Architectural design learning approach using real PBL and service-learning for integrating construction techniques and sustainability

Abstract

Most architecture curricula today struggle to link understanding of construction methods with design principles. In the project design training of architectural design studio course, most of the results will be conceptual or preliminary designs depending on the project’s level of complexity. Teaching architecture students how to translate their ideas from conceptual to actual construction drawings in a single semester can be challenging. Consequently, recent graduates lack knowledge of construction techniques and detailed designs. This article reviews the lessons learned during the teaching of “architectural detail studio” option unit in the advanced architectural design course for bachelor of science in architecture program, Faculty of Architecture and Planning, Thammasat University. The studio experimented with a learning process that integrated design and construction to develop actual construction drawings through Real Project Based Learning (Real PBL), which was a collaboration between the school and foundations, community organizations, or public interest organizations. It also improved Service-Learning through the university’s policy on sustainable social development. The outcomes of this architectural learning process are assessed using 3 PBL elements: the learning approach, the content approach, and the social approach. This teaching process is not only beneficial to educational innovation that focuses on addressing the lack of construction techniques knowledge in professional architecture curricula, but also strengthen the students’ public consciousness.