Architecture design studio culture and learning spaces: a holistic approach to the design and planning of learning facilities

Defining a culture is never an easy task, more so to define the culture of a design studio make out of individualistic and dynamic mind. It is through the students, that each architecture school and architecture program developed their distinct culture. In Malaysia, like other country, the discipline of architecture takes great pride in the diversity of its program and teaching pedagogies. The studio model has its own culture and values that are as influential in a student’s education as the actual projects they complete. In many cases, the habits and patterns exhibited in this culture are not the intentional product, but a by-product. These by-products can be very positive, but they can also produce harmful results. Many scholars, like Thomas Dutton and Kathryn Anthony, have called the consequences of this culture the “hidden curriculum” of studio learning. In simple terms, the hidden curriculum refers to those unstated values, attitudes, and norms that stem from the social relations of the school and classroom as well as the content of the course (Dutton, 1991). Academically, architecture is in fact itself pedagogy and each building have their own embedded hidden curriculum that can greatly influence and affect learning process. However, the problem is teaching has been wrongly assumed to take place in buildings and neglected the other experience in which learning can be experienced. The built environment and the landscape can be a powerful tool of learning, in this regard the campus as a should be regarded as a place where learning occurs. This paper reviewed the studies of the possible design approach in planning and design architecture design studio learning spaces.