Abstract
This study investigates how undergraduate design studios function as research environments that cultivate inquiry-based learning and knowledge production through making. A key problem addressed is the disparity between recognized research in STEM fields and the undervaluation of research-through-design within interior architecture education. The central research question asks: How does the design studio facilitate research as a form of inquiry in undergraduate interior architecture curricula? Participants included senior-level students engaged in capstone studio projects emphasizing iterative design prototyping and contextual analysis as applied to an intensive year-long project. Results indicate that students demonstrate higher levels of critical inquiry and self-directed research when engaged in approaches of iterative making and reflection. This allowed for the transformation of spatial problems into evidence-based design propositions that still employed creativity and feasibility. These findings suggest that undergraduate design education can indeed be more widely recognized as a legitimate site of scholarly research.