VIRTUAL MADRID FOCUS ON PEDAGOGY

Abstract

The research aims to explore the pedagogical value of live projects in the current context of architectural education particularly in the UK, where the regulatory bodies are implementing changes to the education system with a shift towards flexibility and innovation. An education that helps students achieve the competencies required to face emerging and future challenges, such as the climate emergency, life safety and ethical practice. These changes place more emphasis on “practice outcomes, abilities and performance” which eventually will shift part of the education to demonstrable outcomes learnt in practice. Can live projects provide additional learning opportunities as they situate students in a real world setting where they need to creatively design for real scenarios and constraints? The method will draw from existing research on live projects in architectural education to explore the benefits and challenges that students experience with these pedagogies and how relevant may these be to the evolution of architectural education. Specifically, the paper will focus on the case of Unit A, an undergraduate design studio at Oxford Brookes School of Architecture. The students have collaborated for three years with a community organisation based in an underserved area of Plymouth responding to crucial questions agreed with the external organisation such as the local impact of climate crisis or how to make spaces inclusive for young people. Data from three consecutive years from student feedback, tutors observations and academic outcomes will be analysed through the theoretical framework of live projects and in relation to the proposed changes by the regulatory bodies. Following three years of learning with live projects, conclusions will be drawn and ideas for best practice will be suggested.