Design Workshop
This workshop imparts a crucial lesson to students, emphasizing that there is no one correct answer when it comes to designing one's personal space. Space reflects the self, and to achieve a successful outcome, architects must empathize with and have compassion for various interpretations of a given story or brief.
Transforming Your Story into Unique Architectural Experiences: Discover Our Workshop Insights
I conducted a workshop that yielded fascinating insights both with college students aged 16-17 and with practicing architects aged 30-78. As a faculty member at the Leicester School of Architecture, I initiated this workshop during introductory events for college students who were considering a career in the industry. This workshop consistently produced remarkable outcomes with all groups of students. Two years later, I adapted the same workshop as a Continuing Professional Development (CPD) session for my colleagues at LRA in Brighton. The results were initially surprising, but upon repetition, they mirrored the outcomes I had observed with the college students.
Methodology:
Provide each participant with a piece of paper and a pen.
Select a single-page fictitious story, such as one from Italo Calvino's "Invisible Cities" (though other sources can yield similar results).
Distribute the story to all participants and give them 5 minutes to read and comprehend the extract.
In the next 5 minutes, participants must creatively and expressively draw their interpretation of the text.
Set a timer for 5 minutes.
After the timer rings, ask participants to raise their drawings to show the group.
Observe the incredible and exciting diversity in each drawing.
Invite participants to explain their drawings to the group one by one.
Marvel at the personal and individual perspectives shared.
Conclude that one's choices and interpretations are strongly influenced by their individuality and life experiences.
When conducted with students, the workshop typically results in 20 unique interpretations. However, when the same workshop was organized for practicing architects, the first round generated consistently similar artwork. The architects' interpretations were constrained by conventional architectural thinking, leading to embarrassment when presenting their drawings and explanations. This prompted a second round using a poetically written client brief, which unleashed their creativity and empathy, as they presented unique interpretations.
As each architect shared their insights, I took notes and later summarized these points on a blackboard. The collated points formed a powerful image of empathy, compassion, and creativity.
This workshop has been highly successful with both students and architects. With students, it underscores the raw individuality stemming from their unique life experiences. In contrast, it reveals that seemingly qualified architects may collectively struggle to express their individuality and deeply empathize with a client's story unless provoked or challenged.
These insights guided the formation of Platform 23 Architecture, a platform that champions empathy, compassion, and self-reflective individuality. Our architecture serves as a platform for your stories, where we translate your unique narratives into meaningful spaces.
