Being multi-, inter- and trans-disciplinary is a distinctive characteristic of architecture and all design practices. Starting with the program (or problem definition), through design conception, development and construction, all the way to accommodation, architectural practice inevitably and essentially necessitates the involvement and integration of a wide range of disciplines. It is hard to think of any other practice that involves as many disciplines as architecture does. Yet, we still feel the need to discuss the importance of interdisciplinarity, to emphasize the necessity of incorporating interdisciplinary strategies while talking about its education. Why interdisciplinarity? Why now?

Here, I argue that a critical assessment of the current models of architecture education and the need for adopting a fresh look leads us to go back to its basic premises, and to rethinking what architectural practice is. I suggest a reorganization of architecture education around themes, topics, issues and values that cut across the disciplines, instead of the current fragmentation through courses that focus on disciplines as discrete chunks of knowledge. Essentially, what I suggest is using the ‘act of design’, or design practice as a model to restructure the education of design.

Prof. Dr. Zuhal Ulusoy will be speaking at the TRANS_ARCH_EDU afternoon panel on
29 April Wednesday, 14:30
İzmir University of Economics, Faculty of Fine Arts and Design

Zuhal Ulusoy graduated with B.Arch and M.Arch. degrees from the Middle East Technical University, Ankara, Turkey. Receiving a Fulbright scholarship, she continued her graduate studies in the School of Architecture at Carnegie Mellon University (Pittsburgh, PA, USA), where she completed her M.Sc. and Ph.D. degrees in architecture and urban regeneration. In 1992, Dr. Ulusoy joined Bilkent University (Ankara, Turkey) as the Founding Chairperson of the Lands

cape Architecture and Urban Design Department. She was a visiting professor at Carnegie Mellon University’s School of Architecture in 2003-2004, where she taught senior level design studio and a course on housing. In 2005 she joined the newly founded Architecture Department of Izmir University of Economics. Since 2008, she has been working at Kadir Has University, Istanbul, Turkey, as the Dean of Faculty of Art and Design, and a faculty member in the

Architecture Department. She also serves in the Administrative Board of the Istanbul Studies Center at Kadir Has University. Her research interests include urban studies, particularly urban regeneration and transformation, as well as design education at various levels. Her articles and chapters on these areas have been published in various refereed journals and in books. She has taught courses on urban design, concepts in architecture, took part in foundation design studios and urban design studios, and supervised Master’s and Ph.D. theses.