The Impact of Social Interaction and Communications on Innovation in the Architectural Design Studio
Abstract
:1. Introduction
2. Creativity and the Design Studio
2.1. Creativity and Creative Design Products’ Definition
2.2. The Creative Environment
- Encouragement of creativity, which encompasses open information flow and support for new ideas at all levels of the organization, from top management, through immediate supervisors, to work groups;
- Autonomy or freedom: Autonomy in the day-to-day conduct of work; a sense of individual ownership of, and control over, work;
- Resources: The material, information, and general resources available for work;
- Pressures, including both positive challenge and negative workload pressure; and
- Organizational impediments to creativity (including conservatism and internal strife).
2.3. Hindrances To, and Initiatives For Creativity Within the Design Studio Environment
2.3.1. The Design Studio’s Culture
2.3.2. The Style of Communications and Design Approach
Context | Negative aspects of a design studio’s culture, including tutor’s attitude, behavior and way of instruction | Positive characteristics of a design approach’s style and communications |
---|---|---|
Design studio environment | Design instructors are not clear about their studio goals or objectives and will change them from the beginning of the studio and during the assessment process [32] Instructors tend to consider teaching practice to be an intuitive process based on subjective viewpoints and personal feelings [33] The instructor’s subjective understanding of creativity can diminish creativity [29] The design studio assumes the mastery of the instructor, thus the student has to believe in the power of the instructor [31] Current studio culture rewards students with the best looking projects [34] | Social communication is meant to balance stability and change in order to promote dynamism, creativity and innovation [5] Following the design approach style of design experts can initiate creativity [15] Designers should explore unfamiliar and unconventional design and the designer should perceive a problem from unorthodox and innovative perspectives [4] The groundbreaking designs are those which possess innovative and creative qualities [14] |
3. The Research Methodology
- to explore the social hindrances of and initiators for innovation in the design studio;
- to find out communication routes and techniques that students use to obtain innovative ideas and feedback; and
- to make recommendations.
4. The Field Survey Results
4.1. The Questionnaire Survey Results
- Communication with their colleagues from the same year
- Projects of higher year students
- Instructor’s feedback and advice
- Communication with their colleagues from a higher year.
Type of communications and information resources | (Mean value) |
---|---|
Communication with their colleagues from the same year | 3.88 |
Projects of higher year students | 3.83 |
Instructor’s feedback and advice | 3.81 |
Communication with their colleagues from a higher year | 3.78 |
Internet resources | 3.69 |
Their own electronic references | 3.59 |
Their own hard copy references | 3.35 |
Projects of same year students | 3.26 |
The electronic references of the University library | 2.94 |
The University hard copy references | 2.93 |
- Generation of many sketches before making up one’s mind while working on a design problem
- Conducting interactive and useful dialogues with tutors on how to reach a creative design solution
- Capturing innovative ideas of colleagues at a higher academic level from other departments
- Not taking many risks because of the fear of failure.
- Seeking help from students and staff from different departments in solving specific design problems
- Capturing innovative ideas of colleagues of the same academic year from different departments
- Capturing innovative ideas from other departments’ tutors.
Criteria | Type of communication and activities within the design studio | Mean value |
---|---|---|
Design studio’s culture | The tutor’s ideas have the greatest weight in the design process | 3.5 |
We always use and integrate different tools to initiate creativity and innovation (e.g., brainstorming, group work, etc.) | 2.77 | |
The design studio environment is governed with an open, participative culture | 2.6 | |
The design studio environment is governed with a forgiving culture, it is patient with failure and trustful | 2.6 | |
Instructors’ attitude, behaviour and way of instruction | My tutors encourage me to do many attempts to develop the design solution | 3.29 |
My tutors encourage me to follow various approaches to reach an innovative solution | 3.16 | |
I am praised and rewarded when I present a creative design solution | 3.10 | |
My tutors work on developing my innovative ideas | 3.04 | |
My tutors give me complete freedom to do innovative work | 3 | |
Strategies to motivate and initiate innovation are applied in the design studio | 2.89 | |
The tutors successfully handle conflict through constructive dialogue | 2.875 |
4.2. The Co-Efficient Path Results
5. Summary of the Interviews’ Results
5.1. The Design Studio’s Culture
5.2. The Design Approach’s Style and Communications
5.2.1. The Design Approach’s Style
5.2.2. The Design Communications
6. Discussion
6.1. The Design Studio Culture
6.2. The Design Approach’s Style and Communications
7. Conclusion
7.1. The Design Studio’s Culture
7.2. The Design Approach’s Style and Communication
Acknowledgments
References and Notes
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Appendix A
Interview questions
- Whether the student feels comfortable with the design studio’s atmosphere and tutors’ way of instruction and communications during all stages of the project.
- Whether the student gets the right help and support that is necessary during all stages of design.
- What type of help is required at each stage of the design project.
- Whether the student’s communications’ activities affect negatively/positively his performance and grades.
- When the support is provided and when it is not, whether it is efficient and sufficient all the way through or not.
- Whether the student talks the same design language as the instructor’(s).
- Whether the student has the common understanding and vision as the instructor’(s).
© 2012 by the authors; licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open-access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/).
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Sidawi, B. The Impact of Social Interaction and Communications on Innovation in the Architectural Design Studio. Buildings 2012, 2, 203-217. https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings2030203
Sidawi B. The Impact of Social Interaction and Communications on Innovation in the Architectural Design Studio. Buildings. 2012; 2(3):203-217. https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings2030203
Chicago/Turabian StyleSidawi, Bhzad. 2012. "The Impact of Social Interaction and Communications on Innovation in the Architectural Design Studio" Buildings 2, no. 3: 203-217. https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings2030203