EXPERIENTIAL ARCHITECTURE IN ACADEMIC APPLICATIONS 1

Experiential Architecture in Academic Applications:

A Proposed Art and Design School Building applying Experiential Technique

Bajo, Lieamae

Catral, Frances Katreena

Pacheco, Maria Victoria

Saint Louis University

School of Engineering and Architecture

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I. INTRODUCTION

The educational experience in the 21st Century has greatly developed from its

predecessors. Experiential learning a method proposed by American educational theorist David

A. Kolb, is one of the many academic techniques we observe to be especially prevalent in

contemporary education. Kolb believes that learning is a process consisting of four phases:

experience, reflection, conceptualization and application. The process is repetitive and involves

reaching a solution through constant experimentation learning by trial and error. By fostering

the process of experiential learning through stimulative architecture, students and teachers alike

gain a better educational experience, benefiting the schools and institutions in which productivity

is positively channeled.

One of the more notable projects in Architectural Education that incorporates Experiential

Learning is the Copernicus Science Centre in Warsaw, Poland. A group of fourth-year students

from the Faculty of Architecture of the Warsaw University of Technology designed a set of

interactive installations to the Science Centre. Incorporating real-size physical models in their

design to test the correct functioning of mechanisms and verify the repeatability of the expected

phenomena, the project proved that experiential learning can be a valuable addition to the

traditional methods used in Architectural Education. According to the students, a major

advantage of this method is the opportunity to operate in a real project environment with actual

contractors, a budget and a time schedule. (Piatek, 2013).

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The main obstacles to popularizing Experiential learning is the high cost and lengthy

execution process. Combined with the natural limitations of Kolb's method (no theoretical

instruction or self-learning, which are two integral elements of higher education), they make

implementing the method on a wider scale in Archtiectural Education rather impracticable. With

fields such as Architecture, true experiential learning starts after graduation. Despite this,

Experiential Learning still proves to be highly beneficial. Giving the students a preemptive look

into the industry in which they are studying for, as proven by the case of the Copernicus Science

Centre, significantly increases the quality of education that students receive in the field of

Architecture.

Since Saint Louis University (SLU) in particular has adopted the Outcomes-Based

Educational (OBE) framework in their educational system, we believe that Experiential Design's

self-sufficient nature with regards to learning is a viable implementation that can yield positive

results if incorporated in an efficent manner. Further, the implementation of Experiential Design

in SLU's design school building can potentially put it on par with international schools for art

and design.

According to the Commission on Higher Education's (CHED) Handbook on Typology,

Outcomes-Based Education, and Institutional Sustainability Assessment, OBE shifts the attention

to the students, making them the center of all educational planning. It follows that the

institution's architecture in itself has a role to play in the quality of education that students

receive during their tenure of study in higher education. Our paper aims to further examine the
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effects of psychological and sensory architecture in the educational experience of Art and Design

students, as a supplement to prove the viability of Experiential Design in a regular school

environment such as that of SLU's.

II. PROBLEM STATEMENT

Since Experiential Design is can be a technically complex and considerably costly

investment for a university that may not coincide with regular academic architecture norms, this

design approach is not typically applied. Most institutions lack sufficient knowledge of

Experiential Design and its potential to increase the quality of education, especially in the field

of art and design. This design approach can be mistaken for a high risk and quickly passing

architectural trend. By divulging data on the effects of Experiential Design on the faculty and

students studying in design schools that apply the principles of experiential learning in

conjunction with stimulative architecture, we can provide an insightful eye opener to Higher

Education Institutions (HEI) in the Philippines. This paper aims to provide a solid justification to

the fact that Experiential Design is beneficial to students' learning experience, in that it improves

their mental state and promotes productivity.

III. OBJECTIVES

The main objective of this research is to understand and harness the potential use of

immersive environments for the design of architectural spatial experiences. In particular our
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target is to address its application in teaching/learning situations like those implemented in

several disciplines, such as military training, training of surgical skills, games, and architecture.

Because of the cost and technical complexity, the use of Experiential Design in educational

environments has been largely limited and is seldom used as a tool in the design process in either

practice or academia, which is the focus of this investigation.

Outlined below are the paper's objectives:

1. To provide a comprehensive review of sources and characteristics of Experiential Design,

particularly applicable techniques and their effects on academic atmospheres, by basing on the

methods suggested in related literatures.

2. To review current local industry practices and researches in regards to Experiential Design

based on case studies outlined from existing buildings that employ them.

3. To outline a Conceptual Framework that can benefit Architects who wish to apply Experiential

Design techniques to their buildings, especially academic, after formulating a comprehensive

understanding of Experiential Design through reading.

4. To establish the benefits of Experiential Design in the context of the regular practice of

architecture, as well as its positive effects on both faculty and students, through concrete theories

formulated from the outputs of above objectives.

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The result of this study will be valuable to the industry practitioners as well as related

individuals such as professors and students, in developing better practice and tools for

experiential learning.

IV. RESEARCH QUESTIONS

How do we consider experiential learning in architecture and design?

Does it positively stimulate the sensory perception of a learner when Experiential Design

techniques in educational buildings have been applied?

How does the faculty contribute to the process of experiential learning, and, to an extent,

Outcomes-Based Education (OBE), when both are applied by a Higher Education

Institution (HEI)?

What are the factors to consider when applying Experiential Design, and how are the

techniques to be implemented in an HEI applying OBE?

V. REFERENCES

Angulo, A. (2013). On the Design of Architectural Spatial Experiences Using Immersive

Simulation. Experiential Simulation: The Sensory Perception of the Built Environment. Delft

University Press.
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Clarke, A. (2012). Spatial Experience Narrative and Architecture. Sydney: Byera Hadley

Scholarship Foundation.

Commission on Higher Education. (2014). Handbook on Typology, Outcomes-Based Education,

and Institutional Sustsainability Assessment. Quezon City, Philippines: Office of Institutional

Quality Assurance and Governance.

Etemadi, M., Kia, K. (2005). Environmental Psychology and School Space Designing.

Mazandaran, Iran: Islamic Azad University.

Franz, G. (2005). An Empirical Approach to the Experience of Architectural Space. Weimar:

Bauhaus University.

Kolb, D. A. (1984). Experiential Learning: Experience as the Source of Learning and

Development. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice-Hall.

Piatek, L. (2013). Experiential Learning in Architectural Education: Design and Installation of

Interactive Scientific Displays for the Copernicus Science Centre. Warsaw, Poland: Warsaw

Polytechnic University School of Architecture.

Price, F. W. (1997). Experiential Architecture: A Thesis in Architecture. Texas, USA: Texas Tech

University College of Architecture.