Alexander Copping

Due to the holistic and often contradictory nature of sustainable design, learning for sustainability in the architectural design studio requires students to adopt critical and reflective practices. This research developed a reflective mapping framework to enable deep learning. It was created through a participatory action research methodology within a learning environment parallel to the design studio. The framework was used to inform approaches to sustainability at conceptual design stage. It encouraged participant engagement, understanding and reflection. This form of structured group learning is a possible alternative to the one-to-one tutorial for enabling deep learning in the design studio. The research highlights the importance of alternative learning environments to the design studio that can encourage critical reflection. This research contributes to design pedagogy by describing a methodology for enhancing deep learning for sustainability through participatory action.

The concept of sustainability is widely accepted in the design of the built environment; however, in architectural practice, there exist multiple, often competing, interpretations and agendas. This research analyses this variety and develops a unique framework that reveals actual and potential paths for sustainable design. In‐depth interviews were conducted with 24 high‐profile sustainable architecture practices in the United Kingdom. The data reveal a range of sustainable practice, which is grouped into consistent strategies. This forms the basis of an original evaluative framework that classifies alternative approaches providing a means to contextualise different, yet equally valid, design scenarios. The findings reconceptualise sustainable design paradigms and reveal new opportunities for enhancing practice. This has implications for professional organisations, who are able to shape practice through recognised standards, as well as designers themselves. It also has significance for the education of architects who are able to explore new avenues for sustainable design.