Periodical: Arch Daily

There currently exists a disconnect between the design driven aspect of school and the true workings of an architectural office. This can be corrected by incorporating internships and office experiences into formal architecture education. By changing the formal education that architecture students currently receive, students will have a better understanding of the professional worlds and be better prepared to intelligently solve design problems.

The current formal architecture education works to “expose students to various situations and train them to cultivate and appreciate values” (Chakraborty). The current education given in the studio environment does this well. But when you stop and focus on other things such as construction, you see that these books and writings haven’t been updated anytime recently (Chakraborty). In addition, studio has become rigid and product oriented, but should rather focus on a students development. This skill of development would allow students to adapt to the ever-changing design world that we are now involved in (Design Buildings). This would allow students to work as true design thinkers and problem solvers enabling us to work towards solving local and world problems.

From my own personal experience, the formal education that I have received thus far has taught me how to be an efficient designer and to think creatively. At the internship that I had this summer, I learned many things that I had never ever heard of in school. I learned about the ever-changing state and national codes that define how we design, building spaces, and the buildings. The education that I hope to create based on these experiences “shouldn’t merely be just like being in practice; it should offer the opportunity to experiment, to push and test ideas” as a problem solver would in the design world (Hunter).

One program that could be used as a precedent is the architecture program at Drexel University. At Drexel they have the option to do a 2+4 program. This program starts out the first two years with a formal education of the design process and other fundamentals. The other four years are spent taking night classes and working full-time as an intern at local firm in Philadelphia (Drexel University). This type of education allows students to receive a meaningful formal education as well as gaining real world experience over four years. In addition to the experience, this allows students to start working or potentially completing their IDP hours so that upon graduation they can have some of their ARE exams completed and can sit for the rest of them.

We have these ideas on how to change the education we are receiving, but how do we implement all of this? As mentioned in an article by Robert Ivy for the AIA NAAB accrediting team, we are asking for new design intelligence and real world business practice at the same time. While asking for all of these changes, school budgets are being pulled in all directions, a factor that is often forgotten. I believe that universities, students, and professionals want to better the education that architecture students receive, but we will need to work together to implement any solutions.

Citations:

-Ivy, Robert. “Practicing Architecture: Take Five: Should Architecture Education Change?” AIA. September 14, 2012. <http://www.aia.org/practicing/AIAB095950>

-Drexel University. Architecture home page. Copyright 2015. <http://drexel.edu/westphal/undergraduate/ARCH/>

-Hunter, Will. “Alternative Routes for Architecture” The Architectural Review. September 28, 2012. <http://www.architectural-review.com/education/alternative-routes-for-architecture/8636207.article>

-Cramer, James P. “A Proposal to Improve Architectural Education” Design Intelligence. November 1, 2012. <http://www.di.net/articles/a-proposal-to-improve-architectural-education/>

-No Author. “The Future of Architectural Education” Designing Buildings. July 21, 2014. <http://www.designingbuildings.co.uk/wiki/The_future_of_architectural_education>

-Chakraborty, Manjari. “Designing Better Architecture Education: Global Realities and Local Reform” Copal Publishing Group. Copyright 2015. Print. Pages 120-200.

Photo and Work By: Kai Hian Ong. Diploma 13. “Geometric Plate VI-X Chaos vs Order”