Borrowers, Bricoleurs, and Builders of Architectural Knowledge

This is a story about learning. It is a study of what students learn about architecture in a particular educational setting. I begin with the premise that architectural knowledge is situated and shared, and learning about architecture is shaped by many different forces. No one form of knowledge completely describes the broad complexity of the discipline. Indeed, no one context precisely encapsulates the rich variability of the educational process. The present examination focuses on pedagogical practices and strategies that are exercised in the design studio. The design studio is a fundamental component of architectural education and as such, presents a logical starting point for research about the learning process. The purpose of this study is to identify what students learn in the design studio by examining how learning happens.