Research and Methodology

In this course students become acquainted with research methods applied in Building Technology, which deal with the issues of building design and research, not as competing activities but rather as complementary. Research is a way to generate new insights and new concepts for design in a systematic way, explore new realms and finding answers beyond the state of the art. It is the cornerstone on which all progress in our modern society is founded. Research methods show us the way how to conduct research in a systematic and reliable way. In this course you will learn how to execute a technical-scientific research framework for experimental research, simulations, surveys, case studies and research through design; and how to consistently and coherently report the results of such research.

In the first part, the students learn about different research methods and apply some of them in practical exercises. Moreover, they learn to consistently and coherently report the results of such research.

During the second half of this course, based on the Bucky Lab Design project and/or the other MSc1 courses and/or the student's own fascination, the students individually conduct a literature study on a chosen topic, resulting in a scientific (review) paper.