The projects contained in these volumes are the result of the first semester of the two-semester Master of Architecture Design Studio at the Northeastern University School of Architecture. This studio is predicated on the belief that research will make design stronger, and that the overlap of research and design creates a space of inquiry, call it design research, that is unique to design disciplines such as architecture. In this design studio, students explore the interrelationship between research, design research, and design, and in so doing, develop strategies for conducting research as a basis for creating design projects of greater philosophical, social and aesthetic value than a student would without such a deep and well-structured inquiry.