Arabic

Dr. Mohamed Gamal Abdelmonem

Queens University Belfast, U.K

Challenging Boundaries:

Education, Innovation and New Trends in Architecture and Urbanism

This paper investigates the opportunities of innovation and creativity in architectural studio which is sought to impact the profession of architecture and urbanism on the long term. It draws on experimental work done at Sheffield School of architecture between 2007-2009, The experiment has moved the students from their positions as passive learners (receivers of knowledge) into being active enquiry learners (producers of knowledge) who contribute to their knowledge and experiences during their design projects.

At the core of this investigation is the understanding that architectural students are active members of a larger socio-cultural context with rich experiences they could bring to their educational environments, rather than building knowledge based on taught materials. The initial hypothesis suggested that the cultural experiences of students could positively contribute to the initial investigation of design research. The teaching tools tested in this investigation suggest the development of students’ activities gradually from passive to active learner situation. The cyclical development of interactive learning strategy is explored through two different settings; the first and second years.

The student’s work on two particular projects is analyzed with the interviews with their tutors. Students provided a wider range of source materials, examples across the globe and their designs transcended the traditional boundaries between architecture and urbanism. Students, inspired by their own experiences of the built environment and urban lifestyle, brought wider issues to the studio including sustainability, sustainable materials, social responsibility, and psychology. Those issues have influenced their designs and the diversity of their end-product. This paper provides an in-depth analysis of the potential development of architecture as a practice through the implementation of interactive learning strategy at early years of architectural education.