AT6012 Design Research: Technology Transformations

Articulating Your Research Ontology

A Step-by-Step Guide to Building Your Group's Knowledge Graph

Why This Matters

This guide helps you transform your tacit understanding of your research topic into an explicit, structured ontology. Think of it as creating the conceptual architecture of your investigation—the foundation that makes your work communicable, buildable, and inheritable by future cohorts.

The process scaffolds your learning journey:

  1. Understanding — Why do knowledge graphs matter for architectural research?
  2. Operationalisation — How does AT6012 put these ideas into practice?
  3. Application — What does your group's unique knowledge structure look like?
Acknowledgement: This framework builds on the ontology pipeline model presented by Professor Ryan at the LERO Software Research Centre Summit, adapted here for architectural design research contexts.
1 Define Your Domain

What it is: A clear, bounded statement of what area of reality you're investigating. Your domain should be specific enough that someone outside your group can understand exactly what you're studying.

DOMAIN: [Specific phenomenon] in [specific context] concerning [specific aspect]
AT6012 Module Example
DOMAIN: Knowledge production and accumulation in architectural design research education, concerning regenerative urban systems in Mediterranean port cities
Your Turn

Complete this sentence:

"Our group is investigating _________________________________ in the context of _________________________________, specifically concerning _________________________________."
Quality Check: Could someone outside your group understand exactly what you're studying? Is it specific enough to be researchable but broad enough to be interesting?
2 Identify Core Entities

What they are: The fundamental "things" that exist in your domain—the nouns that populate your research world. These are the categories of objects, concepts, actors, or phenomena you'll be investigating.

ENTITY_NAME: {attribute_1, attribute_2, attribute_3} └── Subtypes: variant_a, variant_b, variant_c
AT6012 Module Example
CORE ENTITIES: RESEARCH_GROUP: {theme, members, output_type, methodology} └── Subtypes: dereliction_focus, temporal_focus, socio-technical_focus, hydro-surveillance_focus KNOWLEDGE_ARTEFACT: {format, authorship, version, licence} └── Subtypes: digital_repository, technical_dossier, field_documentation, presentation THEORETICAL_FRAMEWORK: {origin, key_concepts, application_domain} └── Subtypes: assembly_theory, thermodynamic_urbanism, urban_political_ecology, post-human_thinking FIELD_SITE: {location, characteristics, research_potential} └── Subtypes: Marseille_neighbourhood, Cork_comparison, Dublin_comparison GUEST_CONTRIBUTOR: {expertise, institution, contribution_type} └── Subtypes: academic_researcher, industry_practitioner, policy_expert
Your Turn

List 4-6 core entities for your domain. For each one:

  1. Name it (use CAPS_WITH_UNDERSCORES)
  2. List 3-4 key attributes in curly brackets
  3. Identify 2-4 subtypes
Quality Check: Are these genuinely distinct categories? Could you find real instances of each in your Marseille research?
3 Map Relationships

What they are: The connections between entities—the verbs that describe how things in your domain interact. Relationships give your ontology its dynamic character.

RELATIONSHIP_NAME: Entity_A → Entity_B [condition/mechanism]
AT6012 Module Example
RELATIONSHIPS: PRODUCES: Research_Group → Knowledge_Artefact [through: collaborative_investigation] APPLIES: Research_Group → Theoretical_Framework [to: field_site_analysis] INHERITS_FROM: Knowledge_Artefact → Previous_Cohort_Work [mechanism: fork_and_extend] CONNECTS_TO: AT6012_Module → European_Research_Networks [through: guest_contributors, NEB_framework] DOCUMENTS: Field_Documentation → Field_Site [using: multi-scalar_protocols] INFORMS: Theoretical_Framework → Research_Methodology [shapes: what_we_look_for, how_we_interpret] ENABLES: Guest_Contributor → Knowledge_Transfer [condition: workshop_participation] TRANSFORMS: Assessment_Process → Knowledge_Production [shift: from_grading_to_generating]
Your Turn

Identify 5-8 key relationships in your domain. For each:

  1. Name the relationship (use a verb)
  2. Specify which entity connects to which (use →)
  3. Add conditions or mechanisms in square brackets

Think in terms of: What colonises, produces, enables, transforms, stores, reveals, constrains, or determines what?

Quality Check: Do these relationships capture the dynamics of your research area? Are any relationships bidirectional?
4 Articulate Axioms

What they are: The fundamental rules or principles that govern your domain—your theoretical commitments about how things work. These are the claims you're willing to defend.

AX[n]: [Statement of principle or rule]
AT6012 Module Example
AXIOMS: AX1: Knowledge production is collective, not individual— assessment evaluates group capability, not personal performance AX2: Each cohort's work inherits from and extends previous cohorts— knowledge accumulates rather than archives AX3: Urban form encodes power relations— spatial transformation is never neutral AX4: Buildings are dissipative structures within larger energy flows— non-isolated thermodynamics applies to architecture AX5: The Living Knowledge Commons requires explicit structure— ontological framing enables inheritance across temporal boundaries AX6: Field research and theoretical frameworks must integrate— neither stands alone
Your Turn

Write 4-6 axioms for your domain. These should be:

  • Statements you're willing to defend
  • Principles that guide your analysis
  • Rules that constrain valid interpretations

They often start with: "When X happens, Y follows..." / "X cannot exist without Y..." / "X is always/never..."

Quality Check: Are these genuinely foundational to your research? Do they differentiate your approach from other possible approaches?
5 Synthesise into Knowledge Graph Schema

What it is: Bringing together your domain, entities, relationships, and axioms into a coherent schema that can structure your research outputs.

AT6012 Module Example (Simplified)
# AT6012 Knowledge Graph Schema # Version: 3.1 | December 2025 DOMAIN: Regenerative architectural education through Living Knowledge Commons pedagogy NODES: - Research_Groups: G1-G8 with distinct thematic foci - Knowledge_Artefacts: repositories, dossiers, documentation - Theoretical_Frameworks: assembly, thermodynamic, post-human - Field_Sites: Marseille neighbourhoods, Irish comparisons - Contributors: guest lecturers, previous cohorts, future cohorts EDGES: - PRODUCES: group → artefact - APPLIES: group → framework - DOCUMENTS: artefact → site - INHERITS: current_work → previous_work - TRANSMITS: current_work → future_cohorts - CONNECTS: module → european_networks CONSTRAINTS: - All artefacts must be CC BY-SA 4.0 licensed - Assessment is group-based, not individual - Knowledge must be structured for inheritance - Theoretical frameworks must connect to field evidence
Your Turn

Create a similar schema for your group's research domain, bringing together all the elements you've developed in Steps 1-4.

Common Pitfalls to Avoid

Next Steps

After completing this exercise:

  1. Document your ontology in your group's repository section
  2. Visualise your knowledge graph as a diagram (we'll cover tools for this)
  3. Apply your ontology to structure your Marseille field documentation
  4. Refine as your research develops—ontologies evolve with understanding