Vertically Integrated Teaching and Research: The RCAT | ACDL Group at the Oslo School of Architecture and Design
Michael Hensel, Director of RCAT - Research Center for Architecture and Tectonics (Norway)
Abstract
The RCAT | ACDL Group at the Oslo School of Architecture and Design (AHO) consists of the Research Centre for Architecture and Tectonics and the Advanced Computational Design Laboratory.
In this context teaching and research are integrated in a vertical system that involves master-, PhDand post-doctoral levels in practice-oriented research-by-design activities organized around specific research themes. The group organised the studio and seminar module system at AHO in such a manner that the seminar module provides intense skill-building sessions in state of the art technologies at intervals that coincide the studio program. The latter is organised so as to address themes that are relevant to master-level students in terms of both the preparation for and critique of
current practice, thus fulfilling the dual mandate of architectural education. Interlinked with the studio are PhD and Post-doctoral fellows with related research areas that conduct closely directed intense workshop sessions that benefit the master-level students in learning research approaches and
methods in research-by- design, as well as the PhD and Post-doctoral candidates by way of producing a quantity of output that cannot individually be generated. The production of research output from this setup is augmented by the involvement of junior and senior teaching staff on all levels of teaching and research, as well as co-authored publication. The RCAT | ACDL Group involves leading architectural and engineering practices in the teaching and research activities in order to ensure practiceorientation and relevance. Whenever possible and related to specific research agendas and themes the RCAT | ACDL Group collaborates with other institutes internal or external to AHO to provide
opportunities for inter- and transdisciplinary trajectories for research-by-design. The overall approach to our integrated teaching and research model is the closely monitored integration of all elements and resources into a vertical system with lateral outreach, which delivers ample opportunity to all involved actors to reach beyond the commonly accepted limits of education and the frequently disintegrated syllabi, curricula and course structures. In so doing it suggests a model that could be implemented across creative disciplines with some training and without necessitating major investment.