See discussions, stats, and author profiles for this publication at: https://www.researchgate.

net/publication/313862335

Problems Challenging Architectural Education in the Philippines: Exploring New

Teaching Strategies and Methodology

Research Proposal · March 2015

DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.29377.56160

CITATIONS READS

0 18,972

1 author:

Rowell Shih
University of San Carlos (Philippines)
18 PUBLICATIONS 32 CITATIONS

SEE PROFILE

Some of the authors of this publication are also working on these related projects:

3D Visualization View project

Emergency Furniture View project

All content following this page was uploaded by Rowell Shih on 21 February 2017.

The user has requested enhancement of the downloaded file.

Problems Challenging Architectural Education in the Philippines: Exploring New
Teaching Strategies and Methodology

Rowell Ray L. Shih

A Research Proposal Submitted to

School of Architecture University of Pécs
in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirement for the Degree
Doctor of Philosophy in Architecture

March 2015
 1. Introduction

The profession of architecture faces a challenge that threatens its traditional role. Academicians
agree that some of the methods used in architectural education do not reflect the real professional
practice. Architectural education is considered to be a complex process and its creative demands
must be supported by an understanding of art, science, psychology, mathematics and engineering
(Kurt, 2009).Furthermore, architects are facing a challenge which is characterized by creating
environments that support, enhance and celebrate human activities (Antoniades, 1992).

In the past twenty years, there has been a radical change in the architectural profession. The
drivers of this change include epistemological, social, and economical forces of which are new
knowledge and technological developments; increased use of computers and information
technology in design education and practice; pressure on institutions of higher education to
reduce space use and changing student demographics (Jamal Al-Qawasmi, 2006).

The main objective for Architectural Education is thought of as educating students to be

meaningful architects (Barrada, 1986). However, the changes in architecture education are not
aligned with today‫׳‬s fast-changing world, especially in the context of architectural practice
(Koch, 2006). The new graduate in architecture is therefore not ready to face the new challenges
that the profession requires. According to literature, the teaching methodology sometimes does
not take into account the social, political, economic and the technological issues in the curricula.
These are the testing grounds to make sure that the buildings that the architect build is properly
designed and stands up.

1.1 Architectural Pedagogy in the Philippines

Currently, there is an emerging gap in architectural education in the Philippines. Architecture

undergraduates spend around 50% of their student‟s life in the design studio but what is taught is
very different from what is being practice in the real world (Salama A. , 1995). As within new
pedagogies we do not see teacher-student as a basic knowing-not knowing relationship. We have
to move toward new pedagogies in the architectural design studio (Ciravoğlu, 2014).
Additionally, there is also a failure in dealing with the humanistic aspects of design. The
problems of architectural education in the Philippines therefore can be summarized:

1. Collaboration. There is no collaboration with other disciplines. The students are not
taught how to collaborate with other disciplines, thus when they enter into the field, most
of the graduates find themselves having a hard time interacting with other professionals.
Additionally, the present educational system in architecture does not motivate interaction
between the users and clients of the building.
2. Traditional Design Studio. The traditional Design Studio is a by-product of the 20th
century. Today, the execution of the architectural design studio has many disadvantages.
The most important one is that it is still building on the traditional master-apprentice
relationship. The teacher as the master and the student in an apprentice position
(Ciravoğlu, 2014).
 3. Too much emphasis on the Form. The architectural education focuses too much on the
creative part of the design and does not take into account the science behind the
construction of the building. Other factors such as financial constraints are also not taken
into account; as a result, there is a gap between what the student learns and the real life
practice or situation.
4. Poor Research. There is currently a debate among architects about what constitutes real
research and building design. Architecture schools in the Philippines are among the
lowest ranked in the world where research outputs demonstrate the highest standards of
quality education. There is also a deficiency in the number of teachers with a masters or
PhD degree. The number of graduate schools in architecture is also limited, forcing some
of the teachers to go abroad for further education. Finally, there is also a mindset that
famous architects with the most number of projects are considered the best teachers.
Value should be placed upon research and such skill can be transferred to the students.
5. The Business of Architecture. Students are not trained in the business of architecture.
There is no subject in the curriculum which teaches the students in the basics of
management and accounting. Therefore there is currently a disassociation between the
needs of the client and the architect.

