ABSTRACT
Jonathan Hill, the director of the architectural design PhD program at the Bartlett School of Architecture, UCL, in London, UK, affirmed that while the professional criteria increased in the UK over the last two decades, the role of research by design at the Bartlett is wider than the definition of architecture practice. In probing the boundaries of the field, the design PhD confronts an education that adheres closely to professional education standards. Hill discussed the history of the program and the challenges faced to approve design research as a recognized form of doctoral research. When it was approved – in the mid-1990s – the Bartlett Design PhD was the first program in architectural design in the UK. The key difference with a PhD in history and theory is the use of drawing and design in the development of theory. The doctorate is embedded in a multidisciplinary university. Hill was invited to discuss themes explored in his research and publications.
