May 13, 2009 | Broadcast Features News Opinions

“The field of architecture is poised to undergo dramatic changes…changes need to begin “at home” with our own cultural institutions—namely architecture schools…The value of design has increased in all aspects of society, at the same time that the pertinence of architecture has decreased. By remaining hermetic and, dare I say, self-absorbed, we run the risk of relegating to other fields the cultural power of design as an agent for social change. “  By Monica Ponce de Leon for The Architect’s Newspaper

The specific concerns that Ponce de Leon has cited (herself dean at the University of Michigan’s A. Alfred Taubman College of Architecture and Planning) are perhaps pertinent to schools in the United States, but more so also applicable to architecture schools elsewhere in the world which are entrusted with educating new architects…   

Technology has influenced many in the Western world; most notably the United States and Europe, where it has not only managed to affect modes of production and ultimately the efficiency at which practices run; but also having a huge impact on true means of construction and fabrication. Hitting somewhat closer to home is the role that technology plays in Asia, a place where specifically skilled labour is hard to find, and technologically advanced methods of fabrication, though generally available in some capacity, are largely unavailable to the architect. That aside, although students in schools have been getting more and more acquainted with the few laser-cutter machines at their disposal, technology is a phenomenon that has had more impact on efficiency in production, than outright innovation where it is really desired.

This is where Ponce de Leon’s call for a more inter-disciplinary approach to education comes in, which in some light seems ever-more well-timed; where architecture should resist from retreating into its own world, (some have said architects are a bunch “obsessed by forms“) and join hands with those that have the knowledge and expertise to address the very real design issues that are out there today. If I may so put forward an example of where this might be applicable, my native Singapore might fit a certain glove, where technology needs to be thought of differently and critically integrated with the architectural project; this must start within its schools. This might be a gross generalization; but even though the local institutions have taken steps to include technology as an integral matter factoring into the curriculum, the way in which technology is dealt with has been largely literal in its application; at best addressing environmental concerns, at other times servant to entirely irrelevant theses. What seems to be lacking is a certain critical approach to the application and incorporation of technology, and a more systemic and holistic view of what technology could be besides a mere tacked on photo-voltaic panel here, or a glowing-LED-light-at-night there. Maybe these institutions need to be demanding different things of students.

As Ponce de Leon puts it, ” It is telling that design is now an integral part of the curriculum…  ….at top business schools across the country. Engineering departments have developed coursework around notions of creative practices, while schools of social work and public policy have aligned social activism with entrepreneurship and design thinking. The value of design has increased in all aspects of society, at the same time that the pertinence of architecture has decreased.” To remain relevant and not just another cog in the system that is the construction industry, local architecture and its practitioners need to leverage on the technology and critical thinking that is available today and use them to their advantage – architecture, with or without technology, is more than just ticking off a list of to-do’s.

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JJ is the co-founder of 5ft Creatives and is presently enrolled as a graduate student at the Yale School of Architecture.