Education As Prototype: On a Combined Architecture-Engineering Design Tutorial

Abstract

This article uses expert interviews to support the need for architecture-engineering collaborations in undergraduate education and uses teaching practice reflection to evaluate an example of such a collaboration at work. We establish the state of such collaborations in professional practice and use that as context to consider the design of an undergraduate architecture-engineering collaborative tutorial. We find that while the experiential, project-based educational model employed can mimic key aspects of professional practice, there are limitations to what can be delivered in a one-term experience. Key to understanding those limitations and decisions are the two diagrams provided in the article, which visualize the tutorial and the courses it is attached to as interrelated learning environments. We find that such a tutorial—in addition to delivering core content knowledge to students in each discipline—should create an environment in which students can develop key interdisciplinary skills and abilities, especially as regards communication, teamwork and interpersonal relations. We also reflect on the key design decisions behind the current iteration of the tutorial and identify future considerations for both the tutorial and this research project, of which this article is intended to be the initial stage.