A “pulpitumic” school: The place to project architecture into the consciousness of the public

Abstract

Architectural pedagogy is distinctive from the traditional classroom learning due to its studio-based system. The majority of student time is spent in studios on tasks of developing and refining their designs. It is a direct reflection of passion and dedication towards architectural learning.

But this passion is rarely exposed to the public, and the public seldom realized the hard work needed to create the built environment they live in. A place is needed to project the importance of architecture into the consciousness of the public audience.

At the present time, the building for the Unitec School of Architecture is causing seclusion from public and constraints on its spatial organisation. It does not advertise its education to the public and the architecture was never designed for its current programme. This has presented an opportunity to design a new building as an exploration of a typological architectural expression for architectural education. It could also become a place to publicise architecture, so it becomes a ‘pulpitumic’ school. The passion and dedication of students will no longer be hidden; their skill and artistry will be showcased to a wider audience.

This project is an architectural dialogue between the public realm and the school realm. The merge of both realms is essential to give ‘pulpitumic’ qualities to this new school of architecture.