Projectual Master’s Theses as Research by Design: A Taxonomy
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5821/jida.2025.13676Keywords:
research by design, project-based master thesis, taxonomy of design research, architectural pedagogy, situated knowledgeAbstract
This paper proposes a taxonomic framework for projectual master’s theses, positioning them as a legitimate modality of Research by Design. The study identifies four main approaches—exploratory, demonstrative, critical/speculative, and transformative—each with distinct research logics, methods, and instruments. Rather than illustrating external hypotheses, these theses generate knowledge through iterative, heuristic, and situated processes. The taxonomy clarifies the epistemic scope of design-driven inquiry while serving as a pedagogical and evaluative tool in advanced architectural education. Results highlight the potential of project-based theses to integrate theory, practice, and context, thereby expanding what counts as valid research within architecture. In Latin America, their transformative role is particularly significant, as studios evolve into living laboratories that engage communities, test ideas in real time, and foster socio-territorial innovation. This emerging corpus not only legitimizes design as an epistemic act but also strengthens architecture’s role as an active agent of cultural and urban transformation.
Keywords: research by design, project-based master thesis, taxonomy of design research, architectural pedagogy, situated knowledge.
Thematic areas: Pedagogical Traditions, Educational Research, Critical Discipline.
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