Theorising architectural practice as research: epistemic knowledge production in contemporary Indian architecture

Abstract

This paper theorises contemporary architectural practice in India as a form of research and epistemic inquiry, arguing that practice is a mode of knowledge production rather than merely applied professional execution. It examines the knowledge-generating capacities of architectural practice amid India’s socio-cultural, environmental and technological transitions. Using a triangulated methodology that combines empirical inquiry, stakeholder narratives, and typological analysis across more than 300 architectural firms, the study examines how knowledge is generated, negotiated and operationalised within practice. The typological data were collected using both open-ended and closed-ended questionnaires. The study shows how architects, by mediating among diverse actors, values and constraints, co-create knowledge. It reveals the mechanisms by which contemporary practice generates both explicit and tacit knowledge in response to change, and repositions practice not as an application of academic theory or mere technical execution, but as an epistemic domain in its own right. It further highlights that the epistemic character of architectural practice is embedded in the project and process, as well as in innovations and in the knowledge of architects and other stakeholders. The paper contributes to architectural epistemology, urging a realignment of educational and institutional frameworks to recognise and integrate this knowledge into academia. We decode the method and nature of the knowledge produced within contemporary Indian architectural practice. By theorising architectural practice as a form of research-in-action, the paper contributes to ongoing debates on architectural epistemology and practice-led research, particularly in the Global South, where professional knowledge remains under-theorised.