WRITINGS IN ARCHITECTURAL EDUCATION

How will the demands of the information society and ”new knowledge” affect the demand for relevant or necessary ”know how” in architectural education?


The EAAE Prize 2003-2005 invited teachers from all schools of architecture in Europe and the ARCC member institutions in the USA and Canada to participate in the prize “Writings in Architectural Education.” The challenging EAAE question for 2003-2005 was: How will the demands of the information society and “new knowledge” affect the demand for relevant or necessary “know how” in architectural education?

Architects of tomorrow have to navigate in the white-water of new knowledge and master the possibilities provided by the information society. The con?ict with the established prac- tise of passing on traditional skills. Future architects however cannot rely on tradition only. These are the challenges architectural educators have to equip students for. “Architectural education is undergoing substantial changes and has moved from the training of architects to an education in architecture. Architecture is directly in?uenced by today’s information society. The educational requirements are no longer con?ned to the teaching of design, but include new building technologies, digital projecting, networking and selecting relevant knowledge – to name a few challenges.” Says James F. Horan, EAAE president and Head of Dublin School of Architecture, Ireland.

This publication is the result of the EAAE Prize 2003-2005 sponsored by VELUX. 75 papers were submitted from 20 countries, which have all been evaluated by the jury: Per Olaf Fjeld (chairman), Peter MacKeith, Juhani Pallasmaa, Dagmar Richter and Alberto Peréz-Goméz. The 11 authors of the 10 papers represented in this publication were invited to participate in a workshop in November 2004, which took place in Copenhagen at The Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, School of Architecture. The workshop opened for a discussion between the members of the jury and the other participants with the goal for the authors to improve upon their papers. After the very successful workshop the jury re-evaluated the 10 papers and on this basis found the four winners. EAAE hopes with this somewhat extensive procedure to have produced a note-worthy publication which can be a source of reference in the educational environment.

EAAE Prize 2003-2005 was sponsored by VELUX A/S. EAAE hereby wish to thank VELUX for sponsoring the prize and for the excellent co-operation during the course of the prize.


Ebbe Harder
The Organizing Committee, The EAAE-Council