Research based design: competition proposal for the Cyprus news agency

The paper attempts to explore the interrelation between a) the architects’ individualism and “pre-structures” b) research- based findings during the designprocess through experimentation and c)an integrated design approach, wheremorphology, construction and bioclimatic design are integrated from an early designstage. Through a thorough presentation and analysis of a competition proposal forthe Cyprus News Agency, we discuss a number of important findings in relation to thepresent and possibly future form of the design studio. We suggest that thedesigner’s “prestructures” may not only be the basis for creative action, but also thebasis for understanding and interpretation. Design informed and enriched at everystage by a research-based process, might well be the transmission andtransformation of “prestructures”, a process of elaboration and discovery whichfacilitates and enhances design creativity and possibly allows for a multiplicity ofapproaches through a range of possibilities. Furthermore, an integrated approachfrom the early stages of the design process facilitates innovation in materials andsystems.