Narrative Architectural Design Research Methods for Storytelling, Wellington, New Zealand

Narrative Architectural Design usually employs ‘allegory’ as a means of storytelling. An allegory is a story that has another underlying meaning meant to teach us something. In her article "The Fall: the Allegorical Architectural Project as a Critical Method", Penelope Haralambidou writes about the role of literary allegory in architectural design and theory as an important, alternative critical practice. She writes: “Allegory is a structure of thought where meaning is not grasped directly but through metaphor, that often takes the guise of narrative and storytelling.” In other words, an allegory “signifies [an] intention that requires interpretation”. It invites agency in order to enhance our awareness of something that is important.
“The allegorical architectural project can be employed to unravel another piece of work, a site or drawing … by questioning its underlying syntax; allegorical design reveals an analytical inclination and becomes a vehicle for criticism.”
--Penelope Haralambidou, "The Fall: the Allegorical Architectural Project as a Critical Method", 2007
To develop a Research Methodology for Narrative Architectural Design, we first need to establish a Research Problem or Provocation, and then articulate a Research Proposition that addresses that problem or provocation. The narrative methodology will vary--depending on the discipline and on the research problem or provocation that we are addressing. In this seminar, I will show you four examples of research methodologies relating to narrative design, taken from the point of view of four different disciplines: History and Theory, Landscape Architecture, Interior Architecture, and Architecture.