Spatial Perception And Operation: Research On The Kit-of-parts Approach In Architectural Fundamental Education

This research set the Kit-of-Parts approach in architectural fundamental education as the topic.By studying its historic background, theoretical and methodological basis, relevant teachingcases to achive a holistic view of this design pedagogy.Kit-of-Parts approach in architectural basic design course is the design pedagogy aimed attraining of spatial operation and generation ability in architecture education. The main featureof it is simplifying the abstract spatial design process into an action that faces to some givenelements directly. By this means, students would become less confused when they first meetwith design issues. Besides, space problem is the core issue in Kit-of-Parts exercises, whichfocused on spatial perception and operation. The investigative study allows students athorough understanding of the architectural spatial knowledge system, which includesprinciples of formal composition, spatial definition and generation of spatial sequence.Meanwhile, the idea “learn by play” of intuitional teaching plays an essential role in theKit-of-Parts pedagogy. By separating the training process into a sequence of exercises withdifferent difficulty and complexity, the Kit-of-Parts teaching program introduces basic designmethods of architectural space progressively and develops these freshmen rational and logicalthinking ability.The systemic study on Kit-of-Parts approach, specified on its methods and principles,operation characters, advantages and disadvantages, can provide the transformation of ourbasic design courses some valuable references. At the meantime, fundamental theoreticalstudy on architectural design pedagogy can help to solve some issues raised in ourfundamental design education, such as the shortage of systemic and complete spatial designpedagogy. In this research program, theoretical study, case studies and comprehensive analysis are theprimary research methods, which serve to build the basic idea of this research topic. As forthe specific details of course operation, interviews with the teaching program designer andexperimental study on the design exercises are the essential research steps for a profoundunderstanding on the Kit-of-Parts approach.This research program belongs to the project A Theoretic Study of Design Pedagogy—Exercise, Project and Program (CUHK443812), supported by Research Grants Council ofHong Kong and directed by Prof. Gu Daqing from School of Architecture of the ChineseUniversity of Hong Kong.