DIDACTIC PROJECT AND A COMPETITION FOR STUDENTS OF ARCHITECTURE AS A COOPERATION MODEL IN THE SCOPE OF PROJECT-BASED LEARNING

The following article presents the course of a didactic project and a competition for students majoring in Architecture and Interior Design at the Faculty of Architecture at the Silesian University of Technology in Poland which is aimed at broadening the didactic process by means of forms of cooperation with external entities, including entrepreneurs. The didactic project, described in this article, as well as the competition called "Silesian Perch Benches" for senior citizens pertained to the design of urban furniture - that is, small standup benches with a high profile - in the context of increasing the accessibility of public spaces, in particular, for older people. Workshops conducted in the scope of the project were connected with problems of the elderly and the disabled in the everyday life and thus allowed students to familiarize themselves with their true problems. It was an additional aspect of the whole project, highlighting the social responsibility in the designer's profession.