UAUIM Insights. Round Tables

"Each studio at UAUIM has the freedom to pursue objectives of architectural education through diverse approaches and methods. Within a framework assignment and following deadlines that require the development of specific content up to the final submission of the project, each studio sets its own goals and, in doing so, may emphasize and frame certain steps or aspects in different ways.
With regard to decoding context, the premise was that reading, analysis, synthesis and interpretation of a particular context, irrespective of the studio or its philosophy, should be transposed into the project, contributing to its foundation. The results, visible in the final work, may differ greatly depending on the overall project — its context, the issues addressed, the student’s personal understanding, the pursued scenario or vision and so on. However, the way different teachers approach context decoding in their studios is a subject worth exploring, and discussions on this topic can prove highly fruitful. Thus, as part of the Scholar Architect 2024 project, two round tables were organised to identify the fundamental aspects and strategies of context decoding employed by UAUIM teachers, regarded not only as a means of site analysis but, more importantly, as a way of understanding context (as defined in the first chapter of this volume).
The lively discussions at both round tables — transcribed and adapted for publication — underline that, beyond differing didactic approaches and methods, the final architectural project is expected to demonstrate the existence of a coherent logical, narrative and visual thread, linking context decoding (as part of the research process) to the design outcome."