Searching for a new paradigm in architectural education

Abstract

This paper is a position paper that will provide an extensive literature review on design education and raise questions regarding the current goal and a possible direction for architectural education. The paper will examine several critical issues such as education vs. training, the increasing disconnection of architectural education from the "real world” of design practice, and the role of research and theory in academia and the practice of architecture. This paper will address the challenges inherent in defining clear goals and directions for the field, given the current state of the architectural profession and academia. It will further argue that research can drive the development of a common language for use in a dialogue between the academic and the practitioner, a dialogue that is mediated by educational institutions, and which can also help shape architectural education and the profession as a whole. We are currently in a networking boom where global, intricate, and complex collaborations are constantly taking place, and the world seems to be shrinking to create a new and more localized globe. Architectural education, however, continues to utilize models established almost 400 years ago. In order to keep up with this fast-changing world, the growing demands of the profession, and accreditation and institutional expectations, initiatives like the promotion of research into built environments, extensive coverage of new technologies, and an increase in the number of subjects covered during the formal education process, have all been undertaken by academic institutions. However, a clear directive for architectural education has yet to emerge. With major world changes including climatic change, population change, technological advances, and now a struggling economy, the architectural profession is scrambling to keep up. This paper posits that it is up to educators, to initiate a dialogue between the profession and academia, the studio and the lecture hall, the media and the material, design and theory, in order to have a forward-thinking educational process that not only readies students for the profession, but further helps focus the profession towards a common vision, shared between academics and professionals alike. We further posit that research is key to the development of this common vision that will help shape the educational system and, consequently, architectural practice.