Undergraduate Architecture Students Research Articles

On the Application of Digitized Virtual Reality Technology in the Teaching of Landscape Architecture Design

Landscape garden design is an important design foundation course for undergraduate students of landscape architecture in China, but the current classroom teaching has the problem of limited spatial dimension of the course. This paper proposes a virtual scene model construction method through the computer software with the creation of the need to display the scene. This virtual reality technology has immersive, interactive, and risqué characteristics. This paper focuses on the key points of virtual reality technology, discusses the specific implementation method of virtual reality technology in the “landscape garden design” course, and introduces the interactive control principle. The results of the research show that virtual reality technology to assist teaching can cultivate students' spatial thinking and enhance students' spatial simulation experience, greatly reducing the cost of traditional teaching.

Prevalence of musculoskeletal pain among architecture undergraduates students: A cross-sectional study.

Architecture students maintain uncomfortable body postures for hours while designing and constructing project models, putting them at high risk of developing musculoskeletal pain (MSP). This research aimed to determine the prevalence of MSP among students at the Architecture and Planning College at King Saud University, Saudi Arabia. This descriptive cross-sectional survey study used a self-administered online questionnaire. A total of 123 students (65 female) aged 19-25 years participated. The survey consisted of eight demographic and health status questions and the Extended Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire (NMQ-E). The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics; Mann-Whitney U and chi-square tests were used to compare genders at α= .05. Approximately 94.3% of architecture students reported pain in at least one body region in the last 12 months, and 87.0% in the last seven days. The highest reported percentage of MSP was neck pain, followed by lower back pain. No differences in MSP were found between genders, except in elbow and hand pain for the last 12 months and elbow pain for the last seven days. There was a high prevalence of MSP among undergraduate architecture students, highlighting the need to prevent occupational health issues at an early stage.

Exploring the Affordable Housing Solutions for the Resettlement Projects of Padma Bridge

The construction of Padma Bridge in Bangladesh has necessitated the resettlement of displaced residents, highlighting the need for affordable and sustainable housing solutions aligned with Sustainable Development Goals 9 (Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure), 10 (Reduce inequality), and 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities). This study aims to engage undergraduate architecture students in a design studio exercise to develop innovative housing models for resettlement projects, addressing displaced communities' social, economic, and environmental challenges. A multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) framework is introduced, integrating stakeholder data. In the design studio, students explore housing alternatives and concentrate on community-driven cooperative housing, assessing their effectiveness, feasibility, and sustainability using the MCDA framework. The exercise produces a range of housing solutions that balance affordability, sustainability, and community-centric design. Students demonstrate the potential of novel approaches to address the complex challenges displaced communities face and contribute to equitable development in Bangladesh. Engaging architecture students in developing affordable housing solutions provides valuable insights for policymakers and stakeholders in resettlement. The study emphasizes the need for holistic, participatory approaches and highlights the role of innovative, sustainable housing models in enhancing the quality of life for those affected by the Padma Bridge project, aligning with the SDGs.

Student-Centred Studio Environments: A Deep Dive into Architecture Students’ Needs

Architectural education has long placed a strong emphasis on the studio, which serves as a crucial place for teaching and learning. The architecture studio is a dynamic and lively place where students can engage in design discussions, exchange ideas, and receive feedback from instructors and peers. Despite recognising the vital role architecture studios play in shaping the learning experience of architecture students, limited research has explored which specific attributes of the studio environment are most important to students. This research aims to address this gap by determining the priorities of architecture students regarding key studio attributes. The research employs a quantitative approach using the Best-Worst Scaling (BWS) model and a questionnaire survey. A pilot study was conducted with undergraduate architecture students. The results reveal the ranking and relative importance of key studio attributes, organised into five categories: Physiological Facilities, Information and Communications Technology, Indoor Environment Quality, Territoriality, Furniture, and Reference. This research provides a valuable reference for designing student-centred studio environments and demonstrates the viability of using the BWS method to determine students’ priorities for studio attributes.

