Building a Social Framework: Utilising Design/Build to Provide Social Learning Experiences for Architecture Students

In her book, Architecture: The Story of Practice, author Dana Cuff maintains that the social context of architecture-the economic, the interactive, and the political-is as critical to the outcome of a given project as any of its physical properties. The potential importance of these social dimensions in the creation of architecture necessitates an examination of their weight in the academic training of future architects relative to the traditional development of technical proficiency and the nurturing of design skills. This essay argues that the introduction of community-based design/build projects to the curriculum has the ability to supplement key social learning experiences not obtained by the architecture student through traditional courses.