VIRTUAL New Schools of Thought

Abstract

In this article, I introduce a methodology based on the use of deep understanding, perception and imagination with reference to courses which have been taught in architectural and studies abroad programs. Through the use of “tools” such as research, experience and narrative, students learn how to explore and develop an understanding of a place through various versions of reality. Can students reach a deeper (interpretative) understanding of the complexities of architecture? Are they able to grasp the connections between social life, spatial qualities and the environment? Can students develop/envisage/propose new contemporary sustainable ways of living based on their research and experience? Stories/ narratives connect language with mimetic actions, with habits that in turn connect our physical and mental experience with place, space, and the environment. This knowledge from within ourselves also involves emotions, connecting us with space and the environment. In this way, the architecture behind a built work may be regarded as the outcome of the broader complexity of life. How can different scales, spaces, materials and situations be made so as not to act as mere responses to an architecture and ways of dwelling through form and fashion? What is the social and ethical function of architecture as an essential record of architectural tradition in relation to people, place and environment? Students need the tools to understand and interpret the contemporary complexity and local traditions in modern life. Narratives that relate to places and communities, and draw on the experience and knowledge of the students, suggest a different way of engaging with the world and the creative process.