Saija Hollmén
“Now the Baobab Shines!”
Cultural locality interfacing with interdisciplinary pedagogies in architectural education
100447
Understanding cultural differences and their relations is essential in a world marked by the complex discrepancies between various cultural interpretations. As our indigenous culture largely determines the way we see the world, it is only through a conscious decision that we are able to find mutual understanding and common ground in our search for sustainable solutions to contemporary global challenges.
Saija Hollmén's thesis discusses global sustainability, cultural locality and humanitarian crises in the framework of architectural design practice and interdisciplinary pedagogies in architectural education. It positions the discussion in the context of higher education and explores transdisciplinary and socio-cultural dimensions of architecture and their societal impacts. The overarching research question covering the main themes of the thesis is: What happens in the interface of architecture, cultures and disciplines from the point of view of university pedagogy?
The realities of architectural design practices described in this book are rooted in real life experiences in low-resource settings on African ground, tested in the field and discussed in the context of education. The aim of the research is to develop a pedagogical framework for interdisciplinary architectural education that would respond to global humanitarian challenges in a variety of cultural contexts, by forging university programmes that create connections and entry points between various disciplines.