The Myth of the Research Framework in Design Theses - Part 2

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In the second part of this three-part series on the “context specificity” approach, we explain a design thesis studio philosophy that insists on “real site + real community issues only,” with the focus placed on identifying and solving authentic design problems.

The studio runs for a full academic year, structured as:

• 7 weeks of Special Semester (Brief proposal on site analysis and research)
• 14 weeks of Design Development
• 14 weeks of Detailed Design + Special Studies

Research is integrated into the architectural design process rather than treated separately: it occurs primarily through initial site analysis, topic and building-type research, observation, user interviews, and case studies at the start, and is deepened through additional Special Studies later in the year.

© 2025 Talk Architecture, Author: Naziaty Mohd Yaacob.

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