Holistic Education in Building

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Holistic Education in Building: Premises And Approach
Mustafa Pultar
Bilkent University, Ankara, Türkiye
Abstract
This paper discusses the need for and the premises of a holistic approach to education in building and proposes a framework within which such studies may be conducted. It is argued that the present fragmented structure of building studies and the manner in which building specialists are trained are neither based on appropriate premises nor sufficient in scope to cover the diverse problem areas of building. The argument is based on the conception of building as a human activity process consisting of planning, design, construction and use. The nature of such different professional occupations as architecture, engineering, construction and realty are examined and contrasted, along with their reflection on educational methods. The problems generated by present approaches to education are discussed and the need for integration in building studies is stressed.
The approach proposed for holistic education comprises two stages. Basic building studies, the first stage, is devoted to an analysis of the fundamental factors influencing the formation of the built environment, along with the development of basic analytical skills. The second stage, specialized studies, is structured in three tracks: design, construction and building science. The paper discusses the characteristics of each of these stages and tracks, and contains suggestions for the problem areas and methods that may be treated in each.
Keywords: Education, building, architecture, engineering, specialization.

Introduction
As it is not often clear what exactly is meant by the word “building”, I feel the need to clarify my use of it at the outset. In this paper, the word “building” is used as an overarching word covering a wide range of meanings--in particular three distinct concepts. According to the first of these, building is an activity conducted by humans to answer basic needs--first and foremost shelter, along with other social individual and abstract needs. Thus, it is a process of production and use. Secondly, building is a product of that process: this is the facility or the built environment that man designs and builds. Finally, it is a complex, interacting set of physical, social and cultural phenomena that occur in building, as process and as product. Thus, what I mean by building is one of the fundamental activities and products of man, just like agriculture, animal husbandry, health and medicine.
In order to investigate, to understand, to design and to produce building, we restrict our perspective to narrower conceptions, models or paradigms. In doing this, we choose one of the three conceptions of building outlined above: the process, the product or the phenomenon. For example, when examining problems related to organization in construction, we view building as a process. If we are designing a building, we talk of the spatial arrangement, the structural system or the circulation structure: it becomes more convenient to view our efforts as pertaining to parts of a system, i.e. the product. On the other hand, when we are examining the thermal or acoustic phenomena that take place in a building, we try to formulate these phenomena in terms of the variables thought to be relevant and their interrelationships.
This is indeed a useful approach for concentrating our efforts and making more them more efficient. By extension, however, we also assume the same attitude in our dealings with problems related to professions and education. In our day, building professions are often conceived through an understanding of building as a product; thus, professions are formed and organized with respect to the subsystems of building. Building professions have been compartmentalized into groups such as architects, various engineers, surveyors, contractors and realtors, each of which has formed its own terminology and modes of operation. For example, “[a]lthough architectural and engineering designers both deal with building, they each think very differently about the same subject matter. ... [n]either profession often even cares to make the effort to understand each other” (Peters 1991, 23-24).
The same attitude is also visible in many institutions of higher education dealing with building. These educational programs are generally based on an understanding of building as a system. Problems in the spatial organization of buildings with respect to functional, visual and semantic requirements are considered to be the domain of architects; this understanding finds its reflection in the organization of these aspects as autonomous programs in schools of architecture. With a tradition of describing building decisions mainly in drawings, education in architecture has visual design as its essential basis and medium. Thus, these institutions are often organized within or in close relation with education in fine arts and have at the foundation of their studies visual elements and principles, originating from aesthetic notions. Such organizations often give no, or at best minimal, attention to either principles such as efficiency and buildability, or to stages of building such as construction, use and maintenance. In a study on the education of building professionals, it has been found that “[t]his is especially true for architectural schools that de-emphasize the use of technology in ... construction methods, materials, and systems in favor of teaching broad design subjects” (Committee on Education of Facilities Design and Construction Professionals 1995, 2).
