Det Kongelige Danske Kunstakademis Skoler Philip de Langes Allé 10 Tel.

+45 32 68 60 00
for Arkitektur, Design og Konservering DK-1435 København K Fax +45 32 68 61 11
Arkitektskolen Denmark https://kadk.dk/en/CITA

CITA / PN
Jan 2020

Source: CITA – Complex Modelling: The Rise

CONSTRUCTING A RESEARCH QUESTION

Week 04 - 06 (22.01 – 06.02.2020)

The production of a study programme is a formal requirement for all students undertaking
thesis next semester. However, we feel it is beneficial for all students to engage in this
practice as a means of beginning to identify a personal trajectory of investigation that can
provide a structure to your work over the coming semesters. From now on all projects will be
considered, discussed and critiqued according to thesis level criteria.

The study programme acts as the basis for structured inquiry into a personal research
territory in the coming semester. It should provide a clear and concise statement of what you
want to study and how you want to study it. For this reason, while the study programme will
be extensively informed by the written submission, the nature of this should be as a
reduction. It does not have to provide all the answers, and it might well be questioned and/or
revised during the course of your study, but it sets out to provide an initial frame within which
you aim to operate. The role of the study programme is therefore to:

• establish a clear path for your project – it is your rudder

• it sets the terms of your investigation (for yourself and other audiences)
• it frames the expectations of your examiners
 side 2 af 4

Source: Jens Jul Christensen: initialising studies for computational brick organisations

How you unpack your study programme is up to you, but you should ensure that you clearly
develop a structure and provide material that answers key questions such as:

• What is your architectural question?

• What are the methods you will use to investigate your questions – their limits,
relationships and dependencies?
• What role does computation play in your inquiry?
• Positioning your interest area – who has done similar things before, what can
you learn from them and how are you differentiating what you are doing (prior
art v. new ground)
• What are the core conceptual drivers?
• Who cares and why does it matter?
• What is at stake?

In identifying key architectural issues and challenges the study programme will want
to make clear tangible statements regarding:

• Principle scale(s) of investigation + dependencies on other scales.

Why are these relevant?
• Site(s) – real/notional (set of conditions)/abstract
• Material(s)
• Key principles of construction
• Programme – specified or not

A requirement for starting this process is to read the example study programmes
from previous years. These are located on the KADK intranet and the CITAstudio
programrum, in Resources/Programme Writing:
https://rum2.kadk.dk/mod/folder/view.php?id=1032

Source: Kit Wai Chan, Stian Vestly Holte: Speculative Workflow Diagram
 side 3 af 4

Source: Asya Ilgun: validating representation through fabrication and empirical testing

Defining a Research Territory

In addition to drawing upon your previous design explorations and written work, your study
programme should define a research territory through addressing the following:

1. the statement of a hypothesis

2. reference to preceding work in the area (state-of-the-art)
3. statements of working and experimental methods
4. defining the means by which results are evaluated

This provides a clear structure through which to unpack your study programme.

The Nature of a Thesis – what it could be…

The ‘Kvalifikationsramme’ or ‘Thesis Evaluation Criteria’ defined by the school set out the
qualifying terms for a thesis project. A thesis project must demonstrate that the student has
developed the following attributes and competencies:

• Possession of the requisite knowledge and understanding of the theories,

methods and practices of leading research and development within the
architectural field.
• The ability to critically reflect upon the knowledge and understanding above, in
order to identify key architectural issues and challenges.
• Proficient use of the artistic and scientific methods and tools of the architectural
profession.
• The ability to determine and evaluate the most appropriate methods, tools and
media through which to develop and pursue architectural proposition.
• The ability to cogently communicate architectural ideas visually and linguistically
with both peers and non-specialists.
• The ability to formulate a rigorous programme of study in order to frame
personally directed learning and support development of competent,
sophisticated and ambitious architectural proposition.
 side 4 af 4

• The ability to initiate and implement cooperation and collaboration within and
across disciplinary boundaries.
• The ability to be responsible and self-directed in personal professional
development and specialisation.

The criteria set out above make no mention of the need for a building proposition, site-led
investigation, programme, etc. Rather, they point towards a focused, ambitious, intellectually
rigorous and structured inquiry. But in order to position your investigation it is essential that
your project establishes a clear architectural frame.

So although your focus may be on, for example 1:1 fragments/components, it may be fruitful
to position this investigation within a broader scheme. This can serve multiple roles. It can act
as a means of communicating intent and design skill, but it also acts as a tool for
conceptualizing design issues as it forces the consideration of design across scales and
working with scalar implications and dependencies.

KEY DATES:

From MONDAY 27.01

Start of Final Thesis project
Individual tutorials and study programme development

WEDNESDAY 06.02
Deadline for tutors to OK programmes
5th year: submission to the Digital Eksamen portal by 23.59, email to tutor and Paul
Nicholas
4th year: submission via email to tutor and Paul Nicholas