Engaging with site-specific design through experiential learning and case-based learning

Andrea Moneta

The exposition presents findings and outputs from a trans-disciplinary research project involving students and tutors of level 5 BA Architecture and Theatre design courses of NTU. The process of reading, understanding and interpreting the inner character and performative attributes of architecture, and in-depth exploration and expression of spatial practice, are essential aspects for any design intervention on existing buildings for site-specific performance, but they are not enough used for architectural design. The originality of the action research lies in its trans-disciplinary approach and methodology derived from theatre and performance design, aimed at helping Architecture students to engage with the character of architectural spaces as a propaedeutic step of their design. The final goal was not just the resolution of a specific didactic need, but also the realisation of a resource for educators and practitioners, so to fill a gap in the literature of site-specific design methodology. The academic literature regarding site-specific performance, in fact, is more oriented in depicting its historical background, describing past and current practice, than summoning up its methodologies and applications. For this research Moneta designed and planned a series of multidisciplinary learning activities (perception lab, mapping, dramaturgy of the place) using a constructivist approach, within a collaborative design project with level 5 BA Architecture and Theatre design students, involving the exploration of an historical building in Worksop (UK). The research utilised a combination of Active Learning approach, based on Kolb's Experiential Learning and Case-based learning (CBL); a final questionnaire measured the impact of the research: 87.4% of students agreed that this new methodology helped them to design for site-specific places. Moneta summoned the research in a resource for colleagues in the form of a Poster that explained its methodology, identifying nodal points and learning activities to improve design for site-specific in BA level design courses. The research was peer-reviewed as part of PGCAP final assessment, and the Poster was exhibited at TILT showcase 2019.

Rationale & Literature

I started with designing the Learning Outcomes for the project that are related to my Research question and aligned with final assessment criteria, so to realize a constructive alignment (Biggs, 1996).

Based on Kolb’s four-stage learning cycle, I designed a series of activities to allow the students to engage with a given architecture through Experiential learning and CBL.

The 20 credit Module ‘Interdisciplinary Design Studies’ of level 5 BA (Hons) Architecture of the School of Architecture, Design and the Built Environment, includes 50 students and it is delivered with weekly teaching and workshop sessions (1-hour introductory session plus 3 hours of workshop) in Arkwright building at NTU.

As a starting point, I used the Module leader’s feedback to understand the weak points of the students in the specific module and drew from there a series of learning activities; students struggled to imagine possible alternative and sustainable solutions when dealing with an existing building to design an intervention. This configures a gap for the student knowing that nowadays, a large number of architecture jobs require specific skills to design for the historical built environment and to intervene on existing buildings; improving skills in this sector means improving employability capabilities of architecture students.

I then designed an intense hands-on experience that spanned from the physical exploration of the architectural site (The Priory Gatehouse in Worksop, theme of the year), an introductory in-class session, a workshop and a final presentation.

- Experiential Learning and Case Based Learning methodologies.

The project’s structure followed Kolb’s experiential learning four-stage cycle that involves:

1) concrete experience > 2) observation and experience > 3) forming abstract concepts > 4) testing in new situations. The progression of the learning activities started with the ‘experience’, but it is important to remind that the learning cycle can begin at any of the four points and it should be used as a continuous spiral (Kolb and Fry, 1975). I utilised Case Based Learning to enhance the nature of the project: Case scenarios, an investigation about a specific historical architecture selected as the theme of the year to experiment with utilising storytelling and brainstorming techniques.

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