Socially Responsible Architect ‒ Toward Creating Place

Abstract

The traditional system of higher education looks at architecture either as art or engineering discipline, simplifying other aspects of its discourse, like social, economic or environmental. The emphasis in architectural education should be relocated from the hypothetical into the real world, which takes into account the actual characteristics of the space, its complex and contradictory problems, as well as specific requirements of the community that uses the space. In order to promote students and the general public awareness of on the specific problems of space and society with which architect could face in the practice of architecture at the University of Belgrade - Faculty of Architecture in recent years a number of different courses is set dealing with these problems in different ways. Depending on the level and scope of the study various courses with their methods and curricula are directed to different modes of connection between architects and society. One of the important aims of these curricula is the social awareness of the architect. This paper shows methods of work and results from the previous few years within the Master's study program at the University in Belgrade - Faculty of Architecture, where Professor Vladan Đokić and Assistant Professor Ana Nikezić together with their associates through design studio curricula have been developing various strategies in architectural education with the focus on social responsibility of an architect.