Decolonising the design curriculum: making “sustainability” accessible, understandable and practicable to second-year undergraduate architecture students

PurposeThis paper describes the curriculum design of an architectural studio course aimed at making concepts of sustainability accessible, understandable and practicable to second-year undergraduate students. Architectural education and design pedagogy is shaped and interrogated in the Global North or Western Europe and North America and influences various pedagogical approaches in the Global South. By including exemplars, voices and practices from global, historical, vernacular and contemporary contexts, understanding of sustainability is enriched.Design/methodology/approachThe approach to course design included decolonising the curriculum and making it relevant for globally diverse future professionals. The studio theme of “memory and history” was framed as responsiveness to context and experiencing the site. Students were required to define place, and articulate form and space with sensitivity towards social, cultural, environmental and ecological aspects. The lectures, exercises and interactive activities emphasised design process, in-progress work, and experimentation through sketching, diagramming, drawing, and making study models which scaffolded student learning under the guidance of tutors.FindingsThe findings show that to make the process of learning to design in an environmentally responsive manner explicit for students, approaches to curriculum design must have a global and inclusive curriculum, engage students in experiential learning through doing/making to develop critical thinking skills, encourage students to synthesise and transfer learning to and from other settings and contexts, and interpret knowledge-power relationships and co-construction processes embedded in studio-based teaching and learning.Originality/valueThe original contribution of the course is that it creates an inclusive, experimental and decolonised space for co-construction of knowledge about designing sustainable environments.

A Case Study on Experiential Learning in Architecture: Accessible, Climate-Responsive, and Flexible House Designs

: Architectural education is based on acquiring theoretical and applied knowledge. As a result, experiential learning theory was frequently applied to architecture design courses. As experiential learning refers to gaining knowledge by doing, it allows the students to experience implementing the theoretical knowledge and refine their design solutions by communicating with the teachers. The present study aims to integrate experimental learning in a theoretical course named "Building Information" on housing designs for first-year undergraduate architecture students. After eight weeks of the theoretical lecture period, the students were assigned to design a house using one of the specific approaches, namely accessibility, climate responsiveness, or flexibility. The occupants of the houses were defined, and the students determined their spatial needs. After the critique sessions, the house designs were presented with drawings and analogue models as the final product. Three selected examples from each design approach were evaluated in the study. The results showed that the students gained and implemented theoretical knowledge more efficiently with the integration of experimental learning.

Concept as the Activist of Creativity in Architectural Design: Exploring Factors Affecting Concept Formation Using the Structural Equation Model

In the contemporary understanding of architectural design, the concept is essential in that it drives the creative aspect of a designer, provides design a wealth of meaning, and initiates and shapes the design process. Based on the importance of the concept in architectural design, this study aimed to examine the factors affecting the concept formation of architect candidates/architects in design education and practice. For this purpose, a pilot study in the first phase of the study tested a survey distributed to two groups of participants, namely architecture undergraduate students and practising architects in Ankara, the capital of Turkey. The data obtained from the survey were analyzed with the SPSS software and measurement tools were identified and then, weights of the factors were determined using the Structural Equation Model (SEM). According to the analysis results, the factors affecting concept formation in architectural design are the design problem, context, designer-induced values, and user-induced values according to their weighted importance. One of the main reasons the design problem and context are pioneers in determining concept is that these factors hold a strong place in the traditions and teachings of design education. In addition, depending on the way architecture students and practicing architects experience the profession, their attitudes towards creating concepts in their designs may vary.

Radical practices, radical pedagogies: intercultural explorations in language and meaning

This article reflects on the visual, spatial, and textual devices deployed by the Architettura Radicale in the 1960s and 1970s through a discussion of a pedagogical project developed for undergraduate architecture students from Monash University, Australia, as part of a travelling intensive based in Prato, Italy. At the time, Prato became the subject of debate about the rapid expansion of consumer culture in Italy, as underscored in Claudio Greppi’s graduating project, ‘Territorial City-Factory’ (1964-5). This architectural proposal rendered the area between Prato and Florence as a totalising city-factory, a proposition that was later developed under Archizoom as ‘No-Stop City’ (1968-70). Greppi’s recasting of Prato as a site for political and architectural experimentation became the catalyst for a teaching-led research project, re-examining the work of the Radical movement in Tuscany. In collaboration with architect and artist Gianni Pettena, the intensive sought to draw out the performative and embodied approaches implicit in his own work and that of his peers including UFO and 9999, as well as the rhetorical devices embedded within the critical fictions of Superstudio and Archizoom. By first dissecting and then redeploying these techniques in response to a site-specific brief, the ultimate pedagogical aim was to expose the students to an expanded range of architectural approaches and to re-evaluate the nature of radical practices ‘within and against’ the omnipresent struggles of late capitalism, and the contemporary cultural and educational context of neoliberalism and the university.

