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The Development Guidelines outline the
elements of a case study, including an abstract, learning
objectives, perspectives, and analysis. The
guidelines also provide submission requirements and
recommendations on how to get started. In addition, if you are
an educator or practitioner, please see the faculty guide or the firm participation guide, as appropriate.
To return to the AIA Case Studies Initiative homepage, click here.
Elements of a Case Study
The Development Guidelines are designed to encourage the
development of case studies on a variety of project types, practice
issues, and selected topics. To facilitate consistency across a
diverse range of subjects, the case studies format includes the
following elements:
-
a concise abstract
describing the most significant elements of the case and
identifying key team members, including the client and user
representatives. (no more than one-half page)
-
learning objectives that
articulate the topics to be studied and provide a guide to
understanding the lessons learned from the project (two
pages)
-
perspectives,
including protocols for decision-making, stories of practice,
innovative ideas, and the value placed on innovation, measures of
success, and graphic illustrations. Various “voices”
should be considered, including client perspectives and those from
the prime professional firm, consultants, contractors, and
regulators. (approximately 10 pages)
-
analysis of and reflection
on the specific relevant details of the case, focused on a
particular topic or considering a series of practice issues. The
analysis may include measures of success or difficulty, often
reconstructing decision-making to understand a project’s flow.
Client concerns, business issues within the practice, design
considerations, project delivery issues within the firm as well as
project delivery in the construction process are among the issues
to be considered. The format for this section can parallel that of
The Architect’s Handbook of Professional Practice.
(approximately 10 pages)
Although flexibility is encouraged,
each of these elements is recommended for all case studies.
Emphasis should be placed on the analysis of the major points of
the case. See worksheets (coming soon) for further explanation of
each of the elements listed above.
How to Get Started
Initially, it is important to identify opportunities for
collaboration with a school of architecture or a firm and to select
a project or identify an aspect of the project to be studied.
Factors to consider include the location of the firm or the school
and access to information, the location of the project, and
possibility of a site visit. The discussion on choosing a subject
in the proceedings from the 2004 Cranbrook Teachers Seminar on Case
Studies may also be helpful.
Then, it is helpful to outline the learning objectives of the case.
A case study that documents a project from the initial concept
through completion is particularly valuable for studying practice
issues. A more focused study may be appropriate to examine a
particular aspect of a project or a series of comparable
projects.
Finally, it is important to establish a timeline. For example, it
may be critical to complete most of the work within one semester,
with some revisions the following semester. An estimated 200-person
hours is required of student work together with 20 hours from the
primary firm representative and about two hours from the firm
principal.
Please see the faculty guide or the firm participation guide for further
information.
Submitting a Case Study, Peer Review, and
Publication
Submissions should consist of high quality graphic material and
text in an 8-1/2 x 11 format, prepared for blind review; no
indication of author(s) should appear on or within the case study.
A cover sheet should provide
the case study title, names and affiliations, e-mail, fax and phone
numbers, and postal address. The submissions shall include two hard
copies and one electronic copy in PDF.
Case studies are reviewed through a blind peer review process. Each
submission is reviewed by two to three peer reviewers.
Evaluation forms with feedback are returned to all
authors. Cases and evaluations are then reviewed by a selection
team, whose names will be published in advance. The authors of
selected cases are invited to edit and prepare their cases for
publication on the AIA Web site.
Selected cases will also be included in the AIA’s searchable,
Web-based resource, along with papers, research, and essays on
topics of relevance to practice. To assist users in accessing
information contained in the case studies, a list of
terms will be provided. Please identify relevant terms from
the list and complete the index form provided. (coming soon)
If you are interested in submitting a case study for peer review
and publication, please contact:
Catherine Roussel, AIA
Director of Education at croussel@aia.org.
Schedule of Peer Review-To be Announced
Important Forms
The purpose of the AIA Case Studies Initiative is to share
information on lessons learned from practice. In order to protect
the interests of the parties involved and ensure the accuracy and
objectivity of the information contained in the case, the following
forms are required before publication of selected case studies on
the AIA Web site:
Intern Declaration
Form
Statement of Veracity and
Objectivity
Concurrence Statement
Copyright Permission Form
Please see details below.
-
Intern Declaration
Form
This form must be signed and submitted by an authorized
representative of each architecture firm responsible for the case
study.
-
Statement of Veracity and
Objectivity signed by the responsible parties of the
professional firm, the responsible academic officials, and students
indicating that their work is a truthful presentation prepared
without specific bias regarding its outcome. This form may also be
signed by the owner/client, if appropriate.
-
Concurrence
Statement, which is a signed permission statement by the
client and/or other parties as appropriate regarding the use of the
material for education and research as well as publication by the
AIA.
-
Copyright Permission Form
for Textual and Visual Works
The authors of the case study, supporting documents and other
copyrighted material, including photographs or graphics, must sign
AIA's Copyright Permission Form for Textual and Visual Works
granting the Institute permission to reproduce and distribute the
material on its Web site for access and use by AIA members and the
public for educational and other knowledge-sharing purposes.
Individuals who own the copyrighted material submitted for use in
the case study should sign the permission form and indicate how
they wish the credit, which acknowledges the owner, to appear.
Individuals who do not own the copyrighted material must have the
owner, such as the photographer or other copyright owner, sign the
form.
Anonymous Case
Studies
In some instances, an anonymous case study may be appropriate. The
AIA will consider anonymous case studies that meet the following
criteria:
• the identity of all parties involved is protected
• the project is not identifiable
• the story is of significance to the profession and sharing
it could benefit others.
Cases should be submitted following the above submission
requirements with required forms. However, no identification of the
project or individuals involved should appear on the case study
itself.
Ownership and Use of Case Study and Other
Materials
The authors of the case study and supporting materials will own all
rights, including copyright, to the materials and will grant the
AIA permission to use, publicly display, and distribute them on its
Web site and in hard copy to AIA members and the general public for
informational and educational purposes only. The AIA will provide
an appropriate credit to the authors. By submitting a case study,
the authors warrant and represent that the material is original
content, not in the public domain, and does not infringe an
intellectual property or other right.
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