How did Covid-19 affect Architectural Education?

With the onset of the pandemic, education systems suffered a great deal. Architecture colleges all around the globe had to adopt online modes of learning, making it greatly difficult for both the students as well as the teachers. Architectural education is specifically built on the foundation of studio culture wherein a student engages with their peers and faculty and treats the studio like an extension of their home which nurtures their curiosity and develops their young inquisitive minds.

Mental Well-Being

Architects tend to have a habit of working together outdoors, not always in their personal spaces. Due to covid, many dealt with isolation, financial concerns, uncertainty and ad-hoc workspaces which don’t always provide a great working environment. Due to which the importance of designing for well-being became more clear, as designing buildings for healthy people is innately linked to a prosperous natural environment.

Additionally, as students (and for some – even as professionals) in the field of Architecture, we have all experienced working long and odd hours! It not only puts the body in stress but also messes the sleep patterns and puts the mind under substantial stress! Strategies for taking care of oneself have become more important than ever. A good strategy is to identify balance between quantity and quality of time speed doing tasks. Identify what works for you – medication, art therapy, music, nature therapy.

Ways to keep your brain healthy

Site Analysis

One of the most important steps; research and analysis, involves the study of the site. Online learning completely takes away the possibility of being able to do that. Site analysis is one of the most crucial parts before one can begin to design. It lends to the project information and data that allows for a project to be thought of in terms of a real-life scenario as opposed to an imaginary/ hypothetical situation. With the mode of learning now being digital, learners have the option now to go physically in case if the site is nearby or digitally they can visit via google or other mapping websites. For some information, they can connect individuals from the place where the site is located or they can search for the data online (this happens in international competition).

Transition in developing the perspective

Brainstorming with Peers

Group work has suffered a lot but with the new technological innovation like zoom, googlemeet, miro board etc, we have found a way to make it more interactive and efficient.  In the field of architecture one has to learn to work within a team and the training for this begins right when a learner enters college. There are numerous subjects in which learners have to work in groups and this imparts essential skills such as learning to work and conduct oneself within a team, thus teaching them the importance and dynamics of teamwork. 

Transition from group learning to self learning