Creating an Academic Community of Inquiry: Educating Architects to Embrace a People-Centered View

It can be argued that pedagogy which privileges technology now dominates university-level architecture curriculum and culture. The result of this latest phase of determinism accelerates the distancing of the design process from both the people it is intended to serve and the natural and built environment that architecture should relate to, as it has in the increasingly distant past. However, not all practitioners or educators support this trend. A contrarian view has recently gained momentum, and this paper addresses the re-emergence of a people-centered agenda in the form of public interest architecture. Ideas explored here pay special attention to developing a culture of ‘community of inquiry’ within architectural pedagogy, one that thoroughly incorporates social issues and more accurately reflects the collaborative nature of contemporary architectural practice. First, the paper establishes an understanding of the concept of a community of inquiry, and its relationship to architectural pedagogy. It then illustrates that an academic community of inquiry naturally fosters multidimensional thinking and supports the development of empathy and high ‘other-focus,’ which is the ability to concentrate on the interest and well-being of others. Finally, it considers two effective professional models of communities of inquiry in public interest architecture: MASS Design Group and Kéré Architecture. The paper ultimately argues that a new educational model is needed which mediates Positivism and embraces people, advancing sensitive design solutions which deeply engage local social, economic and ecological issues.

https://doi.org/10.35483/ACSA.AM.106.41

Volume Editors
Amir Ameri & Rebecca O'Neal Dagg

ISBN
978-1-944214-15-9