Information behaviour of architecture students in creative design projects

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to report on an exploratory study of third-year architecture students’ information behaviour. It focusses on information activities, personal experience, resource usage, preferences in working individually or collaboratively, preferences for information resources inspiring creativity and physical spaces to be creative. Design/methodology/approach It was a mixed methods study with a strongly qualitative component and limited descriptive quantitative data. Data were collected in October 2016 at a South African university using individual self-administered questionnaires and semi-structured individual interviews; 19 out of 60 (response rate 32 per cent) third-year architecture students doing a design project participated. Findings Creativity is important in architecture projects, as is information resources in stimulating creativity. Students preferred to work individually during their design projects; at times collaboration was needed for idea generation. Information activities included: information gathering, encountering, use and sharing. A range of theoretical, technical, artistic and practical skills and knowledge must be integrated to produce creative outcomes, in addition, to information searching and information usage. Factual information is also required. Students can benefit from a supportive information rich creative space (physical or virtual). Research limitations/implications The study was conducted at only one institution with a small number of participants. Although generalisation of findings is not possible, issues for further research can be noted. Practical implications Designers of physical and virtual creative spaces must take into account different facets of information behaviour and the information resources and services required during creative information-seeking activities. Originality/value Although there is literature on information behaviour and creativity, the authors could not find any that explores architecture students’ information behaviour in academic spaces of creativity.

The case for print: architecture trade journals as pedagogical tools for disciplinary knowledge

“…Campbell (2017, Table 1, p. 769) revealed architectural faculty have a strong preference for printed materials, coupled with an aversion to the suggestion of cancelling print journals in favor of electronic journals. Meyer and Fourie (2018) found that resource format preferences appear to be tied to an individual's perceived comfort level for use and access, highlighting and emphasizing the subtleties that exist amongst individual users who may be more comfortable navigating within a physical and/or digital realm. Robinson's (2010) comparison study of print and electronic journals, while more from the perspective of collection management captures key points related to the discrepancies of print versus electronic journals, most importantly concerns related to image quality, a desire to have print available to support browsing and loss of content.…”

Engaging with AI painting: exploring motivations and challenges in laypeople's creative information practices

“…Information seeking extends beyond mere data gathering; it extends to the integration of diverse information sources into the creative process, influencing inspiration, ideation, and execution (Ferrara, 2017;Lee et al, 2005). Most information is accessed via the internet and social networks, with traditional printed tools and libraries serving as valuable supplements (Mason and Robinson, 2011), creating a supportive and, information-rich environment for practitioners (Annemans et al, 2014;Meyer and Fourie, 2018;Willson, 2022).…”

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Designing an accommodation strategy: findings from an architecture school

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