The impact of environmental knowledge on the creativity of architectural designs: A study on master of “Energy in Architecture” students in Iran

One of the most important factors in every design process is the simultaneous presence and combination of creativity and knowledge. Regarding architecture, creativity is the core component that could be supplemented through environmental knowledge. Although future architects should be able to resolve prevalent ecological problems creatively, the fundamental role of creativity in addressing ecological problems has been of little focus. To date, despite the significance of the topic, little effort has been made to examine the relationship between creativity and environmental knowledge. After a comprehensive literature review, this empirical and quantitative study used the Consensual Assessment Technique to investigate the impact of environmental knowledge on the creativity of architectural designs and the Torrance Test of Creative Thinking to assess the individual creativity of the participants. The participants were 80 graduate students, half of whom were studying for a master's degree in “Energy in Architecture” and the other half majoring in a master's degree in “Architecture” program. The results demonstrate that the architectural designs of the graduate students in the Master of “Energy in Architecture” program who receive and possess the specified type of environmental knowledge derive less advantage from the defined criteria of creativity. Moreover, the more these students advance academically, the worse this situation gets. However, this integration draws students' attention more to the technical aspects of architectural design. The findings of this research have remarkable implications for all the authorities who are involved in fostering environmental knowledge in the architecture curricula.