Architectural Research : An Academic Textbook for Students of Architecture

This book introduces the basic principles and methods of scientific research in architecture. Due to the specificity of the creative process and the architectural industry, the presented issues have also been adapted to the needs of architecture teachers, architects active in the design market, and others interested in the topic. The first chapter explains four crucial research skills: focus, reasoning, critical thinking, and creativity, supported by ethics. The second chapter focuses on preparation for research by formulation of the research problem, hypothesis, and correlated research questions. The third chapter is an introductory part presenting the various classifications of architectural research and explaining the roots and significance of reasoning, creativity, and ethics. The fourth chapter presents the main research methods applicable to architecture, starting with the literature review. All of them can be modified and adjusted to ever-changing requirements. In the fifth chapter, visual tools are described for clearly presenting the research related issues. The sixth chapter is the introduction to academic writing. It includes the main rules of article preparation using elements such as abstract, keywords, introduction, materials and methods, results and discussion, conclusions, references, and the application of citation styles. Additionally, this chapter is concerned with general requirements for critical review preparation.