Case Study

Maybe you would prefer to focus on the architecture of a specific building and complete a case study on it. If so, these examples should be useful:

Example case study dissertation topic 1:

Building a better future: A case study of Heathrow.

The party political fallout in the late summer and autumn of 2012 over plans for a third (or even fourth) runway at Heathrow shows little sign of abatement. Environmentalists pitted against business, the role of ‘Boris Island’, the options to expand Luton or Stansted have all added to the options available. This dissertation argues that the civil expansion of Heathrow through either the construction of a third runway or the rebuilding of the entire airport to the west of its present site are the only two viable options to ensure that the UK retains the airport ‘hub’ that it requires to continue to prosper. This is a dissertation that combines architectural issues with environmental and planning issues and would be particularly suited to a student who seeks to build a career that spans these inter-related issues.

Suggested initial topic reading:

• Docherty, L. (2010). How has the continuing expansion of London Heathrow Airport affected communities and the housing market within the local areas? BSc dissertation, University of Portsmouth.
• Freestone, R. (2009). ‘Planning, sustainability and airport-led urban development’, International Planning Studies, Vol. 14(2), pp. 161-176.
• Yaneva, A. (2012). Mapping controversies in architecture. Farnham: Ashgate.