Charrette, Journal of Association of Architectural Educators (ISSN 2054-6718): Special issue – Volume 3, Issue 1

Charrette, the journal of the Association of Architectural Educators (AAE), first published in 2013, is now firmly established as a leading journal for practitioners and theorists engaged in innovative and significant architectural education and research. For this issue (Volume 3, Issue 1), the Guest Editor, Dr Andrew Agapiou, (Senior Lecturer, Department of Architecture, University of Strathclyde) invites papers that address ‘models and approaches’ in architectural design pedagogy as an overarching paradigm for shaping architectural education in Scotland.

It is argued that no other profession has undergone as dramatic a transformation in the past two decades as architecture. Contemporary societies are witnessing dramatic transformations resulting in economic, environmental, and social and cultural changes. This means that the role of the 21st century architect has become evermore demanding, likewise the attributes required of graduates entering the profession. Additionally, EU directives are demanding change throughout Europe and UK architectural education is not an exception. Debates about its change to become shorter and more affordable while addressing the practical realities of contemporary societies are underway. Similarly, architectural education in Scotland has its unique richness in terms of the nature of degrees awarded as well as issues related to its contextual particularities, evolution, and identity.

The call for Volume 3 Issue 1 of Charrette coincides with 'The Festival of Architecture 2016' in Scotland and is pertinent to its core vision and themes. The question of how does contemporary education of architects shape the future of the built environment in Scotland is regarded as a catalyst for generating discourse on architectural and design pedagogy.

Underlying the theme of “Models and Approaches” and reacting to this question, contributions are invited to address one or more of these topics:

a) shaping new places
b) re-shaping old places
c) shaping pedagogical methods
d) shaping global partnerships.

  • Essays 5,000 – 8,000 words (including all references and endnotes). Essays must demonstrate their intellectual and theoretical context, method and data, and have a clear conclusion 
  • Projects 3,000 – 5,000 words (including all references and endnotes). Submissions to the Projects section will substitute traditional “academic” data with project work, so they are expected to include more images, diagrams, and illustrations.

Interested contributors are to contact Dr. Andrew Agapiou (andrew.agapiou at strath.ac.uk) according to the following timeline:

  • 1 July 2015: Expression of interest (500 word outline) 
  • 15 July 2015: Notification of selected contributions 
  • 15 September 2015: Submission of full articles 
  • 15 October 2015: Notification of reviewers’ comments 
  • 15 November 2015: Submission of final articles 
  • Late March 2016: Publishing Date