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Abstract:

Successful architects design on a daily basis. Yet, after four decades of design research, the way they do largely remains a mystery—as much for themselves as for others. While we can readily observe multiple activities they engage in (searching and investigating information, sketching, drawing, thinking, conferring, calculating), the underlying mechanisms often remain vague. Most architects tend to account only for how they perceive their design process after completion, making ‘traditional’ research techniques unfit for studying this process. This paper demonstrates how complementing protocol analysis with participatory observation allows establishing a more nuanced picture of architectural (re)design. Clues are given about the reasoning mechanisms, sources and strategies architects use when redesigning buildings, and about their relevance for architectural education.