The Evolution of Architectural Pedagogy in the Age of Information: Advancing technologies and their implementation in architectural pedagogies by Hamad Alqabandy A Dissertation Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy Approved November 2012 by the Graduate Supervisory Committee: Beverly Brandt, Chair Claudia Mesch David Newton ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY December 2012 ABSTRACT The contemporary architectural pedagogy is far removed from its ancestry: the classical Beaux-Arts and polytechnic schools of the 19th century and the Bauhaus and Vkhutemas models of the modern period. Today, the “digital” has invaded the academy and shapes pedagogical practices, epistemologies, and ontologies within it, and this invasion is reflected in teaching practices, principles, and tools. Much of this digital integration goes unremarked and may not even be explicitly taught. In this qualitative research project, interviews with 18 leading architecture lecturers, professors, and deans from programs across the United States were conducted. These interviews focused on advanced practices of digital architecture, such as the use of digital tools, and how these practices are viewed. These interviews yielded a wealth of information about the uses (and abuses) of advanced digital technologies within the architectural academy, and the results were analyzed using the methods of phenomenology and grounded theory. Most schools use digital technologies to some extent, although this extent varies greatly. While some schools have abandoned hand-drawing and other hand-based craft almost entirely, others have retained traditional techniques and use digital technologies sparingly. Reasons for using digital design processes include industry pressure as well as the increased ability to solve problems and the speed with which they could be solved. Despite the prevalence of digital design, most programs did not teach related design software explicitly, if at all, instead requiring students (especially graduate students) to learn to use them outside the design studio. Some of i the problems with digital design identified in the interviews include social problems such as alienation as well as issues like understanding scale and embodiment of skill. ii to my mother . iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS First and foremost, I would like to express my gratitude and appreciation to my Chair, Dr. Beverly Brandt, for being supportive, having faith in my research ideas, and being an inspiring researcher and educator. Without her endless support this dissertation would not have been possible. I also wish to extend my appreciation to my committee members, Dr. Claudia Mesch and professor David Newton, for their continuous support and encouragement, as well as their valuable contributions to this research. Their expertise and knowledge has greatly enriched this humble achievement. Thanks also to faculty members Andrew Kudless, Jason Griffiths, Jose Bernardi, and Dr. Renata Hejduk for their interest in my research topic and for providing advice and guidance. Special thanks to Dr. Hejduk and Assistant Professor Griffiths for connecting me with some of the influential individuals whom I had the honor to interview; they have contributed great richness to this research. Also my deepest appreciation goes to all the participants in this research: Bruce Lindsey (Washington University, St. Louis), Jason Griffiths, Darren Petrucci (Arizona State University School of Design), David Gersten, Elizabeth O’Donnell (Cooper Union Irwin S. Chanin School of Architecture), Dr. David Gerber (University of Southern California), Evan Douglis (Rensselaer School of Architecture), Gil Akos, Ronnie Parsons, William MacDonald (Pratt Institute), Dr. Greg Lynn (University of California Los Angeles), Jason Johnson, Thom Faulders (California College of the Arts), Mohsen Mostafavi (Harvard University School of Design), Nader Tehrani, Skylar Tibbits (Massachusetts Institute of Technology), Omar Khan (University iv of Buffalo School of Architecture and Planning), and Philip Anzalone (Columbia University Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation). Despite their hectic schedules, they made the time to meet with me and answer my intense, detailed interview questions; they were generous with their time, advice, guidance, and of course in the sharing of their valuable knowledge. Great appreciation also to professor Andrew Kudless (California College of the Arts) for his time and recommendations for this research; unfortunately technical issues affected the quality of our interview audio, forcing me to exclude his input from the study. Finally, I extend my sincerest gratitude to Dr. Jawaher Albader for her continued support and advice, not only concerning my academic goals, but also my health and well-being. Despite her obligations, she acted as family for me, serving as a patient listener to my worries and sometimes nonsense through this intellectual mission. v TABLE OF CONTENTS Page LIST OF TABLES ........................................................................................................................ xii LIST OF FIGURES ..................................................................................................................... xiii PREFACE .................................................................................................................................... xiv The Outline of this Dissertation .......................................................................................... xix CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................................1 Aims and Objectives ...............................................................................................................3 Research Questions .................................................................................................................4 CHAPTER 2: BACKGROUND ......................................................................................................5 20th Century: 1900–1950 .......................................................................................................7 Significance of Modernist Architecture ................................................................................10 Technology within Architecture Education ..........................................................................18 The Bauhaus and Vkhutemas ......................................................................................18 Architectural Education in the U.S. .............................................................................43 Current Theory and Practice of the Use of Technology in Architecture .....................53 Digital architecture: Tool and philosophy ...................................................................58 Current Issues in Architecture ..............................................................................................76 Educational Structures .................................................................................................85 Summary ...............................................................................................................................90 vi Page CHAPTER 3: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY AND METHODS .............................................93 Initial Research Stages ..........................................................................................................96 Sampling Procedure and Sample .................................................................................96 Interviews ....................................................................................................................97 Data Preparation ........................................................................................................102 Phenomenological Stage of the Research ...........................................................................103 Phenomenology as a Philosophy ...............................................................................106 Phenomenology as a Research Method .....................................................................108 Definitions .................................................................................................................108 Data Analysis .............................................................................................................113 Research Rigor ...........................................................................................................119 Ethics .........................................................................................................................121 Limitations .................................................................................................................122 The Grounded Theory Stage ...............................................................................................125 Grounded Theory: A Definition ................................................................................128 Reasons for Using Grounded Theory ........................................................................129 Limitations of Grounded Theory ...............................................................................129 Use of Historical Data ...............................................................................................130 Grounded Theory Process ..........................................................................................132 vii Page Coding ........................................................................................................................135