Architecture Is Education: Global Award for Sustainable Architecture

Architecture Is Education

Education in architecture is a driving force behind the sustainability
principles endorsed by the Global Award for Sustainable Architecture. This book
illustrates how education--with the core element of knowledge transfer--aligns
with the principles of the award through four key educational categories, and
how the methodological approaches of the winners relate to these categories.

Education can contribute to sustainability and positively influence the
future outcome in the architectural field. The volume at hand explores these
issues and poses the question: Which educational practices and methods are
promising, forward-looking, and necessary for the development of architecture
as a discipline?

The publication is based on interviews with the five award-winning architects,
with a focus placed on the four categories in the field of education outlined
below and on selected underpinning projects by this year's winners. It provides
the reader with a framework for approaching education through the lens of the
Global Award for Sustainable Architecture.

Experimentation in
architecture involves projects that try out new and creative ways to navigate
toward innovation processes and new paths. Architects in this category approach
projects as experiments by testing new technologies, materials, and designs. In
doing so, they push the boundaries of traditional architecture and contribute
to the transfer of knowledge through new experiences.

Dissemination, in the field of architectural education, refers to architects sharing
sustainable knowledge with a wide audience. They do so by sharing good practices,
conducting research, releasing publications, attending conferences, or creating
easy-to-understand educational materials. These efforts contribute steadily to spreading
awareness of the principles of sustainable architecture.

Consulting in architectural
education is about practitioners sharing their knowledge and skills to guide
others in the industry. This may involve advising individuals or institutions
on a range of sustainable architecture topics. Guidance, as part of education,
ensures that specialist know-how is passed on effectively. The advisors' knowledge transfer should positively influence
decision-makers, especially when such decisions are made by nonexperts or
people not involved in the discipline.

Training in architectural education
prepares students with the practical skills and hands-on knowledge needed for
sustainable architecture. This process includes workshops, courses, and
participation in initiatives that practice sustainability in construction and
convey its importance. By educating the next generation of architects and
students in related fields, training is becoming an increasingly important
instrument for learning how to put theory into practice.

Architecture Is Education examines the methods, tools,
and approaches within four educational categories, illustrating how architects
act as catalysts for education in sustainable thinking and action. By
presenting the different approaches of the five award-winning architects, the
book provides a methodological tool kit demonstrating the importance of
education in the context of sustainability.

By drawing insightful conclusions from the interviews and the presentation
of the architectural projects, the volume facilitates the identification of
parallel patterns in the architects' working methods across continents. The
practical discourse goes beyond mere documentation, creating a dialogue that
draws further insights from the various concepts developed by the architects
presented in this volume.