Our Specialty

Architecture, Urban Planning & Design

Design research, simulation & modeling, and spatial analysis — our area of deepest specialization.

Architecture and urban planning is where our team goes deepest. We support design-based research, environmental and energy simulation, spatial and urban morphology analysis, and academic writing that meets the standards of architecture schools and design journals — from studio-based thesis projects to PhD-level urban research.

Research methodologies we support

Design Research

Research-by-design methodology, precedent studies, design process documentation, and theoretical framing for architectural theses.

Simulation & Modeling

Daylighting, energy, thermal comfort, and pedestrian-flow simulation using tools such as Grasshopper, Ladybug/Honeybee, and Revit.

Spatial Analysis

GIS-based urban analysis, space syntax, and morphological studies for urban planning and design research.

Emerging Research & Technology Trends

The field is rapidly evolving around parametric and generative design, building performance simulation, digital twins for cities, climate-responsive architecture, and AI-assisted design tools. Post-pandemic urbanism and 15-minute city models are also active research areas.

Tools & software we work with

AutoCADRevit (BIM)Rhino + GrasshopperArcGIS / QGISSketchUp + LumionSpace Syntax / Depthmap

10 High-Impact Architecture Research Topics for 2026

1Parametric optimization of building envelopes for passive solar and daylighting performance
2Mass timber and cross-laminated timber (CLT) as a low-carbon alternative to concrete and steel
3Digital twins for real-time urban energy, mobility and climate-resilience management
4Generative AI in early-stage architectural concept development and design ideation
5Adaptive reuse strategies for post-industrial, heritage and vacant urban buildings
6Climate-responsive facade design for hot-arid and Mediterranean urban contexts
715-minute city models and their measurable impact on walkability and land-use mix
83D-printed concrete construction: structural performance, cost and design constraints
9Biophilic design interventions and their measurable effect on occupant wellbeing and productivity
10Space syntax analysis of informal settlements and post-regeneration urban outcomes

Read the full research guide: topics, proposal & methodology→

New Design Approaches, Methods & Materials

Parametric and generative design tools — Grasshopper, Dynamo, and increasingly generative AI plug-ins — have shifted early-stage design from fixed sketches to explorable design spaces, where dozens of facade or massing options can be evaluated against performance criteria before a single option is chosen. This is paired with growing use of digital twins: live, data-connected models of buildings or districts used to monitor and optimize energy use, occupancy, and — at the urban scale — traffic and microclimate. On the materials side, mass timber and cross-laminated timber (CLT) continue to gain ground as a lower-carbon structural alternative to concrete and steel, particularly in mid-rise construction. 3D-printed concrete is moving from pavilions and prototypes toward small-scale housing, offering new freedom in form at the cost of new structural and code-compliance research questions. Adaptive reuse — converting industrial, commercial or heritage buildings rather than demolishing them — has also become a mainstream research area, driven as much by embodied-carbon concerns as by heritage value. Across all of these, climate-responsive and biophilic design principles are increasingly treated as a baseline expectation rather than a special feature.

Trusted Architecture Reference Resources

ArchDaily

One of the largest architecture publications online — built-project documentation, competition results and industry news, useful for precedent studies.

Dezeen

Design and architecture magazine covering new buildings, materials and technology — a good source for emerging design trends.

The Architectural Review

A long-running, critically engaged architecture journal — strong for theory, criticism and historical context.

ArchNet

An open-access digital library on architecture, urbanism and landscape, with academic-quality project documentation.

World-Architects

A curated directory of architecture firms and built projects — useful for practice-based precedent research.