For an architect, writing masters thesis on architecture should be very similar to creating a blueprint. You begin with a vision that is more feeling than substance. An austere office building with efficient use of space that offers the air of classic professionalism. A turreted four level home carved into the rocky landscape overlooking the ocean. Already you’re envisioning the shape of the windows, the number of rooms, the doorways, the height of the ceilings, the stairwells and bathrooms. Apply this idea to your architecture thesis. Take the mood you want to relate and go from there.
Next, there’s your architecture thesis topic. Whether you choose an architect that has deeply informed your work or a theory that you absolutely disagree with, you couple it with an evocative mood and you’ve got an original creation ready to take to the drawing board.
Some great architecture thesis topics include:
When you’ve got the basic building blocks for your architecture thesis, a blank piece of paper can still look intimidating. Take your ideas to your advising professor. What do they have to say about it? Do they look dubious? Find out why. Is your architecture thesis topic too vague, too broad, too narrow, boring, done to death, abstract? Get specific.
If your professor has a look that says that she wishes she had thought of it (or if you at least get a shrug that says ‘that’s fine’), then you’re on the right track. Still, press for more. See if they know of any resources that you could utilize. Do they know anyone who specializes in any aspect of your topic? Any exhibitions or buildings or thesis projects that may be of interest to you? Pick their brain until they look tired. It’s your degree you’re working on here. Make them take an interest in it and you.
Once you’ve got the approval from your advisor and a handful of leads to add to your mood and topic on the drafting table, hit the books, the internet, and chat up the locals. Anywhere and everywhere could be hiding a possible sentence or spark that will bring everything together, giving you the skeletal foundation for your architecture thesis.
Make copies of everything you read that applies to your subject matter, even remotely. Ask classmates and other professors any questions you have about the time period, theories, or key players in your architecture thesis topic. Do online searches around your topic. Check out a few architecture professional associations, societies, and hobby groups online. If there are forums to post to, post away. The point – get your building supplies anywhere you can find them.
When you’ve got a solid stockpile of research, start with your proposal. A solid 3 to 5 pages (depending on your department requirements) will go a long way toward informing the final product of your architecture thesis. Give this a lot of thought, time, and effort. Go out of your way to clarify every point and the sources you will use to back up everything along the way. This will come in handy for the writing portion later.
Once you’ve gotten the proposal approved, you’ve made the necessary changes and gotten the research necessary to fill the chinks in the new proposal, write. Ignore everyone. Don’t go to work. Skip class and don’t answer the phone. Concentrate on your architecture thesis until it is finished and don’t look back until you have solid first draft. You won’t be able to test for structural flaws until you’ve got a whole piece to look at.
After a few days or a week long break, go back and make your first set of edits before submitting the draft to you advisor. You need this space to clear your head. Take it. After your professor looks it over, go back and forth between her office and the drawing board until it’s complete. Soon you’ll be done with the architecture thesis and the degree and well on your way to creating actual buildings and getting paid for it.