Thematic dossier

The PhD, symptomatic for architectural research in France

The doctorate, symptomatic

of architectural research in France

Since 2007, French schools of architecture have been authorized to award doctorates in architecture. These are the subject of partnerships between universities and schools of architecture, and are carried out in one of the forty or so nationally accredited and accredited research laboratories hosted by the schools. Forty years of passionate and impassioned discussion were necessary for the Doctor of Architecture to be legally recognized and regulated. Many more years from now will be needed before some form of reconciliation can be found between architectural professionals and researchers:

- The former are outraged at the idea that architectural design might lose its privileged position in the school curriculum and that design teachers - internationally recognized, highly experienced, but mostly without doctoral degrees - would be dethroned by teacher-researchers;

- the latter - often architects who have given up their first qualification in favor of university training and who have then gone through the 'shackles' of qualifying and tenure competitions - are concerned about the risk of 'contamination' of scientific research by the architectural project (E. Lengereau, 2005).

Professional doctorate or scientific doctorate?

Despite the fact that the professional doctorate ('design doctorate') exists in some American institutions, in Norway or in Italy, the architects qualified to direct scientific research, as well as the star architects who responded to the call of the Ministry of Culture and Communication in 2005 and 2008 respectively, to define the specifics of architectural research in France, agree that the doctorate in architecture should not correspond to a homogeneous validation of studies (like the doctorate in medicine, which grants the title of doctor to any graduate). Reserved therefore for those who have decided to pursue their studies beyond the State Diploma in Architecture, the doctorate in architecture must comply with the criteria of academic scientific research, i.e. it must demonstrate the ability of the future doctor to formulate a problem and one or more hypotheses, to define relevant research methods and to present the results in a reasoned and structured way. What is more, a PhD that plays by the rules of the game should overturn ideas and discourses that are too firmly entrenched, bring forgotten texts to the fore, bring to light ignored archives, in short, bring a new breath of fresh air into architectural research. This is why a simple aesthetic or functional research of a building on a defined site is not considered sufficient to become a doctor of architecture in France.

Read the full text in issue 2 / 2014 of Arhitectura magazine

Since 2007, French architectural schools are competent to award the Doctorate of Architecture degree. These are the object of partnerships between universities and architecture schools and are deployed in one of the around forty research labs assessed and certified at the national level and hosted by the schools. Forty years of passionate and fiery debate were necessary in order for the Ph. D. in Architecture to be legally established and regulated. Many more years will yet be necessary to reach some form of reconciliation between professionals and researchers in the field of architecture:- the first are outraged at the idea that the architectural project may lose its privileged position in the curriculum and that design professors - internationally renowned, having a rich experience but most often with no Ph.D. - would see themselves overthrown by researcher-professors;

- the latter - most often architects who gave up their first qualification in favor of university teaching and who have subsequently submitted themselves to the "shackles" of grade assessments and tenure-track qualification - shudder at the thought of scientific research "contamination" by the architectural project (E. Lengereau, 2005).

A professional doctorate or a scientific one?

Despite the existence of a professional doctorate (or "design doctorate") in some American institutions, as well as in Norway or Italy, both the architects authorized to supervise scientific research, as well as the star-architects who answered the call of the Ministry of Culture and Communication in 2005 and 2008, aimed at defining the specificities of architectural research in France, agreed that a Ph. D. in architecture should not imply a homogeneous validation of studies (as is the case with the doctorate of medicine, granting the MD title to any postgraduate). Thus reserved to a few braves who would take to pursuing their university education beyond the State Architecture Degree, the Ph. D. in architecture must observe the scientific research criteria proper to academia, meaning it has to ensure that the future doctor is able to identify problematic issues and one or more hypothesis, define relevant research methods and present results in an argumentative and well structured manner. Moreover, a doctorate playing by the rules of the game should overturn the establishment's ideas and rhetoric, bring to attention forgotten texts, shed light on disregarded archives, in short infuse new life into architectural research. That's why a mere aesthetic or functional research on a building within a predefined site is deemed insufficient to grant the Doctor of Architecture degree in France.

Read the full text in the print magazine.