Abstract:

Architecture students acquire new skills and knowlege mainly by designing buildings. Usually they receive architectural building programs from their teachers as a basis for their projects. This way they are deprived of the opportunity to gain experience. It also flattens and makes the design process unreal. As a result, the student becomes only the operator of the program drawn up by others.

Consequently he is not prepared for the realization of the full project cycle as well as he is not capable of working with all participants of the investment process. This is important in terms of proper identification and implementation of the needs of the designed facility's investor and future users. Therefore participatory workshop was conducted to prepare students to profession of architect. It took place during the course of Design Strategies carried out by the Department of Design and Qualitative Research in Architecture of Faculty of Architecture at the Silesian University of Technology.

The results of the workshop were used in the scientific work on designing the office workplace of academic staff (Barbara Urbanowicz, Offices of academic teachers – world trends and the level of their acceptance at Polish Higher and Further Education based on the following examples, 2013).

The participants of the workshop were PhD students performing the functions of academic teachers at the Faculty of Biomedical Engineering at the Silesian University of Technology in Gliwice. This group was chosen to examine and analyze the needs of users who do not deal with architectural designing on a daily basis. On the other hand, it was an opportunity to undertake interdisciplinary cooperation between the faculties of the Silesian University of Technology.

Workshops were organized by dr inż. arch. Barbara Urbanowicz and the students of The Faculty of Architecture at Silesian University of Technology. Prof. dr hab. inż. Arch. Elżbieta Niezabitowska supervised the correct methodology of the conducted researches. She was also a supervisor of the doctoral thesis.

The aim of the workshops were:
- recognizing the existing conditions of doctoral students' work (stocktaking of the premises),
- determining the needs and expectations of the users,
- recognizing the level of acceptance for innovative academic offices,
- determining optimal working conditions for academics.

In order to achieve these goals the organizers prepared a multi-stage program of the workshops. It consisted of i.a. mini questionnaires. A questionnaire serving as a pretext for a conversation about office space. The other part of the workshop was working with mockup (1:10) showing the elements forming the office space.

As a result, students had the opportunity to learn about selected methods of collecting information from building users and their systematization. What is more, they were sensitized to the needs of people for whom in the future they will design buildings and interiors. Conducting the workshops also required teamwork, so the students had the opportunity to acquire new competences that are necessary in their professional work. The user's awareness increase of the space in which he works was another goal that has been achieved.

Keywords:

Education for experience, academic staff office, interior design, participatory workshop.