The Design Research Laboratory (DRL) is a 16-month, post-professional design research programme that leads to a Master of Architecture and Urbanism (MArch) degree. Our world-renowned lab has been at the forefront of design experimentation for the past 20 years, and continues to pioneer advanced methods in design, computation and manufacturing. The programme is based on an evolving framework of three-year research cycles that interrogate architecture and urbanism from the city-scale to the nano-scale.

Led by innovators in the fields of architecture, design and engineering, the DRL pursues an interdisciplinary approach to design that extends beyond architecture, fostering collaboration with companies such as Ferrari, Festo, AKTII, Reider and Odico Robotics. The lab remains a space of cooperation and curiosity, and seeks to develop the next generation of architects who will actively engage with and influence the field. Distinguished graduates have gone on to found offices, lead advanced research groups and teach at schools worldwide.

Four terms of study are divided into two phases. The first, a three-term academic year that begins each autumn, introduces design techniques and topics through a combination of team-based studio work, workshops and seminar courses. In the second phase, which begins the following autumn, teams develop their phase one work into a comprehensive design thesis project. At the end of January, these projects are presented to a panel of distinguished visiting critics. In the past, these have included Zaha Hadid, Rem Koolhaas, Jeff Kipnis, Wolf Prix, Ali Rahim, Marta Male-Alemany, Alisa Andrasek, Michael Hansmeyer, John Frazer, Ben Van Berkel, David Ruy, Hernan Diaz Alonso, Tom Wiscombe, Caroline Bos, Mark Cousins, David Greene and Marcelo Spina, among many others.