Critical Needs Assessment

We recognise  that in a changing context these skills also need to evolve and change. Utilising a dynamic collaborative approach, the Building Change Critical Needs Analysis is determining the key competencies needed by current and future architects which facilitates new  strategies to embed these qualities in our Curricula. Through a series of co-produced workshops and seminars we are engaging with stakeholders across industry, public sector and community project partners to review, test and iterate this approach.

A critical needs analysis (CNA) work package is determining key skills and knowledge areas needed for future professionals and the prioritisation of these in terms of the specific context of the projects focus on UN SDGs 11.1 and 13.3. We achieve this through working with stakeholders to identify key skills gaps required by HEIs to incorporate into their curriculum in order to deliver graduates with capabilities in meeting the challenges of Climate Action and Sustainable Housing. A series of workshops/seminars is being organised to progress this work package, as described below.

The New Habit(at)s: Design with Communities for Resilient Neighbourhoods workshop, focussing on housing for communities, was hosted in March 2023 by SETU in Waterford. The outputs inform our CPD and Studio pilots. The workshop brought together academics, students, housing body representatives and planners to discuss Resilience and Community Empowerment, and Adaptability and Future-Oriented Design. Workshops considered how do we incorporate the principles of Resilience In Housing into the Design Studio; What can we bring into the curriculum to equip Students to work in a community-led context; and What future studio projects might be developed to embrace these skill-sets

A video record of the conference is available here.

On 25th November UCD hosted How We Build Now, 2050: Design Logics for Post-Carbon Construction. This one-day event brought together people from across the construction ecosystem for an honest and open exchange about the challenges, opportunities, barriers and transformation of construction in Ireland as the built environment transitions to a post-carbon age by 2050. A video record of this event is available here.

To allow the project members (Architecture Educators) to reflect on what we have learned from the Architecture Studio Design activity, and how this should influence the forthcoming curriculum design phase of the project (2024-25). A report will be generated from this workshop to inform the curriculum redesign phase of the project.

This event, organised by ATU, considered the tools we use as Architects to conceptualise and execute our designs and how digital tools can facilitate a transition to zero carbon design. A particular focus was tools that can enable embodied carbon analysis and how they can be integrated into the design studio in education and practice.

The seminar explored questions such as:

• What tools are being used in industry?
• What tools should we teach in academia?
• How can we embed embodied carbon analysis into the design process?
• How can these tools enhance the creative process and expand the critical thinking abilities of the Architect?
• What are the relevant supporting software tools around BIM packages like Revit?
• How are these tools integrated into the design studio in education / practice?
• How can these tools be taught and used in a way that supports an iterative creative process?

Speakers:

• Victoria Farrow – Associate Professor – Subject Lead in Architecture, De Monfort, Founder – BIM in Series
• Dr. Yair Schwartz – Lecturer in Engineering and Architectural Design, Bartlett School Env, Energy & Resources
• Alfonso Monedero – Head of BIM at Heatherwick Studio
• ACT Architects – Accelerating Change Together

To facilitate a reflection on the learning from the sustainability focussed Architecture Design Studios piloted across the Building Change project, TU Dublin hosted an internal event in February 2024 which was attended by representatives of all six Schools of Architecture, and was facilitated by Liv Harrison and Rachel Loughrey of ACAN, and Maire Henry of dhbarchit,ects. Partners considered what they learned from the Architecture Design Studio Pilots and the implications on plans for revised architecture curricula.