On the other hand, topics related to the structural, sanitary and environmental systems of buildings have been conceived as the domain of various engineers. The education of these specialists has been structured along lines originating in disciplines outside building and which often remain marginal in that field itself, vis. illumination design in electrical engineering. Mathematical models of the physical world, such as mechanics and thermodynamics, have been placed at the foundation of their studies and design has been transformed into a process of computation of sufficiency or safety. The study mentioned above has also found that “[t]echnology has been largely eliminated from the engineering curriculum in most schools so as to focus on science, math, and basic engineering principles” (Committee on Education of Facilities Design and Construction Professionals 1995, 2). In this kind of building education, there appears to be no place for either human requirements, culture or aesthetics.
When areas of building such as construction, use, maintenance or management are considered, we observe that these functions are undertaken either by entrepreneurs with no educational background in building or by professionals who have learnt to deal with these problems on the job. Furthermore, it may be claimed that policy makers and legislators dealing with building often have no educational background it. Educational programs in these areas are still rare, and those that are available are often not well established and developed sufficiently from either an academic or a professional perspective. “Most architectural and engineering students leave school with little knowledge of business, economics, and management, adversely affecting graduates’ ability to serve their clients, understand the concerns of their employers, manage projects effectively, and qualify for more responsible positions” (Committee on Education of Facilities Design and Construction Professionals 1995, 2).
Having such different world views and value judgments arising from their educational background, professionals from their different disciplines have a distorted conception of the importance of their own field within building. For example, Salvadori points out that “[t]he potential differences between architectural and engineering students are recognized, magnified, and made more rigid by the difference in their education” (1991, xiv). Different professional jargons and looking down upon the efforts of others as secondary, lead to many problems in communication and coordination among these professionals. There result the many incompatibilities, inefficiencies and human discontent that we observe daily in our buildings and environment. Decisions made at any stage or aspect of building by professionally biased or non-informed decision makers often can not be corrected at any later time.
Some improvement to this present state of affairs may be brought by reorganizing education in building in an integrated, rather than fragmented manner. Building should be conceived in the holistic and autonomous manner I have described at the outset of the paper and education in building should be structured in conformity with this understanding.
A process understanding of building envisions building as a special instance of a generic concept of human activities. In a manner similar to all other human activities, building can be conceived as a repetitive process, with its phases and medium remaining generically the same in each repetition. Whereas the general process is made up of the four stages of problem definition, problem solution, implementation and use, these correspond in building to the stages of programming, design, construction and use.
Building takes place in a medium characterized by two fundamental factors--environmental and cultural. The former consists of all factors related to the natural environment comprising climatological, topographic and geological aspects. The latter, on the other hand, consists of value systems, hypothetico-theoretical knowledge and technology, which last is a concept integrating technical knowledge, techniques and technics. Building is affected and determined by these factors directly and, in turn, influences and changes them. The phases of the building process, the environmental and cultural factors of the medium in which they take place and their interrelationships as well must be determined and analyzed sufficiently in order that the building process is understood and managed properly.

