VIRTUAL Prague Research & Teaching Conference

Abstract

The studio is the central educational arena for architectural education, providing students with a critical setting to enhance and apply their design abilities, speculate, and demonstrate technical resolve. This paper documents a team-teaching strategy for comprehensive building technology courses, led by three instructors, that enhances student comprehension and output by fostering deep collaboration, mirroring the teamwork culture prevalent in architectural practice. By combining the expertise of three educators, acting both as professors and stakeholders, students are exposed to diverse perspectives and skill sets, enriching their educational experience and better preparing them for professional challenges while producing work with a high degree of resolve in a short time period. The paper speaks to the evolution of studio-based learning. It examines curriculum modifications, particularly the inclusion of building technology courses. The studio’s dual-modality is explored, serving both as a teaching method and as a physical environment that promotes active student engagement. Different learning outcomes are examined, including those where students synthesize information on building codes pertinent to typology and site; incorporate structural and environmental systems; and assess materials and assemblies for their performance and integration, all in accordance with accreditation expectations. The paper emphasizes the interactive nature of design instruction in the studio, where students collaborate with peers and instructors in an ongoing process of action/reflection and design/critique. The team-teaching strategy not only develops well-rounded technical skills but also reinforces essential professional values such as communication, equity, and inclusion. This paper aims to contribute to the conference’s focus on innovative teaching methods, interdisciplinary perspectives, and the role of collaboration in architecture education.