Design of our buildings, cities, spaces and places has conventionally focused on aspects such as aesthetics, form & materials. Architecture has been viewed, in the educational milieu and within practice settings, as an exercise in fine art – conceiving & crafting buildings as poetic sculptures. The present paper directly challenges this posturing, arguing that the successful design of built environments must move beyond focus on the ‘container’ to also elevate and celebrate the ‘contained’- that is, users of our spaces and places. A shift from emphasis on formal and artistic dimensions of architecture to an embrace of people and acknowledgement of the social side of the equation prove essential at the current juncture. This paper considers aspects of a 5-year transdisciplinary, inter-sectoral and precedent-setting funded research project addressing ‘Quality in Canada’s Built Environment’. Moving well beyond the traditional insular approach where architects determine definitions of ‘quality’, the project collides diverse disciplines, such as architecture, landscape architecture, social work, medicine and sociology, to broaden our understanding of quality of design and quality of life in our cities. The research is novel in its inclusion of many seats at the table: all levels of government, many disciplines from academia, a range of professional fields, and a spectrum of community partners (e.g., homelessness, poverty reduction, sustainability, etc.). The paper outlines means & methods for innovation, including impacts on pedagogy, influence on awards programs, and reform of policy & regulatory systems. Respect for the importance of lived experience is central to the strategy.

Authors:
Brian R. Sinclair, University of Calgary & Sinclairstudio Inc., Canada

About the Presenter(s)
Dr Brian R. Sinclair is a University Professor/Principal Lecturer at University of Calgary in Canada

See this presentation on the full schedule – Saturday Schedule

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