Jade Wong
The role of experiential education on sustainable design strategies such as nature based solutions within the training of architecture students in the bartlett school of architecture
Cities are polluted, hot, dry, and impermeable, making them particularly susceptible to climate change impacts. The United Nations estimates that 66% of the world’s population will live in urban areas by 2050 where exacerbated temperature changes and extreme weather will be experienced by more people to a greater extent.
Thus, it is imperative that architects are skilled in designing sustainable resilient cities. This paper seeks to understand alternative pedagogical methods to foster ecologically literate architects, and poses the question “how can experiential learning improve architecture students’ application of sustainable design strategies such as NBS?”
The research methodology consists of three stages. Firstly, a theoretical framework of experiential learning is established to demonstrate how experiential learning produces tacit knowledge through a combination of cyclical critical thinking and sensory engagement.
Secondly, the theoretical framework will be tested against a case study of a green roof redesign workshop which I organized and led in University College London. Finally, findings from the theoretical framework and case study will be situated within the architecture industry, speculating how experiential learning can change students’ understanding of NBS, and respond to the climate crisis effectively.
Thus, it is imperative that architects are skilled in designing sustainable resilient cities. This paper seeks to understand alternative pedagogical methods to foster ecologically literate architects, and poses the question “how can experiential learning improve architecture students’ application of sustainable design strategies such as NBS?”
The research methodology consists of three stages. Firstly, a theoretical framework of experiential learning is established to demonstrate how experiential learning produces tacit knowledge through a combination of cyclical critical thinking and sensory engagement.
Secondly, the theoretical framework will be tested against a case study of a green roof redesign workshop which I organized and led in University College London. Finally, findings from the theoretical framework and case study will be situated within the architecture industry, speculating how experiential learning can change students’ understanding of NBS, and respond to the climate crisis effectively.