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Session 1709

Observations on the Effect of Digital Medium on Architectural Design Education

Murali Paranandi Miami University

Abstract Design communication is central to student learning in architectural education. A unique design studio course was offered during the fall of 1997 at Miami University to upper level undergraduate students where the use of digital media technologies for design communication was a central theme; this course was offered again in the fall of 1998. Students interacted with professional architects in the industry face-to-face and on the web. The nature of these interactions, the representation strategies incorporated in design communication, and some observations on their strengths, pitfalls, and effects on student learning will be discussed.

Introduction One of the significant changes that the higher education has undergone over the past decade is the increased use of technology for instruction and related educational activities. Architecture is no exception. Due to the developments in digital technologies powerful visualization and collaboration tools have now become available at an affordable cost and are rapidly gaining in popularity among architects in academia as well as the industry. This has resulted in a trend where computers increasingly dominate the design communication processes.

For the purposes of this discussion, “design communication” can be interpreted as externalizing thoughts into some visual form such as sketches or physical models for the purposes of (i) seeing: to verify what an idea may be like, (ii) showing: to present idea/s to clients, consultants etc, and (iii) seeking: for soliciting input from peers, experts. Traditional design education involves student designers showing their work in order to seek the input of expert reviewers. Reviewers first need to see what the designer is proposing and, in turn, show how it could be improved.

The Opportunity Collaboration is one of the major promises of the emerging information technologies. The idea is that information represented digitally on the Internet allows for a greater access never possible before. A wide range of individuals from the profession and industry can then share their expertise to help students make better decisions. The

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Paranandi, M. (2000, June), Observations On The Effects Of Digital Media On Architectural Design Education. Paper presented at 2000 Annual Conference, St. Louis, Missouri. 10.18260/1-2--8600