‘Arkeolojik Alanda Mimarın Rolü’: Uygulamalı bir Eğitim Modeli

The architect working in the historical environment is expected to have some basic knowledge, regardless of the specific purpose of their work, whether it is the design of a protection roof to be built for more effective preservation of archaeological data, the documentation of new architectural data revealed by excavations, or the planning of an anastylosis application to be carried out in the area. First of all, the architect; must be able to perceive, understand and evaluate the historical structure and environment. It is observed that the provision of this knowledge in architectural education and the training of architects for the archaeological site is lacking. In this study, in archaeological field research that requires the contribution of many different disciplines; a practical training model proposed for the education of architects and architect candidates who will take responsibility in studies related to the identification, documentation and evaluation of immovable cultural heritage is discussed. A series of summer schools were organized in selected sites with undergraduate architecture students during the active season of archaeological excavations in order to create an education model for this and to enable this topic to be able to take its place in architectural education as a credit course in the future. The difficulties in archaeological sites and the multidisciplinary nature of the excavation teams were observed in the summer schools, and it was emphasized that the architect could take on many other roles besides documentation. During the training, traditional measurement techniques were taught and applied, and introductions to digital methods were given. In this study, considering the possible steps to be taken in the future, the theoretical framework and practical applications of these summer schools held directly at the archaeological site, the observations made, and the evaluations of the feedback of the participants are handled.

Undergraduate Student Performance in a Structural Analysis Course: Continuous Assessment before and after the COVID-19 Outbreak

The COVID-19 pandemic situation in 2020 forced educational institutions worldwide to fully adopt online learning for both teaching and assessment. However, this change may lead to less satisfactory learning outcomes, if the online technologies used have not been adequately applied. This study compares student engagement and performance through online continuous assessment in a one-semester structural analysis course for undergraduate architecture students before and after the pandemic outbreak. Online continuous assessment assignments had already been deployed and validated in the course evaluation system before the outbreak, and they were further leveraged during the online course. These assignments consisted of three weekly Moodle questionnaires throughout each of the fifteen course weeks, which determined the continuous assessment score. More than 200 students participated in each period. The results showed that shifting to online education affected continuous assessment outcomes very little in terms of participation rates and student performance. The possible underlying causes for the slight differences found between the two academic years are also discussed. The results highlight the robustness of the continuous assessment method used and emphasize the importance of having developed and validated online learning procedures to broach learning activities if contingency situations are required.

Impact of Interactivity and Active Collaborative Learning on Students’ Critical Thinking in Higher Education

In academia, critical thinking involves obtaining reliable information and taking reasoned actions to solve problems. To explore critical thinking skills among undergraduate students, we performed an empirical study of data collected from undergraduate Architecture and Civil Engineering students attending a leading private university in Mexico. The data collection instrument was a Google Forms questionnaire applied online through the university learning management platform, Canvas, using convenience sampling. We received 273 useable responses out of 281 distributed. A hierarchical regression technique was applied to explore the correlation of (1) interactivity and (2) active collaborative learning with the critical thinking of undergraduate students. We found that scholarships and the enrollment status of students significantly influence critical thinking. Our analyzed results additionally suggest that interactivity and active collaborative learning positively influence critical thinking. This study also confirms that a social-media-based learning environment is essential to enhance students’ soft skills.

Challenges in the Use and Understanding of English Technical Jargon Among Malay Architecture Undergraduates in Malaysia

The ability to use and especially understand technical language is crucial to increase one’s understanding and command over the field, especially in the current era where graduates are expected to become adept not only in technical skills, but also in communication skills to adjust to rapid changes in the industry. However, little studies have been conducted on the challenges faced especially by architecture students in understanding English technical jargon in their field, even though past research has highlighted this issue in the local context before. Hence, a quantitative study was conducted to explore the level of understanding, use and challenges faced by tertiary architectural students pertaining architectural jargon in their study. A questionnaire adapted from sources of past literature was used to answer the research questions. Data was collected from 117 architectural students throughout Malaysia and analysed to produce descriptive findings of the results. Interestingly, the results showed that the students tended to understand technical jargon, however, the challenges they faced were in knowing how to use the terms correctly, which points to issues not in receptivity, but in production. Giving examples, explaining the correct ways to use the terms and providing opportunities for them to continuously use the terms were among the suggestions that the students gave to further improve the teaching of technical classes in university. Thus, the findings provide a good basis for universities and lecturers especially to further improve the language ability, especially in technical jargon usage, among undergraduate architecture students in Malaysia.

