The Impact of Computer Aided Architectural Design Tools on Architectural Design Education. The Case of KNUST

Computer Aided Architectural Design (CAAD) tools have been available to the architect in practically useful form for a close to a century. It has evolved from being a complicated simulation tool available to mainframe computers and used exclusively by experts working on special “CAAD projects” to being accessible to any interested individual on a personal computer. CAAD plays a vital role on the profession and academia of architecture in recent years. The aim of this study is to provide a reflective perspective of the current architecture education on CAAD in the Department of Architecture in Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST). It compares the method of architecture design education in the department of architecture in KNUST to other methods architecture design education of other universities. It examines the various benefits of incorporating CAAD into the curriculum and looks at the various shortfalls limiting the full exploitation of CAAD into the design curriculum of architecture education also the role CAAD the design process from conceptual to final product is examined. Survey questionnaires were distributed to students in the Department of Architecture and CAAD tutors interviewed to ascertain the level of impact of CAAD in the department. It was realized that the level of integration of CAAD with the design studio is low and transition from traditional drafting methods to the modern methods of using computers in design is not clearly established, thus recommendations were made to rectify the situation.