Decolonizing Architectural Pedagogy: Fostering Indigenous Building techniques for culturally rooted, sustainable architectural solutions

 

 

The exhibition aims to showcase students’ work, focused on the theme decolonizing Architectural Pedagogy, by introducing indigenous building techniques as a transformative approach to establish a dialogue of subjugated narratives in Architectural Education. The theoretical framework is underpinned by Jonathon Noble’s postcolonial perspective from his book African Identity in PostApartheid Public Architecture. Through this lens, a framework is provided in how architectural education can transcend colonial legacies by advocating for the integration of indigenous building systems.

 

This involved exploring a new pedagogical approach, focusing on how marginalized narratives of indigenous building techniques can contribute to Architectural Education, breaking the hegemony of colonial legacies in Architectural pedagogy. This approach involved setting up architectural assessments and explorative projects that engages in indigenous building techniques in research and technical application. This approach offered students a deeper understanding of local contexts, and materials that ultimately nurtured a culturally rooted, sustainable consciousness in architectural solutions that represented a connection with culturally identity while being responsive to climatic conditions. 

 

The exhibition presents various Architectural solutions of students work that explores how indigenous building techniques can inform innovative architectural solutions through the integration of Architectural Hybridity – A new blended architectural language of indigenous building techniques and emerging timber construction. This showcases how culture; sustainability can lead to innovative architectural solutions that can authentically represent local cultural identities and incorporate advanced construction technologies for sustainability and efficiency.