Education in building
Approaching building education with the understanding outlined above allows one to handle all topics related to building in a holistic manner. An adequate professional education in building may only be structured when all of the four stages are considered in detail. Furthermore, because the process needs to be considered along with the factors that make up its medium and all products obtained through it, such an educational structure will facilitate the consideration of all system and phenomenon related aspects in a holistic manner.
A prerequisite of this, however, is to recognize building as an autonomous field, dissociating it from educational programs in architecture or engineering. It would be appropriate to establish an independent school or a faculty within the present structure of higher education. The term “Faculty of Building” may be preferable firstly because it connotes a center of university studies rather than one of professional training. Secondly it avoids the use of professionally value laden terms such as “architecture” or “engineering” because their use would imply the conventional content of and the approaches used in such courses.
The traditional two-tiered structure of undergraduate studies followed by graduate education appears to be appropriate as a form of organization. The courses should proceed from required courses in the initial stages to specialized electives in the later years.

Undergraduate programs
The aims of undergraduate education in building should be to educate students as
a. intellectuals who can conceive, interpret and administer building according to human and technical values, in the first instance, and
b.technical specialists who can perform professional building functions, in the second instance.
To this end, it is important to equip students with three important tools:
a. Basic knowledge in all aspects of building so that they can conceive the breadth of issues involved.
b. Methods of critical thought so that they may interpret and analyze building issues in a holistic manner.
c. Professional knowledge and skills directed at research, planning, design or construction as their specialization may require.
An undergraduate program aimed at achieving these objectives can be structured in a two-tiered form consisting of basic building studies and specialized building studies. Basic building studies should cover instruction in the fundamentals of building and provide, as well, an introduction to general university studies. Specialized studies, on the other hand, should be so designed as to respond to the intellectual interests and capabilities of individual students. In this manner education may be channeled into professional training or towards further advanced studies in building.

Basic studies
The aim of basic building studies is to acquaint the student with the world of the intellect as intended in higher education, and, specifically, with the fundamental issues of building. This level should extend over two years and should be required of all students enrolled in the faculty of building. It should be conceived of as being a period of general education and should not involve any important training component. The students should be exposed to the general factors that affect building, to design, communication and production issues, and to the basic modes of thought directed at understanding the built environment. As a matter of principle, the courses at this level should be taught by the most experienced staff members.
The first year of basic studies may be devoted to general studies. The program should aim to form and develop the student's awareness of and attitude to the built environment. The following subjects may be handled in an introductory manner:
1. Individual and social characteristics and needs of human beings.
2. Culture and its components, cultural processes, technology and production.
3. Nature and characteristics of space.
4. Characteristics of the natural and man-built environment.
5. Fundamental problems and methods of thought. (Introduction to philosophy, logic, mathematics, ethics and criticism.)
6. Tools of intellectual life. (Introduction to communications, knowledge resources and their use, basic computer literacy.)
The second year of basic building studies should be devoted to studies aimed at understanding and analyzing buildings. They should now be concentrated on the built environment and especially on buildings. Studies should develop the analytic capacities of the student through discussions of the issues involved on examples specifically chosen from the accessible environment. The following topics may be studied during this year:
1. Space, buildings and building complexes.
2. Building culture and history.
3. Environmental phenomena and controls in buildings.
4. Building materials and elements.
5. Structural, circulation and communication systems.
6. Building construction and economics.
7. Building management.
8. Tools and techniques of professional communication, computer aids to communication.
9. Building law and practices in the building professions.
The end of basic studies should be considered a fundamental point in the program, terminated by an Associate in Building degree.

Specialized studies
Specialized studies in building allow associates to have further education in building suited to their own interests and capacities. Therefore, these studies should have a structure of multiple tracks, allowing specialization in different aspects of building such as design, construction, management or in studies in depth in specific fields such as history, building science, etc. The duration, phasing and requirements of specialized studies may vary depending on the track.
It is important that these tracks of specialization are not organized into autonomous departments as this would run contrary to the spirit of holistic education and would end in a reversion to previous forms of fragmented education.

Specialization in building design
Specialization in design is essentially professional training that aims at equipping the student with knowledge and skills necessary for designing various aspects of buildings. It would be convenient to effect this training in master-apprentice form on designs of real projects. Accordingly instruction may take place in design studios that form the backbone of this program; the topics handled in these studios should be progressively more complex. The principle of using successful and influential professional designers as studio instructors should be seen as a fundamental aspect of this training.
Students in the design specialization track may choose to organize their studies towards one aspect of design, such as spatial, structural or services design, starting in the second year of their studies.
Studio work should be supplemented by required and elective courses offered by the design specialization track or other tracks. These courses may cover the following topics:
1. Building theory and history.
2. Design methodology.
3. Design of building subsystems.
4. Natural and artificial illumination.
5. Thermal behavior and energy efficient design.
6. Behavior of load carrying systems.
7. Building preservation and restoration.

