How does teaching architectural history meld into design education? A quick studio

Abstract

This study aims to reveal a design case in architectural education so that the gap between theory and practice can be reduced. For this purpose, an architectural history course and working in an architectural studio were chosen as the fundamental courses which constitute experimental area of the study. The inquiry orientation of this experimental practice is the discussion of the contributions and consequences of different perceptual methods to the teaching/learning level, as well as the provision of a variety of practices for direct learning. The method chosen was to adapt the architectural history course, which is generally based on theoretical narrative and supported by visual stimuli, for use in the architectural studio. For this purpose, the concept of style, borrowed from the architectural history course, has been turned into a useful design resource. Styles are described with the use of keywords in terms of their formal, structural, and conceptual features, and these features have been used as a design resource in the design of a new facade. Depending on the cognitive activity of each student, the study and interpretation of style have changed, which has led to differentiation in terms of design behaviors. Although such a study can impose some restrictions in terms of creative behaviors and morphological approaches, they can be eliminated by the exercise of the designer’s cognitive ability. In addition, such a method has created a new experimental field involving the integration of theory and practice in architectural education by melding an architectural history course into architectural studio activities.