100 years of teaching architecture at Huddersfield celebrated
The future of architectural education was the subject of a wide-ranging discussion recently when 100 years of teaching architecture at Huddersfield was celebrated in an online symposium.
The School of Art, Design and Architecture (ADA) invited four prominent figures from the discipline to outline some of the opportunities and challenges facing it in the 21st century. Diversity, decolonisation and virtual collaboration were all highlighted, with some surprising connections between the subjects coming to light during some fascinating discussions.
The centenary of teaching architecture at the University and in its previous incarnations was also reflected upon in some informative and entertaining presentations from current and recent academics.
Following Deputy Vice-Chancellor Tim Thornton’s welcoming address, Dean of ADA Professor Nic Clear began the session by assessing the environmental, technological and economic changes influencing architecture education. He also talked about how he draws upon science fiction in imagining the future to inspire students.
The invited guest speakers were:
- Simon Allford (AHMM, RIBA President-elect)
- Harriet Harris (Pratt School of Architecture, NY)
- Neil Spiller (Editor Architectural Design, Azrieli School of Architecture)
- Lesley Lokko (African Futures Institute)
Diversity to the fore
“The diversity of voices from the different speakers with their different backgrounds from different parts of the world stood out,” reflected Dr Hazem Ziada, Senior Lecturer in the Departmant of Architecture and 3D Design.
“Lesley Lokko spoke about her experiences in South Africa and North America and she is proposing an institute in Ghana. Her session with Neil Spiller from the UK also had a lot of very surprising cross-over with what is happening in the UK.
“Harriet Harris raised the notion of decolonizing architectural education, discussing issues of minorities and issues of colonialism. The concept came across very strongly, as it did in Lesley’s talk about her work in Africa and America. What stood out were the connections between their work, even if they were not speaking in the same part of the symposium.”
Closing the gap between education and practice
Bea Martin, Senior Lecturer in Architecture and Architectural Technology, also states that the future of architectural education was a strong thread throughout the event.
“One of the great issues of architectural education is the rift between practice and education, and how we can reconcile them. There were other issues in discussion, and It was like a jigsaw, all these different pieces coming together, the whole symposium fitted perfectly together.”
The online nature of learning at the moment due to the ongoing pandemic was also a theme of the event.
“The dissipation of physical boundaries has an interesting implication for architecture, which is the making of space,” Bea adds. “Architecture becomes less about the tools. Is it more about the ‘feeling’ of what we create? Is it about changing the world? The pandemic has made separation normal, but it allows virtual presentations viewable across the globe – you can coordinate schedules, anyone can attend, and there are no longer flights involved.”
Interspersed with the discussions were presentations that included archival photos from the architecture department’s past, including shots of students and staff in its early days and posters promoting events held by its students in the 1960s including visits of the then-unknown bands Fleetwood Mac and Black Sabbath.
