International design practice, Scott Brownrigg is to sponsor the first Chair in Design Research at the Welsh School of Architecture, Cardiff University.

The first holder of the post is Professor Wayne Forster who is currently Deputy Head of the School and also runs the school’s Design Research Unit. The focus of the sponsorship is on design as a research discipline in its own right so that it can be ranked alongside other academic disciplines. In this, design is studied on its own terms. The intention is to apply this approach to a number of significant live projects, to contribute to the school’s PhD programme in Creative Practice and other innovative training networks in design.

The ambition is to contribute to raising the level of design within the both School and the Practice, and to be able to publish and produce impacts from these activities.

Currently ranked the 11th largest practice in the UK and 82nd largest globally, Scott Brownrigg already has an established close relationship with the Welsh School of Architecture through teaching, recruitment and crucially, design based research projects with Scott Brownrigg’s own Design Research Unit. This sponsorship reinforces the importance of this long standing relationship and Scott Brownrigg’s commitment to research and the advancement of design within the built environment.

The Welsh School of Architecture is one of the UK’s leading schools of Architecture (currently 3rd in the Complete University Guide and 3rd in The Times, and internationally - 35th in the QS World Rankings for Architecture and the Built Environment) and has a reputation for outstanding research-led teaching.

Professor Wayne Foster said of the Sponsorship:"This builds upon the existing design and research activities with Scott Brownrigg. The practice was also industrial partners in the Low Carbon Research Institute. The sponsorship will also enable the school to promote and capitalise on the newly validated Doctoral Programme in Creative Practice which is aimed at practitioners who wish to extend their knowledge through design.”

Scott Brownrigg Group Director Neil MacOmish who leads Scott Brownrigg’s research and innovation arm - Design Research Unit said:“We are delighted to support the position of Chair of Design and Research at one of the UK's leading schools of architecture and now indeed in the world. This continues our commitment to forging links with such institutions, to developing our research and evidence based design and recognises the importance of facilitating opportunities for new talent that will generate new and innovative fields of investigation and creativity.”