Journal of Engineering and Architecture

Effect of Environmental Thinking through Architectural Design Studio Education
Assoc. Prof. Shahira Sharaf Eldin, Ass. Prof. Mustafa Mohammed Elwan

Abstract
Complaints about the poor performance of architects and the declining quality of buildings have been widespread and were blamed not only on the architects but on what was thought to be the poor quality of architectural education. This paper explores the benefits of integrating comprehension of environmental studies in architecture pedagogy. This was accomplished through Environmental control core course offered for last year architecture level. A project was conducted with students in Architecture Department, Tanta University. A problematic of design entitled designing an environmental friendly restaurant in three different sites in Egypt, was given to students. First, students begin their project by site's environmental conditions data collection collected from the literature and from observations in studio practices. Then they begin their analysis using environmental software. At the second stage, students are expected to develop their designs through selecting environmental treatments in accordance with environmental comprehension and data for each site. In last stage, evaluation of environmental efficiency of suggested projects and their rational forms' development, which were the main targets of this study, were investigated. Best environmental treatment and energy saving were the main assessment aspects. Also, students compare forms created with their studied process. As a result of the following course, students were trained to thoroughly transform their architectural projects forms with respect to environmental conditions and energy saving. Finally the paper use these finding to assure the need of environmental control course as a powerful tool of learning in architecture education and comprehensive approach that illustrate the relation between design and environmental studies to enhance the performance of architects and the quality of building design .

Full Text: PDF     DOI: 10.15640/jea.v5n2a8