Go to contente 10 Design in the New Media Digital Design Pedagogy at the SoA, University of British Columbia

Abstract

The idea of the Bauhaus education was born out of the conviction that designs for mass production and modern architecture needed a new fundamental design strategy. Today, seventy-five years later, the modern, basic design pedagogy needs to be revisited, as the impact of the Information Technology Revolution on design practice and education is now extensive. The illustrations and reflections on a modern curriculum for fundamental design and communication presented in this paper are derived from the authors’ introduction of the new media to design studios at UBC and from design practice. In the case of the nascent student of architecture, a different, rudimentary approach is required: one calling for the combining of the modern, basic design agenda with the introduction of the new media. The fundamental digital design pedagogy is young and not fully established. This is a considerable problem, since the practice and learning of architecture today is increasingly aided by and dependent upon digital media. Parallel to the traditional methods, the contemporary student of design is now obliged to engage new and dynamic conditions at the formative stage of his or her education. In the recent past, the computer was considered as just another device, requiring the development of mechanical techniques or skills. While those skills still have to be mastered, more recently in design education and practice, IT has become accepted as MEDIA-not just as a drafting or modeling tool. This process is perhaps due to the rapid dissemination of computing literacy and to the progressive accessibility and ease of use of IT. At UBC, Techniques and the Foundation Studio are introductory courses intended to make students engage the new media in parallel with, and complimentary to, established conventions in design.