ABSTRACT
The magnitude of the climate change crisis is often perceived to be of such a scale that it is either insurmountable or the solutions are beyond the scope of the design professions. At the University of Pretoria’s Architecture Department in South Africa, we challenge that notion by establishing an educational ecosystem where we nurture and capacitate students to develop as responsive architects. Rather than teaching a single module on climate change, we aim to engender an empathetic and ecologically responsible design practice through a series of modules that challenge traditional modes of practice. This chapter discusses the various tactics that inform a transformative educational journey structured along disruptive dilemmas prompting personal and collective inquiries, rather than building a prescribed expertise. These include value-driven and paradigm inquiries acknowledging interbeing and holistic connectedness, multi-disciplinary inquiries, critical reflection, triple loop learning, ‘connected knowing’ and empathetic design inquiries. As an outcome, students often identify solutions beyond the scope of the architecture discipline, confronting both the lecturer and student with several limitations to the conventional role of architects. As a contribution, this chapter discusses this educational ecosystem that actively questions the role of architects as responsible citizens and considers the educational transition necessary to develop a profession that is instrumental in driving both climate impact and action. The chapter concludes by postulating a transition in the practice of architecture where an alternative role of the profession as change agent may manifest.
