The College of Arts + Architecture contains research centers to promote the depth of faculty and student scholarship and the opportunity to collaborate with partners in creative thinking and expression. The College of Arts and Architecture's research centers are:
Shakespeare in Action: Center for Studies in Performance and Culture
The Shakespeare in Action (SIA) center is an inter-college center jointly sponsored by the CoA+A and the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. The SIA center serves to advance and coordinate various activities and initiatives related to the production and exploration of Shakespeare's work and that of his contemporaries. Its goal is to advance the study and enjoyment of Renaissance/Early Modern drama and culture, particularly through performance, on campus and in the broader Charlotte community.
Digital Design Center
The mission of the Digital Design Center (DDC) is to focus teaching and research in digital methods in architecture, network with institutions globally, develop analytic and visualization capacity, and collaborate with the profession at a national level. Our fields of interest cross boundaries within the arts and sciences. We actively seek out new partnerships in architectural practice, in academic research, and with civic & cultural organizations in three related arenas: Digital Fabrication, Interactive Architecture, and Visualization Studies.
Design + Society Research Center
The Design + Society Research Center (D+SRC) is an interdisciplinary center in the School of Architecture which addresses issues of community development and empowerment through a wide range of advocacy-based practices and strategic partnerships in order to address the challenges facing our diverse communities. The D+SRC focuses on social equity to repair our local landscapes, to enrich our cultural environments, and to create visions for positive change that will lead us well into the 21st century.
Center for Integrated Building Design Research
The Center for Integrated Building Design Research (CIBDR) is focused on how collaboration and integration of building science provides a comprehensive approach to architectural practice. The work of CIBDR is facilitated through two laboratories: The Daylighting + Energy Performance Laboratory which advances applied knowledge through detailed study of architectural energy systems and lighting technology research, and The Center for Innovative Housing which focuses on sustainability and design/build methods of practice.
