Flora Samuel - Demystifying Architectural Research

This book aims to help architects in practice to use research as a means to get ahead in business, to access new funding streams almost 80 billion is currently available via the European Horizon 2020 programme and to advance the knowledge economy of our field. We believe research to be key to helping architects regain some of the professional standing that has been eroded over time as D. Kirk Hamilton and David H. Watkins have observed:

It still stings: you are a respected architect, youve spent a great deal of effort attempting to convince your valued client about something, and you believed you were right Why does your client, who has worked with you before, not seem to trust your professional opinions?

In writing this book we hoped to set out a compelling argument to show how engaging with research can help a client to win work, make a stronger case for fees and convince clients that the skills of an architect are of utmost importance to their project, while providing tools that will help them to design better buildings. Not only does research bring the business benefits of proven expertise and a unique selling point, it also brings great satisfaction as the architects who have contributed case studies to this book have shown.

Architecture is built on values that remain largely tacit. This puts the profession at a disadvantage when communicating with a public that have little understanding of what an architect does; how can someone value the work that an architect does if they dont know what that work is? Countering this there is a growing body of practices that are using research to give clients evidence as we all know, clients tend to like evidence about why design makes a difference, and of how the practice is continually improving what they do. They are using research to define their brand, offer new services and improve how they work. At the same time they reap the rewards in terms of new or strengthened revenue streams. Many are small- to medium-sized practices with a strong presence in the regions, where business isnt bolstered by Londons construction boom; practices like Architype, URBED and Bauman Lyons Architects have all contributed case studies. This book is for exactly this type of small- to medium-sized practice the practices that make up the majority of architectural offices in the UK so that they too can start to take advantage of the business benefits that research can bring.