Tectonics/ways of doing/thinking of architecture face technical, aesthetic and cultural implications of the emerging digital technologies, communication technologies, and new materialiaties. Architectural practices in all the fields of the discipline are thus in a reformation process. Architecture as an education, to release its potential for innovation, needs to increase the capacity/flexibility of departmental curricula to absorb the transformation of practices stimulated by the advances in information, communication, and fabrication technologies that redefine ART and SCIENCE of MATERIALITY in architecture. To enhance the relevance, quality, and impact of architectural design education/research, the main goal of MATERIART is to instrument schools with alternative studio modules and open interactive knowledge/experience exchange platform, as locus for interaction among academy/research, practice/industry, and education fields of architecture discipline, capable of providing flexibility/capacity to departmental curricula. MATERIART project activities are mediums of collaboration, co-learning, and cooperation among the partner schools that pursues three strategic actions: 1. Propel “International Intensive Studios in Architectural Design” as incubators of innovation for curricular architectural design studios, that will overcome time-related, geographical, economical limitations; will provide fresh input of new approaches and/or renewed interpretations of content and methods regarding architectural education; will expand the formal, informal and intellectual resources of students; and will enhance students’ qualifications in the face of competitiveness in economy and job creation. 2. Provide pedagogical training for new tutors with peer teaching method and recruit these tutors in studios, 3. Breed a collaborative and interactive flexible learning environment for tutors and learners and strengthen an interactive DIALOGUE, promote and increase the COOPERATION between the partner universities and wider community MATERIART is structured in five interlinked and parallel progressing work packages (WPs) coordinated by three work teams (WT). To establish internationally accredited short-term transnational learning module compatible with European universities, “MATERIART Open Course Module (O3-WP3),” WT RT maps and analysis existing methods/models/practices in extracurricular studio models leading to the publication of “Architectural Design Studio Inspirations: Alternative Pedagogies (O1-WP1);” develops and tests new studio models, through research BY design, organizes three MATERIART IPs. To breed a collaborative learning environment for tutors and learners and to diversify the architectural studio contents and methods, WT P structures an interactive/flexible knowledge, research, and experience exchange online hub “MATERIART Open Platform” (O2-WP2) open to wider readership and discursive collaboration. To promote the pedagogical update of studio tutors and to provide training environment for new tutors WT P organises two tutors workshop. WT MQD ensures successful project implementation and quality analysis in WP4 and disseminates outputs through two MATERIART Symposiums, mini-symposia organised at the end of each IP, MATERIART Open Platform, and the project website in WP5. The activities in the different work teams will be managed through four transnational project meetings. MATERIART each year uptakes a substantial aspect of design practices as a theme: 1.Architect: Intellectual position/vision, conceptualisation 2.Locus: Contextualisation/anchoring 3.Design: Innovation/creativity/originality MATERIART consortium consists of 6 higher education institutions from five countries: - University of Economics and Technology, TR (Coordinator) - TU/e Eindhoven University of Technology, NL - İstanbul Technical University, TURKEY - Münster University of Applied Sciences, DE - University of Thessaly, GR -Universidade de Lisboa, PT Effective/timely DIALOGUE and COOPERATION is one of the pillars that European Architecture Schools must develop. MATERIART Open Platform is considered as an innovation in communication and cooperation. It promises an interactive way of transmitting content to each other and generating value to all involved parts. The expected outcome for the participating partners is the establishment of new design studios built upon the alternatives developed in MATERIART. Crucial to foster innovation in architectural practices is creating interaction fields where there are constant interplays and tensions between the formal and the informal, between diverse ways of knowledge production, between the existing and new material cultures. These studios absorb the challenges in shifting art and science of materiality in architecture; draw from research findings and technological developments, and ultimately weave experimental/innovative approaches developed in educational setting to professional practice.
Context: With emerging digital technologies, and new materiality, all the fields of architectural face technical/aesthetic/cultural implications and are thus in a reformation process. To absorb transformation/reformation and to release the innovation potential, architectural education needs to increase the existing capacity/flexibility in departmental curricula, and redefine ART and SCIENCE of MATERIALITY in architecture. Objectives: Improving the quality/adaptability/relevance of architectural education/research responding to the needs of the contemporary/future practice, the MATERIART's goal is to instrument architecture schools with alternative studio modules and open interactive knowledge/experience exchange platforms, as a locus for interaction among academy/research, practice/industry, and education, capable of providing flexibility/capacity to curricula. Partnership: MATERIART provided a ground to develop/improve/share/experience/exchange pedagogical practices that foster an inter-institutional collaboration between: TOBB University of Economics and Technology-TR, Eindhoven University of Technology- NL, Istanbul Technical University-TR, University of Thessaly- GR, University of Lisbon- PT, Sapienza University of Rome- IT. MATERIART, with its learning-teaching-training/dissemination activities, has reached beyond 300 people in three years. MATERIART targeted the transformation of the actors in architectural education involving undergraduate/post-graduate students, academic staff, and local/international architectural institutions. Activities and Results: The activities were managed by 3 work teams (Research and Teaching; Project Management Quality Assessment and Dissemination; Platform) through 4 meetings. MATERIART accommodated diverse formal/informal teaching/learning/training environments: 2 tutor workshops (GR, NL); 3 student workshops (TR, PT), 1 symposium (PT), and an online multiplier event. Following COVID-19, all project activities resumed in distance mode. The 4th transnational meeting and dissemination event held online. Through these activities, it produced 3 outputs: (O1) The methods/models/practices in extra/curricular studio models were mapped/analyzed as "Architectural Design Studio Inspirations: Alternative Pedagogies." (O2) "MATERIART Open Platform" is structured to breed collaborative learning environment for tutors and learners to diversify the architectural studio contents and methods, as an online hub aiming at structuring an interactive/flexible knowledge/research/experience exchange which is open to a broader readership and discursive collaboration. In O2, existing student workshops are archived, and the audience is encouraged to share their new workshops. Open Platform remains open to the use of the public bodies, which contributes to the project dissemination. (O3) MATERIART Open Course Module is established as an internationally accredited short-term transnational learning module compatible with European universities. O3 compiled developed/implemented/tested studio models in 2 MATERIART student workshops. Dissemination happened through 2 international events as one symposium in Lisbon and one planned Ankara but cancelled due to COVID-19. Instead of Ankara symposium, an online dissemination activity was held. All dissemination activities including the call for papers were to widen MATERIART’s scope and perspective. MATERIART produced outputs beyond O1-2-3 such as Glossary of MATERIART, which will remain open for future contributions and published online. The symposium contributions are published as 2 books: "Materiality as Process" and "MateriART: Architectural Design, Research and Technology." Impact: The initial impacts were measured by the verbal feedback through questionnaires and interviews with MATERIART participants. MATERIART has effectively and timely constructed a DIALOGUE and COOPERATION as they are the pillars that European Architecture Schools are expected to develop. Peer communication has flourished, where the student and tutor workshops acted as incubators of innovation for extra/curricular design studios, which can overcome time-related, geographical, economic limitations; provided fresh input of new approaches, renewed interpretations of content/methods of architectural education; expanded the formal, informal and intellectual resources of students; and enhanced students' qualifications. Long-term benefits: The outputs will have longterm benefits/impacts on research/practice in architectural education through the exploration/discussion of alternative, extracurricular, and new perspectives formal, informal and non-formal learning within the existing curriculum.