Developing a New Culture of Industrial Research in Architecture

A researching architect based in the building industry and affiliated with a PhD program in an architectural school rooted in a Fine Arts tradition is a rather novel phenomenon in Denmark. The first project was in 20052008 in a collaboration between CINARK the Centre for Industrialized Architecture at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts School of Architecture and the industrial partners, Wienerberger AG (insulating ceramic blocks) and Maxit A/S (mortar/plaster).

As the first of its kind, the terminology, the theoretical framework, the methodologies, the very type of knowledge and the research culture all had to be defined from scratch. And due to the expected commercial output, the contents had to be defined, protected and managed by the PhD student in ways unusual to academic research.

Based on critical analyses of first-hand experiences, notebooks, half-yearly reports and minutes from meetings with supervisors, the article discusses a new culture of industrial research in architecture. Questions asked are: Who defines the research standards in industrial research? How can industrial research lead to original findings when topics are negotiated with the business partners who are driven by commercial logics? How can industrial research enhance academic knowledge production without compromising it?
Due to the business partners’ strong expectations to the commercial output of the project – the academic contents had to be defined, protected, and managed by the PhD-student and the supervisor in ways that are not common to regular academic research practice.
Based on structured, critical analyses of empirical data; personal experiences, revisiting notebooks and minutes from meetings with academic and business supervisors - the article will look into the discrepancies between research in building practice and practicing building research, which may be thought of as directly compatible endeavors.
Questions asked are; who defines and ensures the standards of the research quality during the project period? How can industrial research lead to original findings when problems are negotiated with the business partners, who are driven by commercial logics?
How can industrial research enhance academic knowledge production without compromising it?