Teaching and Experimenting with Architectural Design

Nadia Charalambous Maria Hadjisoteriou Intercollege, Design Department, Nicosia, Cyprus 289

Outcome:

Very interesting interpretations of contemporary living revealing the importance of

individual student’s preconceived notions and ideas (personal and cultural history);

these led to a diverse re-presentation and analysis of inhabitable spaces. Students

suggested that although dwellings serve the same basic needs all over the world

(living, cooking, eating, entertaining, sleeping etc.), research reveals variety in the

ways in which these activities are accommodated in the houses of different historical

periods and cultures. Projects’ outcome suggests that contemporary concept of living

has been transformed; it is no more a list of activities nor a room-function (labelling)

relation; it is rather a pattern of space (how are activities connected, separated,

facilitate or inhibit interaction, enable privacy etc). Spatio-temporal interpretation

also becomes important (activities vary over time influencing the “get together”

time of the contemporary family. Students’ exploration focuses mostly on activities

• boundaries/thresholds relations influenced by personal, social and cultural history,
  rather than room-label or room-function relations.

Fig. 4

Case study 3

Fig. 2,3
Case study 2