Integrated Interdisciplinary Design. The Environment as Part of Architectural Education

Abstract

Interdisciplinary architectural design plays a significant role in education and research at the Department of Architecture at the University of Cyprus. Interdisciplinary design with emphasis in technology is applied in the main studio of the final semester of the first three years core studies, whereas the design of the building requires a holistic, integrated development, in respect to the functions, form, structure, construction and energy efficiency. The final fifth year of studies requires a research based design development. Theoretical investigations and a state of the art documentation on specific subjects of interest form the basis for a parallel or subsequent, in any case rather nonlinear development of the design thesis. The analysis of the two main directions of interdisciplinary design, the holistic integrative design and the research based design, applied at different program levels at the Department of Architecture at the University of Cyprus, reveals in terms of the environmental aspects of the design specific similarities and different technological potentialities achieved herewith.