ABSTRACT
We at Sarah Wigglesworth Architects think of ourselves as a practice that values research highly and that wants careful scrutiny and thought to underpin our projects. We didn’t set out to do this initially; the realization crept up on us gradually. As time has gone on we recognise that partly this is to do with curiosity — an important factor that keeps us interested and enquiring — but also to do with wanting to make our work more methodical and rigorous, so that the results avoid willfulness and self-indulgence, which are epithets that often attach to creativity. To think about one’s work as research implies situating and communicating it in a cultural dialogue with other work. It helps raise our beliefs to consciousness, questions our prejudices and also articulates our processes and findings to others, sharing our knowledge in the spirit of collaboration. This also helps shape the narrative behind our work, meaning that the work is consumed not only for its visual impact but for the ideas and processes that gave it shape.
