Despite the critical role that research plays in defining architectural discourse, there is, at present, no comprehensive record of its development and output. By disseminating both historical and contemporary research projects through a digital format, the project presents a conversation between architects, designers, artists, urbanists, and scholars regarding the motivations, polemics, funding sources, and artifacts surrounding architecture's research culture. This study documents the proliferation of “labs” in contemporary practice and turns a critical eye on C-Lab's work (including its magazine and other publications, unsolicited projects, and commissioned planning studies) to identify themes and objectives that can help to define a direction for research in the years ahead.

Jeffrey Inaba is the director of the Columbia Laboratory for Architectural Broadcasting (C-Lab), features editor of Volume magazine, and the author of numerous publications, including the recent book World of Giving (Lars Müller Publishers, 2010). He is the founder of INABA, an architecture office that specializes in content development and design. Inaba was principal of AMO, the research consultancy of OMA, and with Rem Koolhaas, he co-directed the Harvard Project on the City. In addition to being a faculty member at Columbia University, Inaba has taught at UCLA, Harvard, and SCI-Arc. He holds a master’s degree in architecture, a master’s degree in the philosophy of architecture, and a master’s degree in design studies degrees, all from Harvard.