Specialization in building construction
Specialization in construction consists of professional training that aims at equipping the student with knowledge and skills necessary for constructing the built environment and especially buildings in an efficient manner and of high quality. Instruction should be structured around construction projects that form the backbone of this program. “Project-oriented study ... might benefit students’ motivation to seek answers to solve problems ... reinforcing a team approach that includes communication skills and exposes students to different disciplines” (Committee on Education of Facilities Design and Construction Professionals 1995, 62). The topics handled in these projects would be progressively more complex. The principle of using successful and influential construction professionals as instructors in these projects should be seen as a fundamental aspect also of this training.
Planning projects should be supplemented by required and elective courses in the construction specialization track or in other tracks. Specialty courses may cover the following topics:
1. Construction technology and equipment.
2. Buildability theory and its applications.
3. Site planning and management.
4. Labor relations.
5. Project management.
6. Information technology in construction.
7. Manufacture and assembly of building subsystems.
8. Working drawings and specifications.
9. Bidding theory and methods.
10. Quality control and management.
11. Building statistics and cost analysis.
12. International building practice.

Specialization in building management
Specialization in building management is aimed at equipping the student with knowledge and skills necessary for formulating and administering policies on the development and use of the built environment. Instruction should be so structured that graduates of the program may easily continue their graduate studies in building or, alternatively, work as consultants, facility managers, realtors, administrators in policy making positions related to building or in careers of building legislation.
Specialty courses in the management track may cover the following topics:
1. Planning and programming.
2. Contract management.
3. Problems of safety, security and fire.
4. Building and property law.
5. Financial management.
6. Real estate management.
7. Theory of quality assurance.
8. Management information systems.
9. Structure of the building industry.

Specialization in building science
Specialization in building science aims at equipping the student with the knowledge and skills necessary for furthering their studies in building at an advanced level. Instruction should be so structured that graduates of the program may easily continue their graduate studies in building and work as researchers in academia or professional research centers, or as other specialists.
Building science courses should be so structured as to advance from predominantly required courses to predominantly elective courses. Some of these courses may cover the following topics:
1. Building physics.
2. Research methods.
3. Environmental behavior studies.
4. Environmental aesthetics.
5. Building economics.
6. Analysis of building systems.
7. History of building.

Graduate studies
Graduate studies in building aim at equipping students with the knowledge and skills necessary for independently developing original solutions, new methods of approach, new knowledge and interpretations in the design, construction and study of the built environment, especially of buildings. Graduate education should be geared, in particular, to educating future academics and research personnel.
The prominent characteristics of graduate study are individual and independent work. It should be designed so as to answer the needs and interests of the student, and as a precondition of this, should require a high degree of active and independent involvement from the student. Graduate courses should expose the student to up-to-date concepts and research topics and seek the student’s direct involvement in these. The function of graduate theses should be to incite the students towards new solutions, methods and interpretations and to present their findings in an adequate and effective manner.
Graduate study in building may be structured in the traditional two-tiered manner, namely the master’s and doctorate levels. The essential difference between these two levels lies not in the requirements and the operational aspects but in the nature of the thesis expected of the student. A master’s thesis should reflect the student’s capacity to develop new syntheses using available knowledge and methods. In the doctoral dissertation, on the other hand, the student should originate a new method, new knowledge, or should synthesize and interpret available knowledge in a manner deemed to be an important contribution to the understanding of building.

Conclusion
Among all of the fundamental activities of man, there is no other that answers as many needs and has as many different aspects as does building. It is perhaps because of this variety of aspects that education in building is conducted in different forms and has not been able to develop an integrated approach.
The views expressed in this paper have been formulated in the belief that holistic education may bring a solution to some of the problems in building that have arisen over time. The specific approach proposed and the courses suggested may of course be varied extensively, but it would be beneficial to preserve the general understanding and attitude discussed in adopting it.

References
Committee on Education of Facilities Design and Construction Professionals. (1995) Education of Architects and Engineers for Careers in Facility Design and Construction, National Academy Press, Washington, DC.
Peters, T. (1991) “Architectural and engineering design: two forms of technological thought on the borderline between empiricism and science” in Bridging the Gap: Rethinking the Relationship of Architect and Engineer. Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York, pp. 23-35.
Salvadori, M. (1991) “Introduction: architect versus engineer” in Bridging the Gap: Rethinking the Relationship of Architect and Engineer. Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York, pp. xii-xv.

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