The 'Studio' conundrum: Making sense of the Australasian experience in Architectural Education (original) (raw)

The 'studio' is typically viewed as being central to the role of educating architecture students because it facilitates learning during the design process, it encourages the integration of knowledge and skills, and it generates an environment where professional norms and standards are cultivated. The lineage of the 'studio' in architectural education extends back to the first 'university' courses in the 19 th century and before these aspects of the master/apprenticeship model, in the 17 th and 18 th centuries. A recent comprehensive study of Architectural Educators in Australasia (Ostwald & Williams 2008) revealed that definitions of the studio and associated practices were for the most part polarised. In Australia, the studio may physically range from a dedicated workspace –for groups of students to work and learn in – to a hot-desking arrangement, to a generic tutorial space. For some, the studio has ceased to include the physical workspace for students and...