- By Dr. Prof. Anand Achari, Principal, Vivekanand Education Society College of Architecture
Indeed, the revolution is underway now; and education is being affected. Architectural education is no longer just about learning to design buildings. It is a process through which students can gain a better appreciation for people, environment, technology, and places, and be equipped to deal with the challenges that lie ahead.
Outside the conventional studio
For years now, the architectural studio has formed the core of architectural education. Design continues to play a key role; however, the issues around design have become infinitely more difficult. How much energy does it take to run that building? How will the building behave climatically? And what if you used the old building instead of knocking it down? Who would live in space? What would become of the material after the building dies? Is there any possible way to increase its efficiency without damaging its experience? They are no longer minor concerns. They are core concerns in architecture.It is thus essential for students to first understand the context before embarking on the design process. The physical site, climate, other buildings, the community, and even the wider urban context provide valuable sources of information. Interaction with experts in various fields through the pre-design process helps students look at the problem from various angles. Through this process, the most important change takes place; from assuming to understanding.
Thinking sustainably should be the approach
An approach to sustainability and sustainable architecture cannot be limited to theories in books and certification methods. In order for sustainability to matter, it needs to be part of the decision-making of architects.For that reason, Environmental Studies plays a major role in architectural education. Students need to apply environmental considerations to the design process, taking into account daylighting, natural ventilation, climatic response, water use, energy performance, material choices and waste generation. Introducing students to environmental assessment methodologies and tools also helps them assess the performance of their designs.
But sustainability does not mean just designing buildings that meet a series of criteria. The idea is for the student to understand that any architectural decision has an impact.
Material choice may have an impact on embodied energy and waste generation. Orientation of a building might affect heat gain and energy use. Opening design may affect daylighting and ventilation. A water-sensitive approach can help reduce the load on a limited resource. Here, sustainability is not a separate aspect that needs to be incorporated into the design process but one of its inherent aspects.
How technology is redefining the architect's toolbox
One of the industries that is evolving the fastest because of the influence of technology is architecture. Technologies such as Building Information Modelling (BIM), Computational Design, Digital Fabrication, Environmental Simulation, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Augmented Reality (AR), Virtual Reality (VR), and Extended Reality (XR) are transforming the process of design.Technology learning should not consist only of the creation of drawings and presentations. Students should be encouraged to apply technologies as part of the process of analysis, evaluation of situations, testing alternatives, visualisation of outcomes, and assessment of design decisions. Moreover, emerging technologies allow students to explore various design solutions in greater detail and discover their advantages and limitations. Thus, they can be used to develop new ideas and examine them critically.
Learning technologies should also be accompanied by an understanding of the profession itself. Seminars, workshops, talks with professionals, and lectures by people from the industry can help students become aware of contemporary practices, changes in design processes, and challenges in the profession. And, in general, the fundamental question is what we should use technology for. While technology could help in speeding up the process and even giving suggestions based on data analysis, technology cannot replace empathy, context, creativity and accountability.
Education through the real world
Architectural education cannot happen within the four walls of a classroom. Seminars, lectures, and workshops can provide students with an insight into contemporary topics such as climate-responsive architecture, sustainable materials, circular economy, adaptive reuse, artificial intelligence, mobility, and dynamic urban scenarios from practising architects and specialists.This is especially important for contemporary architectural problems that usually are not singular in nature. Issues like water shortages have connections to planning. Construction waste has connections to material selection. Mobility has connections to the urban form. Climate resilience has connections to both buildings and communities. Workshops offer students a chance to go from discussing the problems to solving them.
From briefs in academic studios to real-world issues
Professional exposure is yet another crucial aspect of architecture education. Internships, industry exposure and placements provide students with an opportunity to realise how projects work outside academic studios. Deadlines, coordination, client expectations, technical restrictions and teamwork are among the issues that students will face at work.Professional juries add another element to this process. Feedback provided by practising architects and other professionals pushes students to challenge their own assumptions and analyse their projects from a point of view that is not purely academic. Engagement with real clients and real-world problems adds even more relevance to this connection between education and practice. Working with real briefs and real timelines makes students realise that good architecture does not consist of a good idea alone but also research, negotiations, collaboration, communication and responsibility for this idea.
Architecture and social responsibility
The key message that architectural education should provide might be the realisation that architects' responsibilities do not finish when the drawings are done. The built environment shapes the daily routine of people. The way people get around, communicate, and interact with other people and their surroundings is influenced by the built environment.That is why the architects' responsibility includes not only the creation of the building itself, but its impact on society and the environment. Social and environmental projects can help students understand this responsibility. Waste-collection actions, for instance, allow students to recognise that the problem exists and cannot simply be shifted onto somebody else. This way, the student learns about the profession from another side. The architect becomes not only a creator of the building, but the keeper of the environment.
Architecture professionals for an uncertain future
Architects of tomorrow will need to be individuals who are creative, but also analytical, technology-aware but environmentally responsible, and technical but socially aware. These are the attributes that architects of tomorrow will require. As such, architectural education must equip future architects with these capabilities through a focus on sustainable human habitat, environment, technology, interdisciplinary interactions, professional interactions, and practicality.It is not about predicting the future of architecture ten, twenty or thirty years ahead. The idea is to provide students with the capacity to adapt, question, learn, and respond to changes. This is because the biggest challenge in architecture in this day and age is not just about the construction of buildings. It is rather the construction of better habitats by employing fewer resources and less waste, and ensuring improved human conditions. It is upon the shoulders of the architects currently enrolled in today’s educational institutions that this burden rests.
It means their education cannot only involve drawing and model-making. Instead, they should understand the world in which they are creating designs and realise that each building is part of the bigger picture of human habitat. This is where the future of architecture education lies. And this is the responsibility that institutions of architectural education are preparing their students to undertake.
