Pedagogical analysis of construction workshops in architecture programs to teach structure and construction

Construction workshops, in which architecture students create physical artefacts, have long been an important part of the architectural curriculum. One well-known type is the design-build workshop, where students participate from conceptual design to real building construction. Still, other types exist, such as model-building workshops to create and test structural systems. While construction workshops are essential in the architectural education of structures and construction, knowledge gaps remain regarding (1) the learning goals they provide, (2) the main characteristics of their learning environment, (3) the evaluation of the student learning, and (4) the interrelation of these factors.

This study conducts a pedagogical analysis of construction workshops using a mixed qualitative research method and triangulating data collected from a substantial literature review and interviews with 11 experienced workshop tutors across Europe. The top-down coding of the data was guided by the extensive workshop experience of the authors and theories of constructive alignment, project-based learning, experiential learning, game-based learning, and collaborative learning, with learning goals divided into skills, knowledge, attitudes, and values.

The findings map a wide range of learning goals that construction workshops can provide and identify the main characteristics of the learning environment. Additionally, this paper presents various factors that motivate student engagement and learning, as well as an analysis of the learning evaluation.

This research aims to enhance the understanding of the educational qualities and design of construction workshops, and calls for further studies on the impact of learning environments on learning outcomes.