Dissertation Topic / Design Project Initiation (with short Methodology input)

Students of the final year of an under-graduate course in Architecture, often face for the very first time in their five years, the prospect of developing their own program for a final-year design project or topic for a research dissertation. It is not easy at any time, let alone for those who have been trained overwhelmingly for a more tectonic learning. It becomes important, as all the consequent actions and effort for one’s final year of graduation are dependent on initial decisions or commitments made here.

The workshop can be done distinctly for design theses students and for research theses students. However, while one may think that design and research theses are completely different, the point is that methodologically, the inquiring, thinking and developing process for both of them are similar, since the objectives of the architecture curriculum are similar.

The workshop is a short intensive exercise, including discussions for upto 15 students in either of the following formats:

• 3 full days, of 8 hours each face-to-face and 3-4 hours at-home work)
• 4 sessions, of two full-days each, spaced a month apart

Both are peppered with input guidances (types of studies, methods, demonstrative examples and inspirational talks), and one-on-one discussions to refine the topic / program.

These are both formats that have been deliberated, tested and proven to be effective. 

As feedback, students of past exercises have always commented that work done during the 24-hours rigorous workshop (+12 hours homework), often was more productive than all the time spent thereafter on the topic/design, (with assigned guides or working individually), while also making the work thereafter considerably easier.