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Undergrad Thesis: How It Should Be?
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NEO
Thu May 03 2007, 05:07pm Print
Admin Registered Member #4 Joined: Thu Aug 04 2005, 04:54am
: Dhaka
Posts: 666
 When I was in second or third year I often shouted to the seniors about what does actually the thesis is in undergrad architecture in our school? Is that something like doing a project only? Then what the hell difference is there between doing a project in 2.2 and doing a so-called ‘thesis’ in 5.2?
Well I got my answers very lately.
Our one is a very orthodox modernist architecture school. We are seldom appreciated for doing something new other than the typical modern buildings. No, I’m not against the modernist thoughts; I also love to follow those theories. But often it seems like we are not touching the contemporary trends and philosophies of ‘our time’.

Professor Shamsul Wares is the studio advisor in thesis semester in our school. According to his opinion:
‘Undergrad thesis should merely be an architectural project where the students can deal with a certain level of complexity in function and concepts in a certain volume of work. Undergraduate thesis in architecture should never be like an urban design type analytical project. It should be truly ‘architecture’ no overwhelming research or hypothetical philosophical works. We’ll award a student the B.Arch degree after the thesis project. Thus he/she will become an ‘architect’. They are not going to become urban designers, landscape architects, philosophers or social workers. So we’ll measure an upcoming ‘architect’ only by an architectural project in thesis.
We want a real proposal of project by real clients. And students will do thesis on that particular project according to the need of the client and the context. They will submit a dissertation as part of their thesis as they go on through the project.
Students will get plenty of opportunity to do researches, urban design projects, hypothetical projects etc. in their higher education. But in undergraduate level they should do only ‘architecture’ which will accentuate their career in profession as an architect in later.’

I agree with the points what Prof. Shamsul Wares says. But I have some other ideas regarding this.
The way of doing ‘thesis’ as described by Prof. Shamsul Wares may be practiced in 5.1 semester. The ‘thesis’ project we are doing in 5.2 could easily be done in 5.1. Because the intension of the semester 5.1 is nothing but make a student oriented to the architecture profession. Then why not we are doing the so-called thesis projects as it is in 5.1?
In our school 5.1 is something like a very meaningless semester, where students do nothing other than spoiling a whole semester nagging of a single project… although it is said that we learn about pro works in this semester but actually nothing special happens there. It’s merely doing a project through out the semester for no particular intension at all.
After passing out 5.1 the students should get an opportunity of experimental research works in 5.2. In most of the schools in the world (other than this much orthodox like ours) students are used to do thesis on innovative research works in their last semester.
We can do our ‘conventional thesis’ in 5.1 and can do a real thesis work in 5.2.
What do you people think?
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Anika
Thu May 03 2007, 06:38pm
Registered Member #328 Joined: Tue Nov 07 2006, 06:14am
: dhaka
Posts: 38
 i'm also a part of this school.i feel lucky as a junior that now i know the situation of our 5.1 semester...
i dont want to go to any arguments regarding the thesis batch because i'll have to think about it more deeply( as because WARES sir said all these) and find an answer...whether positive or negative.
but 5.1 studio can be improved.as it seems that our teachers aren't letting us to do hypothetical conceptual projects in thesis...it could rather be practiced in 5.1.so depending on the jury of 5.1 it'll b helpful for the teachers also to decide which student can handle these kind of things better.
now its the duty for u seniors to propose our school an alternate curriculam in 5.1 as u r the one who experinced that 5.1 seems to have no use at all...for ur junoirs' sake say it b4 leaving this uni..frown.png(don't propose b4 jury...wink.png)....... Edited Thu May 03 2007, 06:44pm
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lizu
Fri May 04 2007, 06:56am
Registered Member #58 Joined: Thu Jun 22 2006, 08:37am
: Singapore
Posts: 4
 I agree with neo. From my teaching and learning experience in different schools in different country I think that when you are naming ap roject as "Thesis" then there should be some original contribution. It should not be like the same project as 5.1. Wares sir is right mentioning the scope of a final project in a school of architecture. However, their should some original contribution either through design sollution, or theorizing some architectural aspects or by technological innovation. A thesis should be measure for capacity of the student to contrbute really something in architectural practice. In some school , I found they dont let all the students to do design thesis. They do a project as usual at 5.2 level but at a very detail level. Acoording to them these students should be capable in design development and detailing ( which is also an important role as an architect. In fact in profession we need more of these type of professional than the thinkers). The others who do thesis should be the designer architect, who would excel in their field by the flair of creativity and innovation. So a student who is doing a thesis should be able to demonstrate this level of competency. Just solving a design problen would never suffice the requirement of a "thesis".
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etipuf
Fri May 04 2007, 09:32am
Registered Member #430 Joined: Sat Jan 06 2007, 09:30pm
: istanbul
Posts: 101
 here we have different workgroups doing their thesis projects - you get into a group by lottery and also get to follow other groups' crits. and i must add, most groups are doing major urban design works, at some very large scales leading to elaboration of a small part in detail.
here i cant tell if the school has a certain binding opinion because it is more about the individuals teaching the project than the faculty at large. we have a very large academiz base and some are very preservative while some are innovative. the most popular studio instructor does not actually make you do a project for the whole semester, his curriculum is a series of workshops mostly on the philosophy of things.
the vision of istanbul technical university is "modern for centuries" empasizing on the centuries old background of the school and the innovative role it has always held in turkey by introducing new technologies and sciences
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nirghum
Fri May 04 2007, 05:44pm
Registered Member #26 Joined: Mon Nov 28 2005, 05:52pm
: bits N bites
Posts: 503
 have you goct selected your thesis topic.
i mean site, and target wht to be build?
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etipuf
Sat May 05 2007, 10:55pm
Registered Member #430 Joined: Sat Jan 06 2007, 09:30pm
: istanbul
Posts: 101
 this years projects were shaped around certain sites, like one in beyoglu district and one for the bostanci coastline
you get to determine what you want to build there
and there is a group working on a theme which is istanbul being selected the european capital of culture in 2010
you dont get to choose your group, you get one by lottery
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nirghum
Wed Jun 06 2007, 02:52am
Registered Member #26 Joined: Mon Nov 28 2005, 05:52pm
: bits N bites
Posts: 503
 my expectation from a under grad student is to show up some real talent in the thesis. Propose some new ideas may be crazy but this is time you can afford to be crazy. Later when you grow older you cant be crazy any more.







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idasanka
Sun Jan 30 2022, 04:39am
Registered Member #17236 Joined: Sat Jan 29 2022, 02:15pm
: davao
Posts: 0
 this is awesome! thanks for sharing!

maternity photographer
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