Site and Architectural Agency: Incorporating Urban, Societal, and Ecological Concerns at an Emerging Level

Introducing the concept of site has always been an essential, but tricky facet of beginning design education. The myriad intricacies and externalities that a discussion of site presents creates the challenge as to where to begin and how to introduce the involved layers. Education philosopher Maxine Greene, however, noted that “when [students] care about what they are doing, they are likely to go in search of meaning, to begin learning to learn.” How then ought we enfold student interest in the concept of site in a way that expands preconceived notions of architectural agency? This paper explores a curricular experiment and presents the unfolding of an introductory architectural design studio which for the majority of the course decenters architectural design. Instead, the course establishes a foundation of extended urban, societal, and ecological investigations. As a part of a broader school-wide mission-statement, this approach seeks to infuse broader notions of architectural agency and students’ investigation within foundational education.

https://doi.org/10.35483/ACSA.AM.109.68

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ISBN
978-1-944214-37-1