Architectural Space and Computation MPhil/PhD

UCL (University College London)

With its empirical base, this course is aimed at researchers seeking to advance their knowledge by studying the relations between spatial patterns and social outcomes, integrating information data with cultural, social, spatial and economic patterns and between architectural design knowledge, geometry, material behaviour, interaction and computation, to address how tomorrow’s built environment can be designed, analysed and constructed. There are two principal streams that lead to a PhD in Architecture: Space and Society in Buildings and Cities, in which students use space syntax theories and methods to study the effects of spatial design on aspects of the social, organisational and economic performance of buildings and urban areas. Architectural Computation, in which students develop and apply technology to research into the built environment and interaction with (and within) the built environment, bringing innovative computational generative and analytical methods. This includes the development and application of AI, analytical and machine learning methods, and extended reality-based approaches and experiences such as virtual, augmented and mixed reality - to the heart of the design process. The course is associated with the world-renowned Space Syntax Laboratory. Students are expected to be independent thinkers, in order to make an original contribution to knowledge and expand the disciplinary discourse in their field of inquiry. Students should be reflective within the shifting boundaries of their discipline and the rapidly changing nature of the architectural profession, and aware of how these are affected by societal and institutional challenges. The research proposal is crucial to our decision on the student’s application since it demonstrates the ability to identify and articulate an independent line of research inquiry.