Towards a Process-based Model for Teaching Architectural Design, with Reference to Design Studio One

The design studio often lies at the very heart of architectural education, being the pool in which the outcome of all other courses may holistically synthesise. In early educational studios, particular attention needs to be paid to the limited design experience that students may have already acquired, together with the amount of information they need to process within strict academic timeframes. This should also develop within an appropriate understanding and carrying-out of design as an integral, systematic and logical process. Thus, the present study primarily aims at developing a process-based approach to teaching 'architectural design I' that responds to the aforementioned challenges. The proposed model is described in two phases. The first phase comprises six steps that are planned as a medium for gradual and cumulative learning about the principles of architectural design. The second phase comes in four steps. It aims at introducing students to a systematic design process that they can pursue in their future academic and practical endeavours. The proposed model should help students to grasp the basic interdependent design principles, apply them within a systematic logical process, and gain independence in future design studies and professional development.