Civic Fabrication: Social Responsibility in the Architecture Studio

This study explores the theme of social responsibility in the design studio through analysis of the first three years of a long-term engagement project, working with three cohorts of final-semester undergraduate architecture students in the area of Dalmarnock, Glasgow. The paper explores the often-conflicting requirements of the community vs the academy experienced when engaging in a Live Project, and seeks to identify the role of the tutor as pedagogue, or 'enabler' of learning. The paper asserts the pedagogic value of opening the design studio to external partners, through a project engaged in a real, contemporary issue. The resulting discussion references recent writing on the nature of situated and professional learning; on the future role of the architect; collaboration and the nature of 'dependency'; and questions the validity of students as agents of change in long-term community engagement.