Abstract:
When a “teacher” and a “student” collaborate on a project without being preconditioned by any apriori definition of their respective roles, the relationship of initiative and power that is revealed in the master/pupil intercourse may well be inverted. The same is true of collaborations between professional “experts” and “the public”, the latter often outperforming the former, not only because members of the public often have a more intimate understanding of local conditions but also because they may, quite simply, be smarter and more qualified to take decisions. The global setting requires us to question and redefine critical thresholds, especially those distinguishing pedagogy, research, and practice. This collection of essays – with an introduction by noted architectural theorist Colin Fournier – is structured around three alternative architectural education themes: Interdisciplinary and Collaborative Projects, Live and Interactive Projects, and Situated and Community Projects. The conclusions that emerge identify trends that can be considered to be early symptoms of the positive changes that are taking place within academe, at many different levels, with respect to design education. Taken together, they clearly lead to an understanding that the design world is in a process of mutation, with greater emphasis being put on collaborative practices, including multidisciplinary collaborations and live projects, but also on the greater impact that new generations of digital computing and manufacturing tools are now having on designers.
