VIRTUAL: Learning. Life. Work.
Abstract
Community resilience and adaptation are among the most pressing issues that the architectural profession must address. Therefore, preparing the future generation of architects to innovatively support communities in envisioning their journey to adaptation is a clear target for educators. The pervasive sense of crisis that permeates the subject and the responsibility of providing alternatives to those communities represent essential constituents within which my teaching is developed and practised. In this paper, I present a pedagogical framework centred around the concepts of crisis and utopia that supports students in acquiring critical thinking and unleashing their intellectual independence. This approach, Learning by Utopia, has prompted the implementation of new teaching techniques, providing students with instruments to surpass the boundaries of their discipline and venture into multidisciplinary investigations. Learning by Utopia has resulted in a powerful tool to enhance the quality and the variety of student outcomes. The master studio titled Systems of Adaptation: Refugee Camps and Border Condition exemplifies this pedagogical framework application. The studio investigates the topical theme of refugee camps. Notwithstanding the clear humanitarian aspect, the course aims to engage students in one of the fundamental missions of architecture: designing for communities in crisis. The camps, stripped down of any unnecessary element, offer the space to observe the needs, everyday routines, rituals and social networks that constitute the life of a community. The studio proposes a forum where students can critically investigate the phenomenon from an architectural perspective while being exposed to fundamental questions about community, place and city-making. In line with the concept of dissident intellectuals coined by bell hooks, students are invited to criticise the status quo and become instruments to promote social justice.
Cecilia Bischeri – I have been involved in architectural education since 2007. My main areas of interest and research are integrating urban and architectural design and strengthening community resilience against natural and societal stressors. I am the Head of the Architecture Et cetera Lab. The Lab provides a productive forum for the overlap of academia and architectural practice via the production of practice-based research. My design projects have been shortlisted for international architectural prizes and have been part of expositions in Italy, China, and Australia. I am a registered architect.