A Threshold In-Between Education and Profession: the Final Architectural Design Studio

Abstract

In architectural education programs, the final architectural design studio (FADS), mainly known as the diploma project, is a threshold before graduation. FADS represents the culmination/accumulation/synthesis of the educational life and acts as a medium to convey the image of the student's capabilities/abilities to the professional world. As an in-between educational/professional life, FADS is thought as a mediation or reconciliation of differences between two different parties. This chapter maps the practices in FADSs based on the objectives of the final studio: duration, enrollment criteria, topic determination, supervision models and assessment methods. It reveals the major challenges faced by students and teachers in the studio process and the strong aspects of diverse supervision models. The chapter sheds light on research on studio teaching practices at the thresholds in architectural education. © ISTE Ltd 2020.