Architectural Education and the Role of the Architect in the 21st Century

Today, with modern technology, relative accessibility of travel, shared and common languages, we are privileged and enabled to exchange experiences, views and knowledge. Our collaboration is underpinning the work of the UIA as a representative global professional body acting according to the aspirations of the UN Sustainable Development goals. At the same time, the reach of global news brings into a sharp focus major common concerns centered on the evident climate change (with earlier and warmer seasons, flooding, fires, stronger winds); severe natural and unfathomable man-made disasters which radically disrupt orderly, safe and humane ways of living, forcing vast numbers of people to uproot, move and seek refuge from the destruction and desecration of natural habitats.  Whilst it is easy to sometimes be overwhelmed with such global context, we must focus on our task and reflect on the situation in our profession and its underpinning architectural education, examining challenges and seeking ways forward, from the perspectives of individuals including learners, educators, practitioners); institutions including places of learning and professional organizations.

In this Webinar we address three key areas

• Pedagogy: Educational contents, practices, and modes of delivery that enable future architects to pursue their roles, responsibilities, and challenges in the 21st Century
• Practice: Key roles and responsibilities that future architects should undertake to meet environmental, social, and economic challenges.
• Policy: Possibilities for elevating the image of architecture and architects in the eyes of the public, governments/authorities, and society at large.

The Webinar presents two panels of interesting and distinguished speakers who offer their perspectives on pedagogy, practice, and policies in architectural education. The first panel discusses the key transformational and cultural aspect of education of architects, the response to global disasters, how the profile of architect could be reframed, and how and in what direction the new skills could be developed. The second panel places emphasis on the future of architectural education in selected contexts together with key issues related to future challenges in the training of future architects, education in the virtual age, and the dialectics of knowledge and skills as perceived by academics, and professionals.  We hope that the webinar offers a new lens through which the key principles of architectural education the role of the architect in the 21^st century are discussed and established towards a better future for architecture as an academic discipline and a profession.