Architectural Competitions: An Innovative Tool for Developing Architecture Education and Professional Practice

Architectural competition is one of the important paths in the process of architecture education and professional practice. It is considered as a kind of collaborative learning and one of the crucial educational methods that adopt the development of student learning. Traditional educational methods are not always capable of responding flexibly to the new architectural topics and challenges during the design studio or in the practical market. Thus, architectural competitions tend to react more responsively to current issues and problems and enable students to demonstrate practical skills acquired from their education. This study presents several considerations regarding the importance and phases of architectural competitions to promote the skills of architecture students in the Egyptian universities. A survey study concerning the participation in competitions has been conducted. The results were analyzed and evaluated within the framework of the observations made during the competitions and the information obtained from similar studies in the literature review. As a consequence, positive outcomes were concluded. The paper aims at identifying the impacts of participating in architectural competitions on the student learning process during the design studio and the skills needed for professional practice.