 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
In trying to answer some of these issues, the AIA Award provided me a chance to take the project to much larger scale. Using the AIA fund I was able to put together a small prototype software that dealt with systems integration architectural design leading to a funded project entitled Building Literacy. Actually then the rest of the title is The Integration of Building Technology and Design in Architectural Education. Like the previous project, this project was funded by US Department of Education, the Fund for Impairment of Post-Secondary Education. The premise of the project is that the sustainability in design is closely related to the integration of building systems in which various design and construction elements work together to allow synergetic benefits to be realized. Therefore, improving the building performance beyond the impact of each individual system. The project aspires to teach that structural and environmental systems such as lighting, electrical, plumbing, heating, cooling, ventilation, and construction systems are interrelated and are integral part of progressive practice of architecture. By doing this, the project aims to address the problem with the traditional architecture curriculum, which is based on a schism between design and technology education. This structure is inherently in conflict with the principle of integration. We understand that large-scale reform of architecture curricula is a complex, ongoing, and difficult debate. By attempting to develop learning environments that can simulate the practice of integrated design, we could impart students with an understanding of how integration can happen. Therefore, the specific objectives of the project are to teach the concept of integration and integrated design by first immersing students in a virtual environment that imitates the complexity of the real-world collaboration, decision making, and material choices in design. And second, creating compelling and rewarding reasons for student's engagement and the learning process. |
|
