ceArq-TD

The Centre of Architectural Studies — from Territory to Design (ceArq-TD) is a new research and development unit resulting from the reactivation of the Centre of Architectural Studies (CEARQ) founded in 1994 at the Department of Architecture, University of Coimbra (DARQ), the second architectural research centre at national level registered in FCT.
The wide-ranging international debate about architectural practice as a determining activity for understanding architectural research today allows us to argue the greater relevance of the construction of knowledge triggered by the intersection of design processes with theoretical speculation.
We contend that having “research by design and practice-based research” as the matrix of ceArq-TD constitutes a differentiating factor in relation to other architectural research units at the national level. The expansion of our field of action from architecture to other scales, such as territory and design, also justifies the change in name from CEARQ to ceArq-TD.
The broadening of its research spectrum, while seeking interdisciplinary practice, will also provide a stimulating environment for researchers from other fields of study, such as design, geography and art. In close collaboration with DARQ and other national and international R&D units and institutions, ceArq-TD will facilitate the critical and collaborative examination of contemporary challenges, as evidenced in architectural projects and research initiatives that address specific issues.
Action research is thus carried out with a creative balance between the “fundamental” and “applied” lenses of research by a team with significant potential for growth and great expertise in both architectural theory and practice.