Introducing BIM in Outcome Based Curriculum in undergraduate program of architecture : Based on students perception and lecture-lab combination

The purpose of this research is to draw the necessity of Building information Modeling (BIM) technology for the undergraduate students of Architecture in Bangladesh and how and when it should be introduced in the undergraduate program according to Outcome Based Curriculum (OBC). In order to achieve this, a test was carried out among the students of the department of architecture, Stamford University Bangladesh. Finally, this research shows the importance of incorporating BIM technology in Computer Application courses along with traditional Computer Aided Architectural Design (CAAD) and suggests to include it in 2nd year level of undergraduate program, after the students gain their basic understanding of architectural design and drafting. The research also finds that understanding level related content should be given ample priority along with hands-on practical demonstrations.

Decoding and recoding informal settlements in a design studio: an overview of the world studio project

The world is experiencing a surge in its urban population accompanied by rapidly advancing urbanization processes. Contemporary cities are witnessing the rise of numerous urban and social problems, leading, in turn, to the emergence of informal settlements. In response, computational and parametric resources are increasingly being adopted to create innovative and effective approaches to urban planning and design. These resources can be used in informal settlements to improve urban quality without losing their essential features. This paper describes the World Studio, a teaching experience that began in 2017 and continues in the present day, in which undergraduate architecture and landscape architecture students learn how to use shape grammars and parametric tools to design for informal settlements in international contexts (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and Ahmedabad, India, to date).

E-learning adoption by undergraduate architecture students: facilitators and inhibitors

PurposeThis study identifies the facilitators and inhibitors for the adoption of e-learning for the undergraduate students of architecture. Nine constructs are identified as facilitators and five constructs are identified as inhibitors to the adoption of online learning systems in the context of the study. These constructs were used to propose a research model.Design/methodology/approach596 architecture undergraduates responded to a structured questionnaire. The questionnaire was finalized after a pilot study and included standard scale items drawn from previous studies. An exploratory factor analysis was followed by structural equation modeling (SEM) to test the proposed model.FindingsAll the identified facilitators emerged significant except social influence and price value. Furthermore, technology risk emerged insignificant while all other inhibitors had significant impact on Behavioral Intention to adopt e-learning.Research limitations/implicationsThe study has strong implications in academia as HEIs in developing countries need to make their students computer proficient, boost the implications of e-learning services by mitigating risks and motivating students to acquire knowledge through flexible e-learning modules.Originality/valueThe COVID-19 pandemic forced educational institutions to switch to online modes of learning. For students of architectural programs in a developing country like India, this has been unprecedented and has brought in a new set of challenges and opportunities. With the extension of the pandemic induced lockdown in educational institutions, students – and other stakeholders – have no choice but to adapt to this new normal of dependence on remote learning.

Pavilions in Architecture Studio—Assessment of Design-Build Approach in Architecture Education

Pavilion construction projects are an emergent paradigm in architecture education. Nevertheless, their efficiency has not yet been assessed in terms of their added contribution to learning experience and pedagogical outcomes. This paper reviews the development, challenges and learning outcomes of the ‘Element Pavilion’ projects for Year One undergraduate architecture students and offers a quantitative and qualitative assessment over their impact on learning. A systematic analysis on students’ perceived learning outcomes using psychometric evaluation is presented here for the first time. The paper introduces a hypothetical pavilion project pedagogy model (HPPP model) which can be used and developed further by architects and educators. Analysis results and the model identify four aspects that students perceive as critical factors in pavilion design-build learning experience: construction, design process, engagement and participation, and teamwork.

Undergraduate Architecture Students’ Perceptions of the Reasons for Their Choice(s) of Profession

This study aims to analyze the factors, driven by intrinsic and/or extrinsic motivations, that affect the students’ choice(s) of profession before entering the school of architecture and to reveal how the participants’ perceptions of their “self-efficacy” about becoming an architect altered in parallel to the skills they acquire during their professional education. The research, based on the qualitative research methodology, is undertaken in a Bachelor of Architecture degree program in a private university in Istanbul and the data was collected through the participation of 40 undergraduate architecture students from different class levels. The data collection procedures covered four recorded focus group interviews with students at different class levels and the interview transcriptions were analyzed through qualitative content analysis. The results regarding the reasons for studying architecture has revealed that the participants are influenced by (1) their self-perceptions, which overlap with the profession-related qualities and (2) the influence of their social environment and families. It is shown that the professional education that the participants have received has improved their design skills and supported their self-efficacy beliefs in this regard, but made them feel insufficient about technical-practical skills. The research findings have implications for the students who think to study architecture, the secondary education teachers, and the administrators and instructors of schools of architecture for various reasons: by uncovering the interrelated dynamics and requirements of the architectural profession and education, these findings may guide the attempts to choose a profession compatible with individuals’ capabilities and orientations and to structure a balanced architectural curriculum.

