Integration of science and art in architectural studies in the information era

The information era is characterized, mainly, by mass production of knowledge and by a gradually increasing number of experts in many fields of activity. In this state of affairs, interdisciplinary professions face many problems involving knowledge integration. In architecture, which is one of the most interdisciplinary professions, this problem appears already at the academic stage and later in the practical stages. At the academic stage it appears mainly in the design studio, where many aspects, including the scientific and the artistic, must be integrated. However the integration problem in architectural studies is usually particularly critical in relation to scientific aspects. This article focuses mainly on creating a theoretical framework in regard to the integration of scientific aspects in architectural studies, in addition to the artistic aspects. The article also focuses on the combination of possible directions, which can improve the level at which science and art are integrated in architectural studies. The article is based on different activities in which the author was involved during many years of teaching and lecturing in various academic schools of architecture.