The Second Studio Podcast: Preparing for an Architecture Thesis

The Second Studio Podcast: Preparing for an Architecture Thesis

The Second Studio (formerly The Midnight Charette) is a podcast dedicated to design, architecture and everyday life. Organized by architects David Lee and Marina Bourderone, it features a variety of creative professionals in unscripted conversations that allow for thoughtful approaches and personal discussions.

A variety of topics are covered with honesty and humor: some episodes are interviews, while others are advice for fellow designers, reviews of buildings and other projects, or casual explorations of everyday life and design. Second Studio is also available on iTunes, Spotify and YouTube.

This week, David and Marina discuss thesis projects and undergraduate architecture studios, covering the differences between thesis projects, capstone projects and dissertations; how to choose a thesis topic; how to choose the right studio/professor; the value of doing a thesis; the unique challenges of the thesis; and more.

Highlights and timestamps

The differences between thesis projects, capstone projects, and dissertations. (00:00)

The difference between a thesis project and a typical architectural project. (17:45)

“Every architectural project must have some kind of argument or statement behind it that is specific to the project, that addresses the specifics of that project, such as its building type, program, location, the people it is for, or the scale of the project… There will be critical statements that are specific to all of these things. However, the thesis project does not refer to just one project. His criticism in some respects covers the entire field. You hold a position within the scope of the entire field or profession of architecture, as opposed to just one building that you design. (18:29)

A great architectural project will have within it both a project-specific thesis and a larger architectural thesis, or will have a project-specific thesis that connects to or is related to a larger broader thesis and critique of architecture. This is what separates good architecture from great architecture – architecture that creates movement and changes the world. (19:50)

Choosing the right professor/dissertation studio. David and Marina describe their educational experiences leading up to the dissertation. (21:21)

Choosing a theme or subject of a thesis. David and Marina share their experience. (32:25)

The first step I would take is to look back at the projects you’ve done over the past four years. Try to find the commonalities of the design responses or positions you took in these projects and see the parallels between them. This will show what your interests were. Once you have this list of interests, try asking yourself why those interests are there. What must have set them off? Sometimes it’s because of more personal things like your life, where you come from, or what you’ve been through. A thesis involves a lot of questions, and the first step in finding direction is to ask yourself a bunch of questions. If you’re into architecture, there’s something about architecture that draws you in… there’s something that turns you on. You just have to discover what those things are. (33:38)

Some of the unique challenges of the thesis studio. The value of the thesis. (47:00)

The goal should be to find out what your own process is, your comfort zone, your tools, and what will be most helpful to you in the next step in your life. This is what the thesis studio should bring… not a particularly beautiful building and perhaps not a ground-breaking project. The core of what you should really be aiming for is challenging yourself in every possible way to see how far you can stretch and see who you are then. (52:22)

Refinement of thesis topic. Does the thesis have to be original? (54:40)

Balance between research, writing and architectural project. (01:17:30)

The purity of a thesis. No pushing ideas. (01:22:43)

The thesis is not your Christmas tree where you put all the things you want – it’s not about taking all the things you care about and patching them together. That’s not the point at all. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. It’s extremely focused, very minimal, and very true to itself… and that’s actually a lot more complicated to do. (01:27:58)

Unpacking interest in finding a thesis topic. (01:34:10)

The end of a thesis project. (01:41:12)

Is a thesis or capstone project more valuable in preparing for professional practice? (01:48:25)

Check out previous editions of The Second Studio Podcast.