Art and Science of Materiality in Architectural Design Education Erasmus Project

Project Title

Art and Science of Materiality in Architectural Design Education

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : Strategic Partnerships for higher education

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2017

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: New innovative curricula/educational methods/development of training courses; Quality and Relevance of Higher Education in Partner Countries

Project Summary

Context:
With emerging digital technologies, and new materiality, all the fields of architectural face technical/aesthetic/cultural implications and are thus in a reformation process. To absorb transformation/reformation and to release the innovation potential, architectural education needs to increase the existing capacity/flexibility in departmental curricula, and redefine ART and SCIENCE of MATERIALITY in architecture.
Objectives: Improving the quality/adaptability/relevance of architectural education/research responding to the needs of the contemporary/future practice, the MATERIART’s goal is to instrument architecture schools with alternative studio modules and open interactive knowledge/experience exchange platforms, as a locus for interaction among academy/research, practice/industry, and education, capable of providing flexibility/capacity to curricula.

Partnership:
MATERIART provided a ground to develop/improve/share/experience/exchange pedagogical practices that foster an inter-institutional collaboration between:
TOBB University of Economics and Technology-TR,
Eindhoven University of Technology- NL,
Istanbul Technical University-TR,
University of Thessaly- GR,
University of Lisbon- PT,
Sapienza University of Rome- IT.
MATERIART, with its learning-teaching-training/dissemination activities, has reached beyond 300 people in three years. MATERIART targeted the transformation of the actors in architectural education involving undergraduate/post-graduate students, academic staff, and local/international architectural institutions.

Activities and Results:
The activities were managed by 3 work teams (Research and Teaching; Project Management Quality Assessment and Dissemination; Platform) through 4 meetings. MATERIART accommodated diverse formal/informal teaching/learning/training environments: 2 tutor workshops (GR, NL); 3 student workshops (TR, PT), 1 symposium (PT), and an online multiplier event. Following COVID-19, all project activities resumed in distance mode. The 4th transnational meeting and dissemination event held online.

Through these activities, it produced 3 outputs:
(O1) The methods/models/practices in extra/curricular studio models were mapped/analyzed as “Architectural Design Studio Inspirations: Alternative Pedagogies.” (O2) “MATERIART Open Platform” is structured to breed collaborative learning environment for tutors and learners to diversify the architectural studio contents and methods, as an online hub aiming at structuring an interactive/flexible knowledge/research/experience exchange which is open to a broader readership and discursive collaboration. In O2, existing student workshops are archived, and the audience is encouraged to share their new workshops. Open Platform remains open to the use of the public bodies, which contributes to the project dissemination. (O3) MATERIART Open Course Module is established as an internationally accredited short-term transnational learning module compatible with European universities. O3 compiled developed/implemented/tested studio models in 2 MATERIART student workshops.

Dissemination happened through 2 international events as one symposium in Lisbon and one planned Ankara but cancelled due to COVID-19. Instead of Ankara symposium, an online dissemination activity was held. All dissemination activities including the call for papers were to widen MATERIART’s scope and perspective. MATERIART produced outputs beyond O1-2-3 such as Glossary of MATERIART, which will remain open for future contributions and published online. The symposium contributions are published as 2 books: “Materiality as Process” and “MateriART: Architectural Design, Research and Technology.”

Impact:
The initial impacts were measured by the verbal feedback through questionnaires and interviews with MATERIART participants. MATERIART has effectively and timely constructed a DIALOGUE and COOPERATION as they are the pillars that European Architecture Schools are expected to develop. Peer communication has flourished, where the student and tutor workshops acted as incubators of innovation for extra/curricular design studios, which can overcome time-related, geographical, economic limitations; provided fresh input of new approaches, renewed interpretations of content/methods of architectural education; expanded the formal, informal and intellectual resources of students; and enhanced students’ qualifications.

Long-term benefits: The outputs will have longterm benefits/impacts on research/practice in architectural education through the exploration/discussion of alternative, extracurricular, and new perspectives formal, informal and non-formal learning within the existing curriculum.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 258942 Eur

Project Coordinator

TOBB EKONOMI VE TEKNOLOJI UNIVERSITESI & Country: TR

Project Partners

• ISTANBUL TEKNIK UNIVERSITESI
• PANEPISTIMIO THESSALIAS
• TECHNISCHE UNIVERSITEIT EINDHOVEN
• UNIVERSIDADE DE LISBOA
• UNIVERSITA DEGLI STUDI DI ROMA LA SAPIENZA
• FACHHOCHSCHULE MUNSTER