A Pedagogic Approach Serving Inclusive Design

Abstract

This paper presents an architecture teaching approach intended to final year architecture students, which is based on a human-centered design perspective, while respecting environment in all its compounds. The present work claims, as a hypothesis, that to design inclusive projects, it is worthy to develop in future architects’ capacity to analyze and reconcile both environment requirements and users’ needs as well. The large array of environment key elements and the complexity of users’ global apprehension, make it crucial for the future architects and urban planners to control the appropriate set of analysis methodologies and put to contribution the most efficient design tools. The pedagogical approach we deal with in this article, educates students in empathy, listening, and developing an open-mindedness that according to this study, allows them design better inclusive spaces. I am adopting such a vision for several years now, and I am experimenting pedagogical strategies and tools accordingly, either within the final year Architectural Design Studio I share with other colleagues, or during the Seminar I offer to the same audience. In trying to subscribe to a perspective of action research and reflexivity, I chose to present in this paper the analysis of four architectural dissertations addressing inclusive design concerns. This analysis aims to fathom how experienced analysis tools, such as SWOT grid, urban transect and qualitative social survey, as well as design tools, such as sequential approach of space, functional analysis and value creation tools, may help final year architecture students better analyze and design inclusive projects.