What is Research?

This is a question that I have been reflecting on quite a bit lately as I draw closer to the midpoint of my project. Of course, you could probably spend a lifetime defining the word "research" beginning with its use in other fields and its linguistic origins among other things... but for now I'd rather just think about it.

Architecture exists between the scientific fields and the humanities and because of this it can be pretty tricky to define terms like "research" and "thesis". In the field of architecture, "research" has been used to describe everything from the formal analysis of Roman architecture undertaken by the Prix de Rome winners to the statistic-oriented books created by Koolhaas and his students which focus on "shopping", "globalization" and other themes. Unlike other fields, architecture does not seem to have an established set of research tools or methodologies. Which kind of makes sense. Research standards might interfere with the artistic and creative possibilities inherent in the investigations.

So, I suppose that one thing I am exploring this year is a research methodology of my own. How should I approach subject matter than I find interesting? What tools will enable me to gain a better understanding of this subject matter?

At this stage, my inclination is to organize my research process into three categories: write, gather, and invent (or create). I've learned that writing can be a powerful tool for framing an investigation and placing it within a context of other ideas and projects. The second stage, gather, involves searching for first-hand knowledge about the subject matter. While the writing stage could be primarily completed in the library or the studio, the gather stage requires the researcher to explore the subject matter through visits, drawings, photographs, interviews, films, recordings, etc. I guess these specific techniques would vary quite a bit based on the topic of study.... Finally, I think that as designers, it is critical to integrate the act of creation/invention into the research process. Much of the work I have discovered this past semester that focuses on contemporary architectural and urban phenomenon has disappointed me because of its lack of vision. It is enormously difficult to make the leap from analysis to design, but I think it is of critical importance if our research is to be of any value.

What do you think?