The Cognitive Handoff
Traditional design sketching functions as a cognitive loop between the mind and hand, where thinking and making occur simultaneously. The…
Research
Architectural Research
Research and critical inquiry into how buildings and cities are conceived, used and transformed. Articles examine spatial behaviour, design methods, technology and environmental performance, connecting architectural questions with evidence and their implications for practice.
Read related project studies, explore urban planning and material research, or consult our editorial guidelines for the publication’s approach to sources and analysis.
The Sound We Stopped Hearing
How energy infrastructure shapes urban soundscapes, and why quieter buildings require attention to design, maintenance and unequal noise exposure.
The Building Is the Argument
How architectural research produces knowledge through design, and how buildings, process and evidence can be evaluated beyond publication counts.
Dialysis Centers: How Recurring Visits Shape Architectural Design
Introduction: When a Building Becomes Part of the Treatment JourneyDialysis centers differ from many other healthcare facilities because the relationship…
The Hospital That Was Designed for Someone Else
How hospital design can support patient choice, family presence, privacy and cultural needs, with careful limits on what the research establishes.
The Room Is Lit. Can We See Each Other?
Light and darkness shape more than a room’s appearance. This research examines visibility, faces, movement and choice in architecture and interior design.
Why the Newsroom Hesitates
Newsroom caution toward generative artificial intelligence stems from rational economic, psychological, ethical, and professional concerns rather than basic technophobia. Publishers…
The Film Ends. Who Stays to Talk?
How Japan Foundation screenings connect film, cultural diplomacy and public space, and why attendance alone cannot demonstrate meaningful exchange.
The Statue Survived. Who Made It the Standard?
How Classical Greek art became a standard of beauty through proportion, copying and museums, with eight artists and a critical account of the evidence.
Who Sets the City’s Clock? Urban Rhythms, Attention and Social Coordination
How work schedules, football matches, public announcements and digital feeds organise urban presence: a critical research framework for time and planning.
The Gym Floor Looks Clean. Is Exercising at Home Safer?
What surface studies can and cannot tell us about gym-floor hygiene, with a design and operations framework for comparing shared exercise spaces and homes.
Please Flush: What Does a Restroom Notice Reveal About Shared Space?
A research review of shared-restroom behaviour, signage and maintenance, separating user choices from failures of equipment, access and operations.
Coffee and Architecture: Who Designs What Happens Before the First Sip?
How cups, roasting equipment, service routes and seating shape coffee spaces: research evidence, operational trade-offs and a practical design evaluation.
The Meal Arrives. Who Designed Its Last Mile?
Food delivery links kitchens, couriers, streets and residential entrances. A planning review connects research evidence with Ibrahim Joharji’s Last Meal.
The Narrow House: What Does a Missing Piece of Floor Give Back?
A small house presents an apparently straightforward problem: how much living can fit inside a limited footprint? Yet filling every…
The Water Has Dried. Why Does a Ring Remain on the Stone?
Droplet physics separates the shape of a stain from its cause. A research-led proposal for testing stone sills through wetting, drying and maintenance.
The Office Is Open. Why Did Conversation Move to Email?
Two workplace field studies challenge the equation of openness with collaboration. What should architects specify—and verify—before removing office boundaries?
The House That Helped Make the Fog
Imagine a man in London on the evening of the fifth of December, 1952, standing at the window of his…
The Finish Looks Smooth. What Does the Hand Detect?
Nanoscale surface-discrimination research challenges visual-only finish approval, while keeping tactile similarity separate from comfort and grip safety.
Before Adding Another Component: What Design Reviews Overlook
Experiments on subtraction neglect suggest a testable way to broaden design-review options, without treating fewer building components as automatically better.
City Promotion Through Social Media: Building an Image, Measuring Its Impact
What tourism research reveals about social media, influencers and city promotion, and how to connect digital attention with the experience delivered on arrival.