The profession of architecture in the country is slowly changing, thus the role of the architect in
the society is changing as well. There is therefore a need to change the process of teaching if the
architecture occupation is to sustain in the future. The following questions express these doubts:
To what extent do our current studio practices and projects promote process learning as a main
objective? Which should be emphasized, the design process or the final product? The report
indicates that studios value project appearance instead of the actual design process: “…the
current studio culture rewards students with the best looking projects” (Koch, 2006).Therefore,
this study will specifically seek to answer the following questions:

1. What is the current role of the architect in the society and how can these roles be applied
in the education of architecture in the Philippines?
2. What are the different strategies of teaching architectural design and which of these
models are being developed?
3. What are the subjects that are being taught in Philippine architecture schools that need to
be reformed as to benefit the future client and the profession as a whole?
4. What are the different methods of teaching in the design studio and to provide a new
approach in studio teaching?
 1.2 Objectives of the Study

In the Philippines, architectural pedagogy has become stale. Students wait for a sense of activist
engagement with a rapidly evolving world but graduate before it happens (Colomina, 2012). This
study would like to investigate the current trends of architectural education, with focus on
universities and colleges offering the course in Cebu. Thus, the objective of this study is:

1. To identify the role of the architect in the society and how this role can be applied in the
education of architecture in the Philippines.
2. To identify and analyzed the different strategies of teaching architecture and identify
which of the models are being developed.
3. To identify which subjects being taught in Philippine architecture schools that need to be
reformed due tothe changing needs of the client and the profession.
4. To identify the different methods of teaching in the design studio and to provide new
methodologies in studio teaching.

1.3 Significance of the Study

Succeeding results could result in this study would then facilitate in the upgrade and
development of the pedagogy of architectural education in the country. This would then result in
a more updated curriculum which is sensitive to the needs of the profession. Thus, the outcome
of this study will lead to an identification of some of the issues that have troubled the
architectural education. The identification of these issues will result in an upgrade in the methods
and practices in the discipline of architecture. This study will therefore end in:

1. Creating an established knowledge base for the architecture schools in the Philippines
especially in the subject of design.
2. Better techniques, updated programs teaching methods which can be additional
information to the field of architecture education.
3. A different approach in architectural education and evaluate the needs of the future
architects.

2. Related Literature

Architectural education has recently been investigated in different literature. The concept of
teaching architectural design is different from each design instructor. Each instructor has his own
beliefs and methods for teaching design. Because of this, there is a diversity of contents, methods
of teaching in different schools and departments (Salama A. , 1995).

Architectural education has also been questioned in different continents of the world. An
investigation of different architectural programs in eight Arab regions was conducted due to the
insensitivity of the architectural programs of Arab education. The paper concludes that
architectural education in the Arab Region must be balanced and be adapted to the current trends
by a particular culture or locality and at the same time be integrated into studio practices (Salama
A. , An Exploratory Investigation into the Impact of International Paradigmatic Trends on Arab
Architectural Education., 2007). In Australia, a research group is being created to explore the
teachings and challenges of architecture education in the country. The aim of the study was to
identify the challenges in Australian architectural education as well as improving its quality,
responsiveness and competitiveness in the global education marketplace (Williams, 2007). Their
study specifically “focuses on the academic units that educate architectural graduates in
universities across Australia”. The primary motivation in their ongoing study was to promote
best practices in architectural education (Williams, 2007).

The problems encountered in the current architectural system of education were discussed further
by Unay. Structural design courses only cover the theoretical theory and does not prepare the
students with the skills needed to apply it to their design. Students do not receive support
regarding the structural behavior of elements (Unay, 2006). One of the reasons are that there are
very few professors who specialize in structural design and most of the time they are absent in
the design studio.

In the 1960‟s, the standing of architecture itself was tested. Colomina states that, “A disciplinary
self-reflexivity emerged which interrogated not only the historical and formal bases of Modernist
traditions, but the means by which they were disseminated in academic and institutional
contexts”. Rethinking the core of architecture transformed its teaching (Colomina, 2012).

