Fundamentals

PEDAGOGIES 2020

The Fundamentals pedagogy seeks to articulate an expansive model of core architectural education that is responsive to societal concerns and the challenges and opportunities currently confronting the discipline.

As the initiation to architectural concerns and thought, design fundamentals hold a privileged position in architectural education. It introduces students to the discipline’s intellectual traditions, its unique modes of thought, and the tools and protocols of its inner working. Fundamentals set forth the school’s priorities and forge the culture of the program. Design fundamentals reveal intersections between architecture and a broad range of subjects to introduce processes of design synthesis.

The Fundamentals pedagogy seeks to articulate an expansive model of core architectural education that is responsive to societal concerns and the challenges and opportunities currently confronting the discipline. It aims to outline the concerns, methods, and competencies fundamental toward the education of an architect and seeks to expand, contextualize, and reposition its references. Acknowledging the unique conditions and strengths of the SoA and Carnegie Mellon on one hand, and disciplinary legacy on the other, the Fundamentals pedagogy seeks to articulate a model of core architectural education that is situated within the context of Carnegie Mellon, yet focused upon global concerns.

Matters of Concern

Disciplinary traditions and methods
Design fundamentals introduce students to the intellectual traditions, canonical references, and protocols of the discipline. They form as the foundations of the discipline. Ongoing cultural and political discourse prompts reflection and reconsideration of the biases within the disciplinary frame. Given the distortions and inadequacies of the architectural canon, how might the historical and cultural references for architectural education be repositioned to better reflect global diversity and historical complexity?

Repositioning the generalist model of education in an increasingly complex and specialized world
Architectural education has historically relied upon a generalist model where breadth is prioritized over deep specialization. This model has served students well, illustrating the potency of design thinking as a means to synthesize distinct sets of information. Given the increasing complexity of concerns within the constructed environment and the growing tendencies toward specialization, how should a core based upon the generalist model respond? 

Coalescing a school-wide model of fundamental design education
Contemporary architectural education encompasses a broad set of approaches and methods. This is true in the SoA where the school benefits from a remarkably diverse set of priorities and positions surrounding the discipline. How does design fundamentals leverage this breadth while ensuring a cohesive model of design fundamentals education?

Articulating durable knowledge and skills
Design is a form of knowledge production. Its techniques continue to advance and evolve at a remarkable rate. How might fundamentals balance the need to instill technical proficiency and skill in an era of accelerating technical obsolescence? What core competencies and durable principles guide fundamentals education?

Positioning ecological thinking in response to climate change
As the defining issue of our time, correlations between climate change and the constructed environment must permeate all facets of design education. How should fundamentals frame the topic and introduce distinctions between ego- and eco-centric design processes? How might the topic be addressed through all facets of design fundamentals?

Addressing humanity and agency in an era of artificial intelligence
As human-machine collaboration continues to evolve and reposition human authorship, how might human agency in design be reconsidered? How is computational design positioned and introduced?

Fundamentals Stocktaking

EVENTS & SCHEDULE

Fundamentals stocktaking will occur through four weeks of internal SoA discussions with students, faculty, staff, and select colleagues within the College of Fine Arts. The aim is to reflect upon the current state of architecture fundamentals education in the school to unpack its motivations, priorities, and techniques. Internal stocktaking will be followed by 2-3 roundtable discussions with academics and practitioners from outside of Carnegie Mellon.

• Week 1
  Engage two student cohorts, those currently in the Core-6 curriculum (Fundamentals) and those in the upper years, to reflect upon the current priorities and methods of fundamental education in the school.

  • Session 1: Students and SAC years 1-3

  • Session 2: Upper year activists, agitators, SAC representatives

• Week 2
  Engage SoA faculty that loosely intersect students in the Fundamentals program as well as a small group of faculty colleagues in the School of Art and School of Design that teach in their respective foundations/core/fundamentals programs.

  • Session 3: SoA Faculty outside current 1-3 years

  • Session 4: Colleagues in Design and Art

• Week 3
  Engage SoA faculty and staff that interact directly with students in the Fundamentals program, but outside the context of design studios.

  • Session 5: Staff engaged in Fundamentals

  • Session 6: Non-studio faculty years 1-3

• Week 4
  Engage SoA studio coordinators and adjunct faculty teaching within the Core-6 studios.

  • Session 7: Adjunct Core-6 studio instructors

  • Session 8: Current Core-6 studio coordinators

• Roundtable Discussions (dates TBD)
  Engage academics and practitioners outside of Carnegie Mellon to consider what matters to the education of an architect now.

Coordinators

The following faculty members are the coordinators for the Fundamentals pedagogy.