Abstract:
One of the most often-repeated aspirations of the contemporary
university, to 'teach students to think critically', has been
repeated to the point of ubiquity in course and subject outlines, in
schools of architecture as elsewhere. But this immediately raises
a series of questions. What exactly is the benefit, for example, in
'thinking critically', why is it such a desirable attribute, and why
in spite of all this does it seem so ill defined? More specifically
for the purposes of this paper, does this critical capacity have
a particular relevance for architectural education, and for the
education of architects?
On one level, the answer to this is obvious: the act and process
of criticism takes a central role in architectural education.
From students' self- and peer-criticism and critical evaluation
of precedents during the design process, to the formal, juried
design critique as a means of examination, design education
is imbued at every level with an instrumentalisation of critical
thinking. One might almost say that the student's development
of an ability to make discernments and judgements about
architectural quality is a key moment in their design education.
But when and how is this ability developed? The paper will set
out to examine these questions, with particular reference to the
ways in which education in design may be meaningfully linked
and integrated with education in architectural history and theory,
as well as one possible way in which the academy might be
more directly and meaningfully connected with practice and the
profession. The paper will also conceive of criticism as itself a
creative or constructive activity.