The Use of Human Body as a Medium in Architectural And Structural Education: "Yogarch" Program

Purpose One of the main difficulties for first year architecture students is to sort out complicated physical rules of constructional systems and reflecting those rules to their designs. These topics are also difficult to understand in built environment education (B.E.E.) designed for children. In order to simplify the learning process of these abstract topics, an experiential program is designed and explained in the scope of this paper. This paper aims to introduce the YogArch program and the outcomes of its implementation. Design/Methodology/Approach This program is based on two different disciplines, which are yoga and architecture. Therefore, it is called “YogArch”. YogArch matches specific yoga asanas (positions) with suitable architectural elements and systemic principles. This program gives the participant a chance to experience these constructional facts on his/her own body. In the scope of this paper 8 different implementations of YogArch program are examined. There are two different participant groups: children and first year undergraduate architecture students. There are totally 221 participants in these two focus groups. In the scope of this research, the outputs of the workshops are collected and analyzed, findings are generated and some suggestions are made on the future use of the program. Findings The outcomes of implemented YogArch workshops are analyzed. According to these findings, this program supports creating built environment awareness for children. For the undergraduate students, the program supported and clarified the knowledge they’ve obtained in their formal courses. Also, it is a practical method for simplifying complicated terms in the curricula. Research Limitations/Implications The YogArch program is based on practicing some yoga poses in order to create physical experience. During the implementation of the workshop schedule, some participants had difficulties due to their own lack of training, in practicing some of the poses which require reasonable amount of strength. In such cases the instructor had to support and direct the participant to practice the pose in a more suitable version and develop body awareness. Practical/Social Implications The safety of a living environment depends on the consciousness level of inhabitants and users. Providing sufficient knowledge on constructional principles of buildings for the entire society and extending built environment education have vital importance especially for the countries which are at risk about earthquakes, like Turkey. Originality/Value This study focuses on offering an experimental education model in structural and architectural design education for all ages. This paper introduces a new educational program called YogArch. The proposed model differs from previous studies, as it expands the educational methods in formal and informal architectural education.

Case Study on the Impact of Artificial Light on Lighting Performance Quality for Architecture Studios

A well-lit learning space is crucial to ensure the comfort of its occupants, especially for an architecture student who spends long hours in a studio to design, sketch, draw and build prototypes. This paper presents the results from a study conducted on the illuminance level of the architecture studios in the city campus of Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia (UTHM), Malaysia that were once laboratories. Measurements had been done using the Lux meter. Illuminance contours were generated using SigmaPlot and Dialux software for all the five rooms and compared with the requirements stipulated in the Malaysian Standard, Australia/New Zealand Standard and Illumination Engineering Society of North America (IESNA) standard for a room with similar function. A survey was also conducted among undergraduate architecture students who were using the studios daily to gauge their perception on the lighting condition and comfort level. The outcome of this study can be considered for future architecture studio lighting design to improve the students’ learning experience.

Confinement, Comfort and Health: Analysis of the Real Influence of Lockdown on University Students during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic forced the population worldwide into lockdown. The purpose of this study was to assess the impact of this measure on the health and comfort of university students and the role that the characteristics of the home may have played. It is essential to differentiate between the terms comfort and health both from the medical and architectural perspectives, as there are differences between the two concepts that are, nonetheless, shared by both disciplines. An online survey was fulfilled by 188 medicine and architecture undergraduate students at the University of Seville, Spain. In terms of health, 89% suffered neuropsychiatric disorders (56% anxiety and 49% depression), 38% gained weight and 59% reported alcohol consumption. In relation to comfort, the majority rated their home positively, comfortable in terms of room temperature and noise at night, and they had a good relationship with cohabitants. However, those who did not have a balcony or terrace would have liked to have open spaces They would have also liked to increase the size of their bedroom, where they spent most of their time and where they studied. A built-up environment gave them a sense of being imprisoned, while those who enjoyed open spaces found a sense of peace. The absence of open spaces in the house, the environment and the impossibility of making the most frequently used spaces more flexible may have had negative impacts on the health and comfort of university students during confinement.