Rethinking the Pedagogical Fiction of the Architectural Design Studio

The "Becomings of House" as an Experimental Fiction

Abstract

In line with the changing definitions and boundaries of architecture and the changing roles and professional description of the architect, the need to question and explore the contexts, contents, methods, techniques and tools of architectural design education is always on the agenda. The pedagogical fiction of the architectural studio is treated as a noteworthy issue that is effective in educating architects and shaping architecture. It is a matter of discussion about what the training in the studio should cover and how the content should be processed. This study, developed with an experimental approach to design, questions the architectural design studio's fiction of content and method to rethink its pedagogical coverage and processing. To materialize the discussion on the studio pedagogy, "house" as a design content and "designing in becoming" as a design method are proposed. "House" is re-conceptualized as a basic spatial structure for designing space in terms of its openness to derivation and reproduction. "Designing in becoming" is conceptualized as an experimental design method that creates instability and constructs a field of experimentation at the level of both subject and object. Accordingly, "Becomings of House" is proposed as an experimental design studio fiction through which the conceptualized content and method can be applied together. Based on the conceptualizations made in the study, the pedagogical opportunities and limitations of the proposed fiction are examined. A discussion on the pedagogy of architectural design studios towards experimental design approach is set up.