Preparation for Research
From an intuition to a question, then to a research plan. Research master’s, urban design and doctoral programs.
Fabio Sedia’s contribution
Fabio Sedia designs and teaches the ARC-7001 seminar. Through lectures, discussions and workshops, he guides the formulation of questions, the construction of research material and the choice of methods. Each student develops a research dossier and plan in dialogue with their supervisor.
How does a question become architectural research? Fabio Sedia’s seminar brings together students in thesis-based master’s, urban design and doctoral programmes around a shared task: defining a problem, assembling a body of material and justifying the methods used to build knowledge.
Historical, documentary, empirical, experimental and design-based approaches are discussed through actual research studies. Drawing, measured surveys, models, film and design are considered ways of thinking, testing and communicating research.
Each session combines a theoretical lecture, the examination of a research study and a workshop. Writing, small-group discussions and successive revisions help refine the question and its methods. An evolving research portfolio brings together readings, representations and decisions, making this development visible.
The term leads to a research statement, followed by a research plan defended before a jury. At doctoral level, the work develops critical positioning, independence and an original contribution, in dialogue with the research supervisor.
