Abstract:

Architectural design is at the very core of the problem between humans, the environment, and the changes that occur in these relations. It produces the environment for humans and at the same time study the relationship between people and their environment. Architecture is not only the design of space, but the establishment of relations within this space (specifically the relation between environment and users). In line with that recent decades have seen a constant emphasis on the importance of environmental and behavioral knowledge and interpretation within architectural theory in order to achieve environmental and cultural sustainability. However, there is still no developed practice of application of these methods and knowledge in architecture. One of the basic questions to be discussed in this context is the status of architecture, or is architecture an art or design of an environmental object. There is a general tendency in contemporary architectural discourse to think about the built environment as objects and, consequently, the perception of the object, and not the environmental perception. In other words, the emphasis is on dealing with objects as art, rather than as an environment. It is important to point out that design disciplines have a different concept of theory from scientific disciplines. Environmental and behavioral theories challenge their exclusivity of "architecture as an artistic paradigm" and point to the necessity of improving the theory of architectural design, as well as the introduction and application of theories from other scientific areas in architectural design. This paper starts from the assumption that architectural education has very important position in this process. It is of essential importance to introduce students with relevant theoretical paradigms to explain the existence of different forms of architectural thinking about users, but also the entire environment. Grounding theory in architectural design doesn’t not limit design creativity, but it opens possibilities of shifting the focus to a standpoint of transactional paradigm in the context of contemporary architectural theory and practice. Such approach leads to improving architectural practice response to aspects of the environment, climate and place, as well as to the needs of contemporary society and culture, to the unpredictability of human behavior and characteristics of the local context.

Keywords:

Context, Everyday life, Design Thinking, Design Principles, Teaching.