The EAAE Education Academy invites architecture educators, students and university administrators, policy makers, research institutions and researchers, funding agencies, professional bodies and architectural practices that are committed to education in architecture and in related disciplines to discuss and deepen its position paper Principles and Practices of Architectural Education. To do so, the EAAE Education Academy launches a new series of five workshops.
This third workshop – “Teaching-through-design” – explores the pedagogic and educational capacities of design practice. Given the central role of the design studio it can be said that architectural education basically is a design education. But what does it mean to adopt design practice as principal didactics of a programme? What do we aim for, and what do we reach when we “teach through the practice of design”? To which extent is this part of the curriculum aiming at developing a vocational skill, working in team, trans-disciplinarity, or personal competences such as endurance, work ethic, handling criticism, or should we adopt it as a trajectory towards citizenship and empowerment? To which extent and under which conditions is it capable of developing the competences and dispositions that these fast changing times need? Is the type of higher education that we provide through design directed at the edification of the individual student? or do we target the studio as a community? To which extent is design education not only targeting the individual student, but a public matter? What is “good” design education?
About the EAAE EA Position Paper
The position paper “Principles and Practices of Architectural Education” is intended as a reference document for all actors involved in production and care for the built and unbuilt environment. It responds to the ongoing changes within society that affect the architectural profession as well as architectural education and research.
The paper declares the principles for the development of a vibrant, internationally recognized, qualitatively outstanding and well-grounded architectural education and research, in order to lead to a well-informed professional practice. The statements of the position paper are open to discussion. As such, the paper is a source of inspiration, dialogue and exchange concerning the future curriculum and pedagogy of architectural education.
The paper contains five chapters, each focusing on one part within architectural education (AE). The first chapter, “What can architectural education do and for whom” (1) clarifies the potential societal meaning of AE graduates in the current-day world. Chapter two focuses on the “conditions under which AE can flourish” (2), hence defining the role of the design studio around which all curricula orbit.
The last three chapters clear up the interlinked connection between AE and design practice. “Teaching-through-design” (3) primarily determines teaching architecture as a practice in itself, requiring a pedagogy of playful anticipatory imagination. “Mutual learning” (4) then explains the reciprocity between practice and academia, which is to be assured by including practitioner educators and equalling professional merit to academic qualification. “Resonating fields” (5), the last chapter, clarifies to role and conceptualisation of research, that is to be understood as the common quest in which both the students and teachers are engaged in, thus defining the architectural design studios and by extension AE as a whole, as a place of research in itself.
Programme and invitation for participation
The Education Academy aims to be a platform and think-tank where concerns and best-practices all across Europe can be shared. We thus invite each architectural educator within the community of the EAAE to join the workshop and participate in the debate. The workshop will be framed around three sets of statements that can be found in the third chapter of the position paper:
13:30h – 13:45h: teaching through design – welcome and introduction
(Johan De Walsche)
13:45h -14:15h: Teaching for the future requires a pedagogy of playful anticipatory imagination/The transformation of architectural practice is dependent upon pioneering pedagogies
(Dag Boutsen/Willem De Greve)
14:15h – 14:45h: Teaching through design fosters criticality, creativity and curiosity/Architectural education develops resilience by continuous exchange of ideas and criticism.
(Mia Roth-Cerina)
14:45h – 15:15h: Teaching architecture is a practice in itself / the transformation of architectural practice and the responsive and explorative nature of teaching through design, inescapably leads to pioneering pedagogies.
(Michela Barosio)
15:15h-15:30h: wrap up/openings for future debate
This workshop is part of a Workshop Series on SDG’s in architectural education, feel free to stay with us for the full programme!
Registration
The workshop will take place online. Participation is free, but in order to have an idea about the participation, we kindly ask you to register through this link. The link will be sent to registered users.
For any questions related to practicalities and organization of the workshop contact Johan.dewalsche@uantwerpen.be. Certificates of attendance are available on request.
For updates about the workshop, please check the website
Organizing and scientific team
EAAE EA position paper working group
Michela Barosio (Politecnico di Torino)
Dag Boutsen (Faculty of Architecture – KULeuven)
Johan De Walsche (EA main coordinator – University of Antwerp)
Riva Lava (NTUA School of Architecture – Athens)
Mia Roth Cerina (Faculty of Architecture – University of Zagreb)
Carla Sentieri Omarrementeria (UPV València)
Previous workshops:
1/5 – architectural education and professional practice: mutual learning
2/5 – architectural education and research practice: resonating fields
This workshop is part of a Workshop Series on SDGs in the architectural education, feel free to join!
Online : link will be sent to registrants
EAAE Education Academy