Research and Practice

At the request of the editors of a new journal, TAD (Technology / Architecture + Design), published by the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture, I have written an essay about how the architectural profession might repair the broken knowledge loop between practitioners and researchers. Referring to some of the efforts going on in Minnesota to repair this loop, such as the MS degree in Research Practices and the Affiliate structure of the MDC, I offer a number of ideas in how architects and academics might interact and communicate more effectively. The MDC Affiliates, numbering approximately 20, include Senior Research Fellows and design professionals who have a range of expertise. The MDC remains an on-going experiment in how to reconcile the two cultures of research and practice, and I think we have begun to make real progress. Tom Fisher