Abstract:

During the last few decades, literature called for an integrative perspective in which the dichotomy of architecture and science should be replaced with one where the architect is viewed as a cultivator. In this concern, while debating the nature of design and its role within design studio, research-based design was stressed as a core concept in architecture education. The main concern was to replace emphasis on form and aesthetics innovation, with a research-based context where students deal with a variety of data, social, political, cultural and technological, in order to create responsive design solutions.

In this respect, the relation between design and analysis was acknowledged as core aspect for endorsing students abilities to develop inclusive design ethos. Concerning the study of man - environment interaction,” the notion of place”, had the potential to set up procedures in which analysis and design is an interactive process. Thus, for educational purposes, such process is expected to expose students to investigating the interdependent relation between people and characteristics of spaces in the built environment. Accordingly, it is argued that developing students’ design abilities, particularly in the initial design phases, could be enhanced through experiencing an interactive procedure of place analysis.

Thus, concerning the research-based design education, this paper presented an applicable approach in teaching environment behavior theories to architecture students. Based on a theoretical review, concepts explaining the man-environment interaction were adopted to develop contextual method for investigating aspects of places. From ecological perspective, the concept of place and its relevance to the behavior setting unites was introduced as key model for studying building and spaces . In accordance, an integrative tool was developed and implemented, as part of a humanities course taught by the author for sophomore architecture students, by adopting a research-based learning strategy . The main purpose was to assign students to explore initial stages of design while analyzing spaces in use. The paper concluded that implementing the tool within research-based settings in architecture education facilitated linking theories and design activities. Seeing as, it allowed the generating of systematic design data and to comprehend the physical and the socio-culture aspects of places and then to reflect on the fit/misfit relations among them.

Keywords:

research based design, architecture education, the concept of place.