Material Craft: An Approach to Teaching Building Materials in Architectural Education

Abstract

Knowledge of building materials is critical for architects in order to integrate material selection and related structural thinking within the design process, rather than considering it as an after-thought. It prepares future architects to work in collaborative ways with engineering professionals and equips them to work in a field where sustainability related mandates will require them to make responsible decisions regarding material choices. However, with a packed curriculum, architecture students have limited time to acquire this knowledge and more importantly to sufficiently consider how this knowledge can be applied. Lecture-based theoretical content has limitations in the way this knowledge is transferred to design, thus curtailing innovative ideas from being generated. The paper discusses an approach towards teaching building materials, during the formative years of architectural education and has been developed through experience at teaching a first year Building Technology studio for an architectural program at a University. Details regarding the use of a design-based exercise, involving the creation of physical models, which are guided by the possibilities and limitations of the assigned materials, are presented to highlight the benefits of the approach. The use of physical models, experimentation and structural scaling methods promotes the embedding of materials knowledge in design contexts. Underlying educational value of utilizing this approach is emphasized by discussing the principles on which the exercise was based, the outcomes observed and suggestions for possible improvement. Findings from this paper are expected to be of value to those concerned with architectural education as well as built environment professionals.