Teaching Beyond the Curriculum

Abstract

“…how may the architect’s conscious manipulation of spatial articulations unbalance and hence criticize conventional patterns, thus opening up the field for richer, more diverse, and less hierarchically structured experiences of gendered subjectivities?” – Hilde Heyen. In a world of infinite identity and ever-flowing shifts towards a more inclusive society, how do we continue to abide by the dominant, achievement-seeking perspectives that encompass the architectural realm? As a professional discipline – nay, institution – that seeks to develop space that aids in the successes of those who encounter such space, how can we continue to approach such work from perspectives that do not flow along societal progressions? At the utmost core of architectural work, the inhabitant, the human body that graces such space shall be of the topmost priority – the human as the being that it is, not a form of inspiration nor a tool used to guide.1 Formed upon the personal desires of cis-male architects, the practice of architecture has been guided by the perspectives of its male influencers since the beginning of its solidification as a leading profession.2 Architecture for far too long now has needed a stance that is far less tailored to gender and a stance that prioritizes human inclusivity above all else. This paper proposal focuses on the pedagogy of the patriarchy, i.e. the architectural profession, and the exploration of counter-pedagogies to dismantle the simplistic, derogatory, and binary perspectives that have been used within the profession since before time.3 This pedagogical exploration will evaluate and explain the relationship between architecture and gender, specifically examining the physical realm of non-gender conforming architecture, leading to pedagogical conversations about queer architecture.