Academicians agree that architectural pedagogy has become out-of-date. Colomina states that,
“students wait for a sense of activist engagement with a rapidly evolving world but graduate
before it happens. The fact that they wait for instruction is already the problem. Additionally,
teachers worry too much about their place in the institutional hierarchies”. Colomina further adds
that, “curricular structures have hardly changed in recent decades, despite the major
transformations that have taken place with the growth of globalization, new technologies, and
information culture. As schools appear to increasingly favor professionalization, they seem to
drown in self-imposed bureaucratic oversight, suffocating any possibility for the emergence of
experimental practices and failures”. There are a few attempts to wake things up here and there
but it‟s all so timid in the end. There is no real innovation (Colomina, 2012).

Hunter states that, “architectural education should be a type of supported „proto-practice‟, and
that the educational structures should reflect these new ways of working”. This means
reinventing the school not as an established hierarchy, but as an orchestrated network, one that
not only includes tutors, but also a range of expert consultants, different disciplines and other
institutions (Hunter, 2012).
 3. Research Methods

In order to overcome the problems stated above, the goal of this study is to obtain a new method
in architectural education and teaching. Experiments can be conducted in the University of San
Carlos-College of Architecture and Fine Arts as well as other schools in Cebu which offer
architecture. The study will use both quantitative and qualitative research using comprehensive
literature review and a series of surveys and experiments based on the performance of the
students and faculty. Qualitative research seeks the answer to “why” by obtaining structured data
analysis, while quantitative research is occupied with “what” using numerical and statistical
data.This will uncover the primary issues defined by the objectives of the study.

3.1 Theoretical Research

A comprehensive literature review of the subject will be undertaken. This will include but not
limited to architectural design studio teaching concepts and methods, traditional concepts of
architectural instruction, different student backgrounds and alternative routes for the education of
architecture.

3.2 Experimental and Observational Research

Using statistical Analysis, real time experiments will be conducted in the school especially
during the design studio class. Surveys and interviews will also be used as part of the tool of the
study. Research will be conducted based on the primary theory that some of the courses taught in
architecture are outmoded and is ill-equipped for the practice in the real world. As stated before,
the student is not ready to face the different types of clients from different backgrounds. The
student is therefore forced to investigate and evolve through his own experience. Sometimes,
these experiences can be costly and painful. These investigations can therefore conclude the state
of architectural education in the country.

4. Projected Timeline

Planning (2015-2018)
Activities 2015 2016 2017 2018
Literature Review
Conduct Survey
and Experiments
Data Analysis
Thesis Writing
5. References:

Antoniades, C. (1992). Architecture and Allied Design: An Environmental Design Perspective. Iowa:
Kendall and Hunt.

Barrada, A. M. (1986). Architecture Education in the Islamic World. In The Aga Khan Award for
Architecture (pp. 181-185). Singapore.

Ciravoğlu, A. (2014). Notes on architectural education: An experimental approach to Design Studio.

Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 7-12.

Colomina, B. (2012, September 28). The Architectural Review. Retrieved February 5, 2015, from Radical
Pedagogies in Architectural Education: http://www.architectural-review.com/essays/radical-
pedagogies-in-architectural-education/8636066.article

Hunter, W. (2012, September 28). The Architectural Review. Retrieved February 1, 2015, from
Alternative Routes for Architecture: http://www.architectural-review.com/essays/alternative-
routes-for-architecture/8636207.article

Jamal Al-Qawasmi, G. P. (2006). Changing Trends in Architectural Design Education. CSAAR.

Koch, A. (2006). The Redesign of Studio Culture. A Report of the AIAS Studio Culture TaskForce. The
Americican Institute of Architecture Students.

Kurt, S. (2009). An analytic study on the traditional studio environments and the use. Procedia, 1-8.

Onat, E. (1985). Mimarlık Sormaca. In E. Onat.

Salama, A. (1995). New Trends in Architectural Education: Designing the Design Studio. Raleigh.

Salama, A. (2002). Architectural Education Today: Cross Cultural Perspectives. Lausanne: Comportments.

Salama, A. (2007). An Exploratory Investigation into the Impact of International Paradigmatic Trends on
Arab Architectural Education. Global Built Environment Review-GBER.

Uluoğlu, B. (2000). Design knowledge communicated in studio critiques. Design Studies, 33-58.

Unay, A. a. (2006). Building Structure Design as an Integral Part of Architecture: A Teaching Model for
Students of Architecture. International Journal of Technology and Design Education, 253-271.

Williams, A. O. (2007, November 15). Issues Confronting Architectural Education in Australia.

International Association of Socities of Design Resarch.
View publication stats