Learning in the Field for Responsible Design

Abstract

This manifesto uses education as a medium to bridge research and practice in architecture and urbanism, while stimulating critical thinking and enhancing ecological and social awareness among students in the pursuit of responsible design.

Since the late 20th century, architects, urban designers, and planners have made efforts to address challenges associated with climate change, urbanisation, and environmental degradation. Researchers have proposed concepts, such as ‘landscape as urbanism’, to invoke a new way of understanding and intervening in urban and rural environments. For these efforts to have a wide impact, they require public resonance. On-the-ground projects must leverage existing networks and values and foster conscious behaviours.

However, numerous projects failed to achieve this by following the conventional practices, thus limiting their societal implications and sometimes proving counterproductive. A huge gap rests between academic research and design practice at different scales, from interior space to urban landscape. In this regard, we argue that this gap should be addressed by reshaping education in higher education institutions, where researchers and current and future practitioners (students) naturally converge.

Effective design requires a sound basis of field understanding, which extends beyond merely visual spatial information to include the ability to recognise human interactions embedded in the context. In this manifesto, with a specific example, we detail fieldwork methodologies that illustrate key information to examine and how to tailor this information considering its applicability in the process of design. We then propose a transdisciplinary, hands-on curriculum focused on approaching responsible design through fieldwork in architecture and urbanism.