Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue seeks to delve into innovative approaches that advocate radical inclusivity and foster a collaborative atmosphere in architectural practice and education. The focus lies on interdisciplinary and cross-disciplinary collaboration, with the aim of developing pedagogical strategies and methodological frameworks that encourage equal participation and facilitate collaboration in design processes. We welcome contributions that address various topics related to architectural education and collaborative efforts.

Topics of interest for this Special Issue include, but are not limited to, the following: The concept of inclusivity in architectural education and its implications for teaching and learning practices The role of co-production in shaping design and architectural pedagogy, with a focus on collaborative, design practice and learning environments.

The development and application of collaborative methodological frameworks in architectural practice and education that are aimed at enhancing interdisciplinary communication and teamwork. The integration of digital mapping and augmented reality technologies into research led architectural practice and education, and their potential to revolutionize design practices in multiple scales ranging from innovative material design to critical urban thinking.

The exploration of urban community development and digital mapping in architectural education, investigating the relationship between spatial design and social responsiveness. Incorporating design computation and fabrication techniques into architectural education and practice in order emphasise the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration and technological fluency for future architects.

By assembling diverse perspectives and research, this Special Issue aims to contribute to the ongoing discourse on inclusivity and collaborative architectural practice and education, ultimately paving the way for more effective, equitable, and innovative approaches in the field.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

You may choose our Joint Special Issue in Architecture.

Dr. Asma Mehan
Dr. Sina Mostafavi
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Trends in Higher Education is an international peer-reviewed open access quarterly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1000 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

interdisciplinary design practices
architectural education
radical inclusivity
interdisciplinary collaboration
co-production
pedagogical strategies
digital mapping
augmented reality
urban community development
design computation
fabrication techniques
collaborative learning environments
spatial design
social responsiveness
technological fluency
AI in architecture and built environment
AR/VR mapping
gamification

Published Papers (2 papers)

Download All Papers

Research

Jump to: Review

12 pages, 6238 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A Critical Reflection on the Impact of Virtual Design Studio on Curriculum Development and Studio Culture in First-Year Architecture Studies

by Jasna Mariotti and Chantelle Niblock

Trends High. Educ. 2023, 2(4), 599-610; https://doi.org/10.3390/higheredu2040036 - 23 Nov 2023

Viewed by 747

Abstract

In the past few years, higher education across the world transitioned to different online platforms where virtual classrooms were set, following national guidelines during the COVID-19 pandemic. This paper analyses qualitative data from first-year students in architecture from a higher education institution in the UK and draws on lecturers’ reflective observations of teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic. The findings of this research provide some critical considerations for the long-term impact of the virtual design studio on architectural design pedagogy and teaching methods in first-year studies. This research found that technology integration enabled innovative design methods, improved digital literacy, and enhanced collaboration in first-year architectural education. While online learning met learning objectives, it posed challenges like social isolation and motivation issues. The study underscores the importance of investigating virtual design studios and technology integration in early architectural education, offering opportunities for curriculum development and future research. These findings have broad relevance for educators teaching first-year architecture students globally. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Interdisciplinary and Multi-Scalar Design and Research Models in Architectural Practice and Education)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

Review

Jump to: Research

24 pages, 1753 KiB

Open AccessReview

McLuhan’s Tetrad as a Tool to Interpret the Impact of Online Studio Education on Design Studio Pedagogy

by Mehmet Sarper Takkeci and Arzu Erdem

Trends High. Educ. 2024, 3(2), 273-296; https://doi.org/10.3390/higheredu3020017 - 22 Apr 2024

Viewed by 341

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a surge in online studio education, which has presented a significant challenge to traditional design studio teaching methods that rely on face-to-face interactions between instructors and students. It is contended that online studio education enhances the accessibility of design studio pedagogy, making it possible for students to learn from anywhere in the world. However, it also challenges the development of tactile skills, which are crucial in design education. Additionally, online studio education can render certain aspects of traditional design studio pedagogy obsolete, while bringing back elements of design history and theory that may have been overlooked in traditional studio teaching. It can also be argued that online studio education has the potential to reverse the traditional power dynamics between instructors and students, resulting in more democratic and collaborative forms of learning that can empower students. As the literature on the effects of online studio education is growing, there is a need to understand how the shift from the material space and its affordances to an online environment affects the core components of an architectural design studio. To understand the effects of this new medium, this research employed Marshall McLuhan’s tetradic approach, a hermeneutic tool to perform a critical interpretation of any medium by examining four simultaneous effects: how it enhances a human sense, what it makes obsolete, what forgotten aspect it retrieves, and how it flips into its opposite at its extremes. A literature review was conducted to analyze the effects of online studios from a tetradic framework and identify the major discussions of the impact of online studio education. The methodology involves a two-part literature review. This study specifically focused on peer-reviewed, empirical research published after 2020, and the authors used search terms related to online architectural studios during the pandemic. The process identified 176 records of peer-reviewed empirical studies for further analysis and 20 papers were read and included in the review, defining repeating topics/themes and organized under four categories pertaining to the founding archetypes of an architectural design studio: (a) setting and communication, (b) actors, (c) outputs, and (d) dynamics. This process was followed by organizing the findings and interpreting them within the tetradic framework to develop a comprehensive understanding of the consequences of the online design studio. Overall, this research aims to provide a detailed and nuanced analysis of the impact of online studio education on design studio pedagogy, conceptualizing McLuhan’s tetrad as a basis for the analysis, and therefore aiming to enrich our understanding of the post-COVID-19 era of learning architecture by examining the dramatic change in the medium and its effects. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Interdisciplinary and Multi-Scalar Design and Research Models in Architectural Practice and Education)

► Show Figures