A Studio Experience for Developing Sustainable and Ecological Space Design Awareness

Abstract

In the contemporary era, the field of architecture is situated at the nexus of global warming and environmental crises. In order to successfully address these challenges, it is of paramount importance to integrate sustainable and ecological space design awareness into the architectural education process. This study was conducted with fourth-year students enrolled in the design studio as part of the Ecology and Sustainable Design in Architecture (MEST) course. The study is limited in that it was carried out over the course of a semester with a small group of 16 students who lacked sufficient background knowledge in biology and where a biologist was not involved in the process. In this study, the outputs of the students were analysed in accordance with the sustainable and ecological footprint matrix parameters, which were considered in two stages. The findings indicated that the students applied the straightforward steps derived from the sustainable and ecological footprint matrix parameters to their projects at various levels. The text analysis conducted at the conclusion of the study suggests that environmental awareness has been enhanced, as evidenced by the frequent mention of concepts such as the sun, energy, and water by the students. Consequently, it can be posited that the incorporation of traditional architectural approaches, nature-inspired design, and energy-efficient building outputs into the design studio processes serves as a valuable tool for fostering awareness of sustainable and ecological space design.