A first of its kind, opportunity to articulate & profess about my profound thoughts on architectural education paradigms, it would be essential to initiate a debate on the following for a greater understanding of the topic. 

Design is a conscious attempt by all means, and in today’s world of architectural designs, many term it as a pure reflection of a prevailing communal behavior. It is an evidence of our specific socio, economic and political scenarios. Architecture being an infill of an urban weave in any built environment holds a strategic importance defining a character of its context. It is imperative for us, being teachers, to revisit the intent of our teaching methodologies, imparting critical placed based responsive designs leading to building forms adaptable to cultural, historic & climatic conditions.

In today’s challenging globalize world of constant technological transformations that overwhelms the wish list of user and audience, we are even in greater confrontation reverting back reviving the essence of our true needs of livability.  Livability, specifically in form of the architecture that we possess generating our everyday economics, our living values, behavior to commune and exist in society etc. 

It is the critical need of time defining ‘Architecture will remain as a multi-disciplinary field of Art with an integrationist approach based on the conceptual powers of the human mind’ [1] with a core concept of ‘Recollection of the past, analysis of the present leading to speculation about the future’ [2].  

There is a need to shift our paradigms towards a teaching pedagogy mutating towards a synthesis of integrated knowledge of Arts, History and Philosophy, Design & Technology, as the core domains of professional learning. One must learn to teach History, appreciate art, understand philosophies and have an update with relevant technologies in order to impart Integrated Architectural Designs. One must also be native to their culture constituent of music, poetry, literature, rituals that may inflict upon the followers to initiate architectural intervention creating spaces with poetic expressions.

An academic design Studio, thus very importantly becomes the place to implement all the integrated knowledge discussed above, supervised by an advisory well versed and convinced with a holistic established and agreed upon approach. A careful planning of academic projects plays a pivotal role, with objectives that are inline with the goals of the tier. An innovation is required in the way a project is introduced to the students, sensitively written briefs with appropriate structured timelines that reflects the expected outcome.  

Teaching design is only about Experience & Express. Therefore it becomes our only option to converge on the philosophies based on a deep rooted existence and a progressive transformational approach.    

However, having said that, one should never cease for deeper inquisition at any point of time, such as: co-existing with our historical context: following it or recreating it?  Referrals to stagnant historical context or history in the making as constant phenomena? Art as an add on or architecture as an extension of artistic/poetic expression? Traditional, a mere outlook or living through it deeply? Technology as a fashion or for an ease/ comfort? Aesthetics, a self opinion or a general acceptance? Architecture, a numeration based design or finding an essence? Skin treatments or a root cause? Normative Architecture or Architecture based on Indulgence? An address to all self inquisitions and a larger debate involving diverse school of thoughts surely can lead to clearer intellect formations.       

1 & 2  The Vision Philosophy and Objectives - Academic Plan - September 2004 (Department of Architecture & Design, Comsats Islamabad)