The Impact of Furniture Arrangement upon Experiential Learning in Architectural Design Studios, with Reference to Cairo, Egypt

Abstract

Architectural education is one of the most special and complex disciplines that need specific spatial requirements. Architectural design studio is the backbone of architectural education for that the setting of the studio affects the students' productivity; it should suit the learning process and activities to help the students. Yet, many studios follow the traditional grid setting. The experiential learning cycle developed by Kolb is known to be an effective educational strategy in architecture and consists of four stages which are concrete experience, reflective observation, abstract conceptualization, and active experimentation that balance input and output data through learning activities. In order to fully acquire the requirements of the experiential learning cycle, there are spatial requirements that should be taken into consideration, one of which a seating arrangement is a common factor that can balance the tangible and non-tangible factors. The aim of the study is to test the impact of the four seating arrangements on Kolb's learning activities to figure out the most appropriate arrangement for each activity to realize the highest levels of productivity in the studio. The study was carried out at four universities in Cairo, Egypt (two private-two public). An online survey was completed by 322 participants from 3rd, 4th, and 5th year undergraduate students and staff members. The results were analyzed quantitatively using SPSS software. They suggest that the seating arrangement can be easily changed to suit the users' needs that a centralized/u-shaped arrangement is best for eight activities. The radial arrangement was best for four activities, while clustered arrangement was best for two activities, and a grid arrangement was best for four activities. There are some limitations of this study, as the study was done with the existing physical factors: if there was the possibility to change some of the physical factors, it may have affected some of the results according to the participants' preferences. It is hoped that the findings of the study may help architecture educators and administrators take more appropriate decisions regarding the seating arrangement in architectural design studios, in relation to different learning activities towards realizing more desirable outcomes.