Architectural design studio as an'extended problem space

Abstract

Dominant architectural design studio pedagogies critically and explores how the concept of ‘extended problem space’ can help develop better pedagogies for design learning. A conceptual framework is introduced through a theoretical understanding of architectural design studios’ multilayered environmental sphere of cognitive systems based on previous research on studio education. The formation of the framework is inspired by an earlier study carried out in knowledge production and transmission processes in a research laboratory that considers the human and non-human components of the laboratory within an evolutionary mechanism. Cognitive components of architectural design studios, hence, are described through the social, cultural, material, and temporal dimensions within an understanding of embodied, distributed, enculturated, situated, and extended cognition. Next step of this conceptual study is to explore architectural design studios’ cognitive systems empirically to investigate dynamics among cognitive components in different settings.

Keywords: Situated Cognition; Extended Cognition; Learning Environment; Design Studio; Problem Space