Material Experimentation in the Architectural Design Studio: An Experimental Pedagogical Model for Incorporating Craft Mediums into Studio Education

The architectural design studio, with its dynamic and expanding scope, challenges traditional academic boundaries and bridges academia and practice by providing an integrated structure. A pedagogy based on experimentation transforms the studio into a laboratory where research and design merge, explo...

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Main Author: İrem Küçük
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-02-01
Series:Buildings
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2075-5309/15/5/701
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author İrem Küçük
author_facet İrem Küçük
author_sort İrem Küçük
collection DOAJ
description The architectural design studio, with its dynamic and expanding scope, challenges traditional academic boundaries and bridges academia and practice by providing an integrated structure. A pedagogy based on experimentation transforms the studio into a laboratory where research and design merge, exploiting the unpredictable benefits of hands-on experience. Accordingly, this study explores experimental pedagogical fictions and tools aimed at integrating material experimentation into studio education, expanding its scope to encompass various craft mediums. It adopts a descriptive and exploratory qualitative methodology, combining theoretical and practice-based methods. It takes atelierz, a vertical architectural design studio, as a case study. Firstly, drawing on Gilles Deleuze’s philosophy of creative experimentation, a philosophical interpretation of the pedagogical fiction of the studio is made on contexts, tools, and actors. Secondly, focusing on the experimental possibilities offered by tools of installations and prototypes, and analyzing their pedagogical use in the architectural studio, the thematic frames of materials, methods and tools, interdisciplinary connections, engagement modalities, and field of discovery are used to evaluate material experimentation. Based on two semesters of atelierz’s visual and physical outputs and process documentation, the findings demonstrate the impact of installations and prototypes on understanding, designing, and applying materials, developing technical skills, transforming non-disciplinary knowledge, mediating exploration, and structuring specialized field of inquiry. This research highlights the pedagogical value of material experimentation and contributes to architectural education by providing knowledge and experience of the studio fictions developed, the pedagogical tools employed within these fictions, and their use for material experimentation.
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spelling doaj-art-ea95a3b798134fc7b155a488403f84b72025-08-20T02:59:14ZengMDPI AGBuildings2075-53092025-02-0115570110.3390/buildings15050701Material Experimentation in the Architectural Design Studio: An Experimental Pedagogical Model for Incorporating Craft Mediums into Studio Educationİrem Küçük0Architecture Department, Gazi University, 06560 Ankara, TurkeyThe architectural design studio, with its dynamic and expanding scope, challenges traditional academic boundaries and bridges academia and practice by providing an integrated structure. A pedagogy based on experimentation transforms the studio into a laboratory where research and design merge, exploiting the unpredictable benefits of hands-on experience. Accordingly, this study explores experimental pedagogical fictions and tools aimed at integrating material experimentation into studio education, expanding its scope to encompass various craft mediums. It adopts a descriptive and exploratory qualitative methodology, combining theoretical and practice-based methods. It takes atelierz, a vertical architectural design studio, as a case study. Firstly, drawing on Gilles Deleuze’s philosophy of creative experimentation, a philosophical interpretation of the pedagogical fiction of the studio is made on contexts, tools, and actors. Secondly, focusing on the experimental possibilities offered by tools of installations and prototypes, and analyzing their pedagogical use in the architectural studio, the thematic frames of materials, methods and tools, interdisciplinary connections, engagement modalities, and field of discovery are used to evaluate material experimentation. Based on two semesters of atelierz’s visual and physical outputs and process documentation, the findings demonstrate the impact of installations and prototypes on understanding, designing, and applying materials, developing technical skills, transforming non-disciplinary knowledge, mediating exploration, and structuring specialized field of inquiry. This research highlights the pedagogical value of material experimentation and contributes to architectural education by providing knowledge and experience of the studio fictions developed, the pedagogical tools employed within these fictions, and their use for material experimentation.https://www.mdpi.com/2075-5309/15/5/701architectural design studioexperimental design pedagogymaterial experimentationcraft mediumsatelierz
spellingShingle İrem Küçük
Material Experimentation in the Architectural Design Studio: An Experimental Pedagogical Model for Incorporating Craft Mediums into Studio Education
Buildings
architectural design studio
experimental design pedagogy
material experimentation
craft mediums
atelierz
title Material Experimentation in the Architectural Design Studio: An Experimental Pedagogical Model for Incorporating Craft Mediums into Studio Education
title_full Material Experimentation in the Architectural Design Studio: An Experimental Pedagogical Model for Incorporating Craft Mediums into Studio Education
title_fullStr Material Experimentation in the Architectural Design Studio: An Experimental Pedagogical Model for Incorporating Craft Mediums into Studio Education
title_full_unstemmed Material Experimentation in the Architectural Design Studio: An Experimental Pedagogical Model for Incorporating Craft Mediums into Studio Education
title_short Material Experimentation in the Architectural Design Studio: An Experimental Pedagogical Model for Incorporating Craft Mediums into Studio Education
title_sort material experimentation in the architectural design studio an experimental pedagogical model for incorporating craft mediums into studio education
topic architectural design studio
experimental design pedagogy
material experimentation
craft mediums
atelierz
url https://www.mdpi.com/2075-5309/15/5/701
work_keys_str_mv AT iremkucuk materialexperimentationinthearchitecturaldesignstudioanexperimentalpedagogicalmodelforincorporatingcraftmediumsintostudioeducation