the publication and dissemination of research and knowledge produced in architectural practice, and an elaboration of that model will help in making these types of research/knowledge more academic in form and content. This output will also support the development of more conscious innovation strategies in architectural firms and the built environment sector in Europe. This model will be demonstrated by help of cases focusing on actual design research involving architectural practices and other stakeholders in two different countries and contexts – London (UK) and Gothenburg (Sweden) – which will provide an entirely new and innovative way to undertake, articulate, and more consciously integrate research/knowledge produced through applied practice in both the academic and industry contexts.

Expected impact

Through the aims of highlighting, producing, articulating and disseminating in new kinds of formats (such as the use of extended design research folios), the various models that will be developed for this output will be made usable for architectural/built environment firms and universities in general, and in doing so make it possible for an enhanced transfer of research/knowledge within as well as between industrial and academic contexts.

Transferability potential

Through the aims of highlighting, producing, articulating and disseminating in new kinds of formats (such as the use of extended design research folios), the various models that will be developed for this output will be made usable for architectural/built environment firms and universities in general, and in doing so make it possible for an enhanced transfer of research/knowledge within as well as between industrial and academic contexts. 

The specific case studies of architectural design research for exemplar housing projects in London and Gothenburg will form the platform for testing the models for production and dissemination of research/knowledge on urgent societal issues in Europe using design methods. The two case studies will provide comparative insights into how to set up collaborative models and formats for research/knowledge management in different societal and cultural contexts. The case studies will also form a platform for the direct exchange of research/knowledge, and experiences, for the cities of London and Gothenburg, and hence develop innovative models and formats that will be transferable to other European academic and practice contexts.

Reports & Evaluations

Please click on the cover images to access the SABRE Output 4 reports
as open access publications or have a look at the Erasmus+ Project Results Platform.

The creation of these resources has been (partially) funded by the ERASMUS+ grant program of the European Union under grant no. 2017-1-DE01-KA203-003574. Neither the European Commission nor the project’s national funding agency DAAD are responsible for the content or liable for any losses or damage resulting of the use of these resources.
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