The Future of Architectural Education

The future is currently the most uncertain thing to think about. But present is not easy to understand either: what is going on right now has become a matter of experts, no common sense stuff. Education is not an exception, and architectural education even more.

The best idea to get a glimpse of how future architects will be taught is to ask the experts. The link takes to 5 very short essays by educational experts (click on them and they will open) that predict future architectural education.

The point of view of this blog is that, in the near future, architects will become aware of the fact that they have been self-teaching themselves for more than a century now, so they will have the opportunity of starting doing it better, much better. This is the reflexive (r)evolution ahead in pedagogical terms, not only in architecture but especially in it.

Dean's Opinions

The variety of opinions of the deans of the schools of architecture invited in Segovia demonstrate that education is at a difficult crossroads. I wished someone had talked about learning and not just education.

Architectural Education Summit

At IE University in Segovia is taking place an important conference on architectural education.

Organized by UCLA, all the deans are talking about the education of architecture. Will schools of architecture be able to rectify a situation they contributed to create? I doubt it.

Architectural Pedagogy Conference

Next week there is going to take place at Princeton this conference. It seems that architecture is so self-satisfied with its success in the era of money bubbles that ignores its responsibilities in what is happening.

A great contribution to overcome current crisis from the architectural world could be improving its pedagogy and therefor traditional teaching. What a pity.

Consumerism and Architectural Pedagogy

Image from deviantART

To check how hyper-capitalism influenced architectural education in the UK in the middle of 20th century is a good idea, now that globalization is going to push even harder in that direction.

Personality, consumption and architectural pedagogy in the UK, 1958–1968

Alise Upitis (2008).

Architectural Research Quarterly, Volume 12,
Issue 3-4, December 2008 pp 325-335

http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayAbstract?aid=4399504

Open City International Summer School

In the birth town of Giorgio Armani, there is going to take place the Open City International Summer School of the Politecnico di Milano.

During three weeks, 6-23 September, this design workshop will gather together people from all over the world to work on public space, a specially important theme in the era of globalization. It will be a good occasion to test the validity of our five years old proposal of the Welfare Space.

PhD in Architectural Design

Talking about architectural design is a big challenge. To do it in Milan, at the Politecnico, it's a privilege.

Market and Con-temporary Art

This interesting book on "the curious economics of contemporary art" has just been published in Spanish. Written by an economist, professor Donald Thompson, is a good example of the theoretical benefits of joining art and economy.

As it always happens when aesthetic matters are involved, there are several ways of considering the central theme of the book: one, the amazing and crazy market of contemporary art. Another, market itself tends to be criticized when considered in art's world.

As every version of it art market has been de-regulated in the last two decades. One of the main expressions of this is the almost total disappearance of art criticism: except Robert Hudges, who considers brand-art pieces as "simple minded" works addressed to "business big-shots", art critics have been replaced by docile journalists that produce the "blither and rubbish" necessary for the "fatuity of art-world greed" (Hudges).

In architectural realm the situation is even worse, I am affraid: no respected critic has had the courage of denouncing brand-architecture and, which is more harmful in the long run, this whole situation has already contaminated architectural education. Today students of some of the best architecture schools in USA do not know who are Arnee Jacobsen, Utzon or Niemeyer, but they are saturated by con-temporay brand-architecture (temporary meaning that it is not going to last in time). The problem is that painting or sculpture can be hidden in a wardrobe, but architecture always involves public space and/or public money.

Do not miss the video with Hudges's critique on Hirst's work and the business of art:

Reforming Architectural Education

Let us suppose it is true that Western culture is in a conclusive crisis: would not the best educational institutions in USA and Europe have certain responsabilities in all this? The curriculum of the best architecctural schools are going to change very soon. Where to? How? The article New Blueprint for Architecture in Inside Higher Education gives hints.

Eugenia López Reus Lecture at Cornell

Cornell University has a program in Rome since 20 years ago (the same length of time LIPAU was on in Bergamo before becoming Dr.PAU). In that program Eugenia is going to give a lecture on the role of memory in architectural design. It is going to be in November.

Poetry and Politics in the Architecture of John Hejduk

Social Center Trisca

Towers in Gaigás

John Hejduk believed in the poetics of architecture. However, when his buildings are more architectonic is when they are simply buildings and not built statements. An example of this difference are the two buildings in Spain by him (thanks again, Clara): one is a built poem; the other a beautiful and useful building. Both are authentic jewels and both are in Santiago de Compostela. It is good, anyway, to read, watch and listen to his poetry first hand, and to contemplate his paintings-designs too.

Above all, Hejduk was a passionate professor of architecture:

" I believe in the social contract therefore I teach. I believe that the University is one of the last places that protects and preserves freedom, therefore teaching is also a socio/political act, among other things. I believe in books and the written word, therefore I fabricate works with the hope that they will be recorded in books. I am pragmatic and believe in keeping records. I believe to record is to bear witness. The book I wrote, Victims is to bear witness and to remember. I believe in the density of the sparse. I believe in place and the spirit of place."

John Hejduk

Reflexive Architecture Laboratory (RAL), Laboratorio de Arquitectura Reflexiva (LAR)

Reflexive Architecture Laboratory (RAL), a paper related to the design studios of professors Miguel Jaime and Eugenia Lopez Reus, is going to be presented at an international congress sponsored by the Spanish Universities of Vigo, Santiago de Compostela and A Coruña. The I Congress of University Teaching is going to take place from the 2^nd to the 4^th of June in the beautiful city of Vigo, and it will gather together experts from various countries that are trying to build the European Space for Higher Education.

The RAL combines the reflexive theory of architectural creative process (JAIME, 2000), the importance of context in innovation (LOPEZ REUS, 2002) and modern pedagogical techniques that improve creativity, commitment and excellence.

The RAL has been assessed by the Quality Agency of Castilla León (2005-2008), Benchmarking meetings (2008), and, which is more important for the reflexive philosophy of the RAL, has been highly appreciated by the users of the laboratory, the students, in the surveys (2005-2009). The Universidad Pontificia de Salamanca is about to publish the paper “Las sesiones ECCC en el LAR”, one of the pedagogical techniques of the RAL.