Although reflection on contemporary architectural production and the challenges it faces has taken place in the context of curatorial and editorial activity, it has, at the same time, been avoided in the academic sphere, traditionally dedicated to the themes of the History of Architecture. . The doctoral course of the Department of Architecture of the Universidade Autónoma de Lisboa aims precisely to break with the distance of the academy in relation to the present time - believing that the research produced in this field could become instrumental for the construction of what will be , in the future, the history of the time we now live. Taking advantage of the coexistence in the same geographic space where a series of authors of reference in the sphere of world architectural production, this doctorate promotes the development of advanced research works that advocate an effective interaction between the reflection carried out within the university and contemporary architectural production.
See here the PhD in Architecture page.
SYLLABUS
In the curricular unit Architecture Seminar Contemporary I the main objectives of research production in the context of this PhD are addressed: (1) the transformation of architectural design, characterized by its particularity and uniqueness, into a vehicle for universal knowledge and (2) the transformation of a process by nature cryptic, that of designing, in a stable codification – in something transmissible, through writing –, generating objective knowledge, accessible to all. In this curricular unit, the analysis of the production of some of the main actors of contemporaneity is promoted, with the purpose of analyzing how architectural works are made and investigating some of the methodological and theoretical assumptions on which the architectural design is based.
THE Seminary ofcuratorial practices Its first aim is to explore the areas of tangency and porosities between curatorship practices and the very act of designing in architecture. Students will be challenged to reflect on the intellectual work that goes beyond the materiality of the exhibition, the forms of narrative construction and the constellation of conceptual and procedural relationships that support the production of a curatorial project in the field of architecture. It is intended to: (1) explore the potential of curatorial practice as an analytical research tool and a means of formal and critical expression for the architect, (2) provide doctoral students with a solid knowledge of practices, methodologies and lines of questioning in the field of curatorship and (3) to promote the development of skills in critical analysis, autonomous research and practical experimentation able to integrate the specificity of doctoral research.
The curricular unit Research and Dissemination Methodologies aims to address issues inherent to (1) general scientific research methods, (2) architectural research methods in particular, and, in particular, (3) research methods on the present time. The curricular unit explores some of the traditional approaches in the history of architecture, but also others that have remained outside the conventional academic environment. It explores the traditions from which these approaches start, as well as the controversies that have been generated around them.
While in the curricular unit Contemporary Architecture Seminar I starting from the analysis of a concrete work, this curricular unit starts from the analysis of a theme, with the objective of stimulating the ability to analyze a problem transversally. The main objective of this curricular unit is to promote the analysis of some of the main themes of contemporaneity, stimulating the intellectual autonomy of students - as potential researchers in Architecture, but also, and mainly, as potential Architects. We will seek to constitute a privileged space for discussion, at the highest level, with contributions from various disciplinary areas – sociology, geography, spatial planning, landscaping, urbanism, agronomy, territorial policy.
Editorial Practices Seminar
8 ECTS
The Editorial Practices Seminar explores the vast field of publishing in architecture as a privileged place for the production and dissemination of disciplinary discourse, throughout the 20th century and up to the present day. The intention is to explore the relationship between historical consciousness and editorial practice, and to guide intellectual preparation for alternative activities in architecture, practiced both by institutions of power and resistant borders, both almost always outside the academy. It is within this context that we structure the curricular unit, whose main objectives are to map and evaluate the role of the main editions that have marked architectural discourse since the 20th century, and to understand how editorial practice can be considered an essential tool to interrogate and criticizing architectural thinking and doing, while at the same time being able to launch new lines of action and thought.
Thesis Project Laboratory
8 ECTS
The main objective of this curricular unit is to provide students with the tools that allow them to develop the skills of management, organization, development and presentation of an advanced research project in Architecture, demystifying and concretizing the concept of advanced training in Architecture with based on research in Contemporary Architecture. At the end of the curricular unit, the student should acquire the following skills: (1) knowing how to define a research topic, as well as its object of study, (2) knowing how to define the state of the art and explain the originality of the work, (3) ) knowing how to define the methodology to be undertaken, (4) knowing how to write your bibliography. This curricular unit also aims to support the student in the preparation of a funding request for their doctoral research.
Thesis Laboratory I
30 ECTS
This study cycle aims to encourage participation in research teams, as well as the development of mechanisms for discussion and feedback through attendance of advanced courses, participation in conferences and seminars, presentation of communications at scientific congresses and meetings, publication of articles in magazines and collaboration in teaching programs in the area of specialization in Architecture. In the last two years, the autonomous work of the student and tutorial guidance has been privileged, fulfilling a policy of encouraging the dissemination of results in international publications and research periods in highly recognized national and international centers.
Thesis Laboratory II
30 ECTS
This study cycle aims to encourage participation in research teams, as well as the development of mechanisms for discussion and feedback through attendance of advanced courses, participation in conferences and seminars, presentation of communications at scientific congresses and meetings, publication of articles in magazines and collaboration in teaching programs in the area of specialization in Architecture. In the last two years, the autonomous work of the student and tutorial guidance has been privileged, fulfilling a policy of encouraging the dissemination of results in international publications and research periods in highly recognized national and international centers.
Thesis Laboratory III
30 ECTS
This study cycle aims to encourage participation in research teams, as well as the development of mechanisms for discussion and feedback through attendance of advanced courses, participation in conferences and seminars, presentation of communications at scientific congresses and meetings, publication of articles in magazines and collaboration in teaching programs in the area of specialization in Architecture. In the last two years, the autonomous work of the student and tutorial guidance has been privileged, fulfilling a policy of encouraging the dissemination of results in international publications and research periods in highly recognized national and international centers.
Thesis Lab IV
30 ECTS
This study cycle aims to encourage participation in research teams, as well as the development of mechanisms for discussion and feedback through attendance of advanced courses, participation in conferences and seminars, presentation of communications at scientific congresses and meetings, publication of articles in magazines and collaboration in teaching programs in the area of specialization in Architecture. In the last two years, the autonomous work of the student and tutorial guidance has been privileged, fulfilling a policy of encouraging the dissemination of results in international publications and research periods in highly recognized national and international centers.