This new focus on research in practice is indicative of a profession redefining its relevance and scope. This is destabilising the traditional roles of academia and practice by questioning their deep-rooted separation and demanding a new definition of the term ‘research’ with one that is relevant to both parties. This issue features contributions from architectural thinkers, researchers and a number of practitioners who are recasting academic speculation within their own studios. This not only redefines what is meant by research and what forms it takes, but also how it creates value for them, their clients, for the discipline as a whole and for the ultimate users of their designs. This helps us to understand how research might be deemed valuable beyond a purely academic context. Moreover, it raises significant questions in terms of opportunities and risks that arise when research is recast into the less regimented realm of practice.
Contributors: Daniel Davis, Lionel Devlieger, David Green, Harriet Harris, Rory Hyde, Lara Kinneir, James Soane, Ziona Strelitz, Leon van Schaik, John Zhang
Featured architects: Assemble, DSDHA, Foster + Partners, Iredale Pedersen Hook, OMA, Public Practice and Superflux.
Deborah Saunt is a Director of DSDHA in London and an editorial board member of AD since 2009. She isanADAPT-r Fellow at RMIT and an Inter-Practice Year Director and Design Think Tank Leader at the London School of Architecture. She is also Visiting Professor at University of Navarra in Spain and a Commissioner for the Independent Transport Commission.
Tom Greenall is Associate Director at DSDHA.
Roberta Marcaccio is Head of Research and Communication at DSDHA.