The Ideal Archi School

This project was inspired by The Challenge Academy.

The architecture school was born in the middle of the nineteenth century, aiming to provide institutional education for all future architects and engineers. The most successful example of a school was L’Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris, which evolved into the most renowned such institution training thousands of students from all around the world, being one of the driving forces behind the development of then-modern architecture. Although successful in theory, it failed to promote alternative ways of thinking, guiding its students on already-explored paths, such as the rebirth and the reinterpretation of the classical style. Almost three centuries later, we find ourselves virtually in the same situation of looking back to what has already been done by the bright minds of the past. We are learning about architecture in the same manner as students did in the Beaux-Arts times, or in even worse ways. Fundamental learning techniques which were and could still be highly beneficial have now become extinct from schools, such as the architectural contest, or the Grand Tour of architectural masterpieces, while outdated practices are still popular. The same old classroom layouts, the same subjects, the same ways of interaction with a project. Seems like we are far behind the contemporary world that provides us with endless possibilities that emerge from both the rapid progress of technology and from our ever-evolving human nature.

The nineteenth-century schools offered Grand Tours for their students, meaning that direct interaction with the object of study was used as a learning technique. Nowadays, we have even more means of making that possible, means that don’t even involve actual traveling: virtual reality. VR can truly bring numerous advantages to architectural education, not only by enabling students to see the historical edifices they study from different perspectives (both from the outside and from the inside), but also by transcending the limits of interaction with their own projects. How can we better understand the spaces we create than by being able to virtually explore them? Moreover, the architectural ways of representation could also be upgraded. The lifeless technical drawings can be brought to life, creativity taking on new levels and bringing the project even closer to reality. The architect-client or student-professor relationship could be greatly improved if VR was used for better visualization of ideas. New ways of teaching could be born, in which the professor meets the student in a virtual space and they are both able to play with volumes, shapes, colors in order to convey their ideas as close to what they look like inside their minds. However, we are still human and virtual reality cannot replace our environment completely. Therefore, it should be used wisely and for a limited time in a day, focusing on spending the rest of the time trying out other effective and interesting learning methods that are humane and physical. Technology should be used responsibly and it has to augment our human lives, not destroy them.

The theoretical part plays a huge role in the development of future architects as well. Architecture is a highly interdisciplinary career, meaning that it requires training in an interdisciplinary environment. For instance, the collaboration between students from different faculties may spark imagination and lead to interesting and innovative ideas, projects and results. Moreover, architecture students should be encouraged to take some courses from other universities as well (closely related to architecture, or not), in order for them to be able to get a sense of what they enjoy most and build a suitable career path for themselves. Exploration is key in this case, which is exactly the reason why collaborating with students and professors from diverse fields could prove to be highly beneficial.

Architecture education ought to take an ageless approach as well, inviting students from different years or even teachers and students to work together and share their knowledge with each other. The design experience that teachers or older students have can be useful for the younger students, while the fresh ideas and original perspectives of the beginners can be inspiring for the more experienced. This collaboration is not necessary to take place only for studio projects, but also for studying theoretical subjects, by creating study groups. This way, the distinction between experienced and beginner can slowly diffuse, so that a healthier teaching environment is created. While the obvious statement that students learn from teachers is true, we can also prove that the opposite can be just as true. In this case, the collaboration can go even further, by forming teams that can take on more considerable projects, such as contests, thus providing a motivating, challenging environment that is advantageous for everyone.

While we acquire knowledge mostly with our brains, we need our whole body to support creativity and to express it beautifully. Physical activities are proved to encourage that, which is why they should be included in the architecture school curriculum. Having a sports field big enough to fit the practice of various sports can be a great way of motivating students to bring movement to their creative process. They may learn to express themselves through dancing, body art, yoga, or body fluidity classes, which seem to be the most suitable ways of making art with our bodies. The body’s motion is proved to elevate the mental state and this can translate to a rise in creativity levels. Hand in hand with the health of the body goes the health of the mind, which can be maintained using mindfulness techniques. Mindfulness can improve the students’ focus, clear the mental clutter and make room for new ideas.

Although technology plays a huge role in our lives already, and we can further use it to upgrade ourselves, we should never forget our human nature. This is why the ideal school should have anthropological studies, whether it’s the study of the mind or the body. Architects are working with people, therefore skills such as psychology (understanding people’s behaviors), public speaking (connecting to people through spoken discourses), or human scale (as architecture is destined for people to use) might find their place in the curriculum. Buildings of the future could take new dimensions provided all architects knew how to best collaborate with their clients as well as how to best design for them. The development of strong interpersonal relationships is a skill useful in both our personal and professional life.

While I am aware that not all the design fiction presented in this essay is feasible and straightforward for future implementation, this is the way in which I envision the ideal environment for education in architecture. We are constantly changing and evolving and I strongly believe our schools, as well as teaching and learning methods, should keep up the pace. Although it’s hard to tear everything down and start from scratch, we can constantly work on improving what we have now. Let’s dare to wish for a future in which we have better education and better architecture.