From Words to Action: Incorporation of Sustainability in Architectural Education

Abstract

Schools of architecture play a major role in motivating and inspiring students to gain competencies in sustainability through pedagogical practices. However, at the operational level, the incorporation of sustainability within architectural programmes needs to be integrated into both the curricula and teaching methods. There are few studies on how architectural programmes' curricula and pedagogical practices can be institutionally articulated, as well as on how the required coherency among components can be empowered operationally. Since the interrelation of the courses form the structure of the curricula and provide certain inputs for the students' knowledge and skill, any operational risk can harm the quality assurance. Therefore, an operational framework aimed for a coordinated incorporation of sustainability in architectural programmes is required. In order to achieve this, scrutinising substantial equivalence programmes could provide constructive outcomes for the improvement of the existing programmes and future experiences for students. In order to determine the articulation of sustainability issues in architectural education, in this research, a recently accredited school in the Eastern Mediterranean region was chosen as a case study. The study includes an analysis of course descriptions, teaching methods, and teacher and student perceptions about the incorporation of sustainability into the courses. Also, jury sessions' evaluation criteria are assessed as a pedagogical tool. Then, the horizontal and vertical articulation of courses within the curricula and their coordination were studied accordingly. The findings reveal that horizontal and vertical relations between different course types that share similar learning objectives are very important. However, this relation and continuum should be perceivable by students, tutors, and the relevant stakeholders; otherwise, any attempt would remain superficial. Accordingly, the association of sustainability with pre-defined evaluation criteria for grading is very important. The methodological tools and lessons from this study can assist young architecture programmes with the incorporation of sustainability into their programme without changing its spirit, through the coordination of courses within curricula and adopted pedagogical tools.

The Architect and the Paradigms of Sustainable Development: A Review of Dilemmas

“…The role of universities and professional self-government is of great importance here. In all universities, academic curricula have been, or are being, modified (see good examples [47,48]). The reactions of professional self-government organizations of local architects' engineers, supported by editorial boards of trade magazines are satisfactory.…”

Transferring COVID-19 Challenges into Learning Potentials: Online Workshops in Architectural Education

“…Current research in higher architectural education recognizes the concept of sustainability as a contemporary tool for delivery of environmental sensitivity and singles out the need for further integration and strengthening of this concept in existing curricula of architecture schools [7][8][9][10][11][12][13]. In recent decades, such tendencies have emerged on the basis of criticism singled out in the Brundtland Report that "education must become more capable and creative, skillful, productive, and better able to deal with day-to-day problems" [14].…”

Reflecting on sustainability: coproducing a critical framework for sustainable design in the architectural studio

“…This has been advocated in engineering education as it provides students with the skills to deal with both hard and soft problems (Fenner, Ainger, Cruickshank, & Guthrie, 2005). Satellite and elective modules can provide valuable support specific to the core learning environment of the studio (Hassanpour, Alpar Atun, & Ghaderi, 2017). However, dividing the curriculum in this manner relies on the assumption that knowledge can be acquired then applied (Gelernter, 1988).…”