Abstract:

The profound changes brought about by the digital revolution in the conception of architecture, coupled with an increasing awareness of the finite nature of natural resources, have prompted many universities to reconsider the transformations necessary in architectural education. The first change underscored the importance of information mastery for any action, shifting the paradigm from the solitary author to collective invention, and later to collaborative processes involving users. The second change advocates for the invention of new construction materials but, more importantly, highlights the imperative to combat waste, emphasizing the need for a new architectural practice: REUSE.

In recent years, various project-based pedagogical strategies have been experimented with at the Architecture Design Studio Unit of Instituto Superior Técnico, aiming to foster interactive learning among students. These endeavors seek to cultivate motivation for shared and group work and to stimulate students' creativity when confronted with novel situations, encouraging them to work from reality in an informed and ethical manner.

The adopted strategy of collective conception nurtures in students the ability to collectively grasp the nature of problems and to generate negotiated and collectively validated solutions, arising from discussions on the alternatives proposed by each individual. The dynamics of sharing the collection, organization, and processing of information and materials for project invention and construction cultivate both individual and collective self-awareness and a strong commitment to the act of designing, reinforcing competence and self-confidence in tackling the complex problems inherent in architecture, particularly those related to sustainability.

The exercise "Collective Invention, Interactive Learning" was designed and executed to develop nine natural-scale spatial structures as a group, scaled in area and number of students, over two consecutive periods: the first involving the design and construction of a "Unitary Architectural Space" by groups of six students; the second entailed transforming and redefining the aggregation of three of the original structures, developed by the total number of students who conceived them (around 18 to 20 students), in response to a new conceptual challenge: "Dialogue". One of the objectives was to minimize material usage in the first phase, and in the second phase, no additional materials could be used, only subtracted. Materials had to be sourced from waste areas.

This article delineates the "Collective Invention, Interactive Learning" exercise and its outcomes, concluding with the potential of this collective approach as an effective learning tool, including its replicability. Students were prompted to reflect on this learning experience afterward, and their insights were gathered.

The high motivation and active participation, coupled with tangible results achieved in both phases, along with the evaluation of behaviors, attitudes, and learning experiences, lead to the affirmation of the pedagogical success of the method, its approach, and proposed objectives. This conviction was reinforced by the enthusiasm, pride, and confidence in the choices made conveyed by the groups during the presentation and discussion of their solutions.

Keywords:

Collective invention, interactive learning, reuse, sustainable, architecture.