Architecture and the Built Environment (MA by Research)

There are several research topics available for this degree. See below examples of research areas including an outline of the topics, the supervisor, funding information and eligibility criteria:

New Product Development (NPD) is still very poorly understood in Architecture, Engineering and Built Environment. Recent Developments through the RIBA and other professional bodies are making attempts to provide a holistic view of NPD and fail to capture the true value of efficient and effective NPD. Furthermore, there is a confusion of what are the constituent parts of NPD, how it is enacted in practice and how it can be improved.

This area of research will seek to highlight significant innovation in the area of NPD, evaluate existing practice and make novel contributions in theory and practice. The research is likely to involve multiple case studies and in particular examine aspects of collaboration for better NPD, enactment of process and its implementation for concurrency and overlapping activities, agile and lean NPD processes, etc.

The literature will cover multiple sectors and disciplines and is likely to focus on production, NPD, management science and Design

The management of the design process has been a topic of study for over 40 years. The relationship between clients and designers, and the effectiveness of the briefing in determining requirements are main contributing factors for good design.

This project looks at better identifying issues around requirements capture and management in construction, investigating the role of technologies such as Building Information Modelling (BIM) in supporting this process.

The School of Art, Design and Architecture, home to award-winning staff members at the University of Huddersfield, fosters the next generation of creative researchers as part of a dynamic and interactive learning community enabling postgraduate students to nurture and develop their talents. The School has approximately 100+ research students, from a growing number of different nationalities.

We particularly welcome inter and multidisciplinary research. Applications are welcome in, but not limited to, the following research areas:

• Architectural Design
• Architectural History and Theory
• Building Information Modelling (BIM)
• Conservation
• Construction Project Management
• Design Management
• Disaster Resilience and Reconstruction
• Healthcare in the Built Environment
• Lean Design
• Lean Construction
• Modelling, Simulation and Serious games
• Process and Performance Management
• Supply Chain Management
• Sustainable Environmental Design and Energy Efficiency
• Urban Design

We provide a supportive and vibrant research environment for postgraduate researchers (PGRs). Researchers at all levels are encouraged to contribute and collaborate. The Graduate School ensures that postgraduate research is of the highest quality and equips you with the resources that you need to become a successful researcher.

We have an exciting and comprehensive Researcher Skills Development Programme available to all postgraduate researchers. This enables you to broaden your knowledge and access tools and skills which can significantly improve employability. The programme is also mapped onto Vitae’s Researcher Development Framework (RDF), allowing you to benefit from Vitae support as well as our own Programme.

We offer skills training through a programme designed to take advantage of technology platforms as well as face-to-face workshops and courses. The University has subscribed to Epigeum, a programme of on-line research training support designed and managed by staff at Imperial College London which will be accessed via Brightspace, the University’s Virtual Learning Environment. We also subscribe to the University of East Anglia webinar series and The Good Doctorate video training series. We are part of the North West and Yorkshire PGR Training Group that allows PGRs to attend relevant training opportunities at other nearby universities.