{"id":144411,"date":"2025-09-18T00:51:14","date_gmt":"2025-09-18T00:51:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/144411\/"},"modified":"2025-09-18T00:51:14","modified_gmt":"2025-09-18T00:51:14","slug":"teaching-empathy-new-approaches-to-architecture-education-in-latin-america","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/144411\/","title":{"rendered":"Teaching Empathy: New Approaches to Architecture Education in Latin America"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Teaching<\/a>Construction group for the Circo-l\u00f4 at the IDE Association, in Botucatu | SP. Photo: Tomaz Lotufo<\/p>\n

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Historically, the first universities<\/a> in the contemporary model were established in Europe<\/a> to educate elites for the State and the Church, rather than to promote social emancipation<\/a>. With the rise of capitalism, they became privileged centers for producing and reproducing modern Western culture. However, from the 1960s onward\u2014particularly after the student uprisings of May 1968\u2014the academic focus shifted toward market-oriented values, displacing humanist and critical ideals<\/a>. The humanities lost prominence, while technical fields gained central importance, often at the expense of reflecting on the social impact of their work.<\/p>\n

\"Teaching<\/a>\"Teaching<\/a>\"Teaching<\/a>\"Teaching<\/a>\"Teaching+ 6<\/a><\/p>\n

In the era of neoliberal globalization, this trend intensified. In Latin America<\/a>, many architecture and urbanism programs aligned more closely with capital interests than with social needs, prioritizing standardized, abstract solutions over local realities<\/a>. Yet this is not universal: new initiatives<\/a> are emerging to challenge this model, particularly in response to twenty-first-century challenges such as the climate crisis, urban inequality, and the urgent need for sustainable, inclusive practices. Against this backdrop, a critical question arises: how can we educate architects to act both creatively and critically<\/a> while engaging with Latin America<\/a>\u2019s complex realities?<\/p>\n

\"Teaching\u00a9 Tomaz Lotufo<\/a><\/p>\n

Architectural education worldwide faces significant challenges amid rapid social, environmental, and cultural change. While the world evolves, many classrooms remain tied to traditional models that focus almost exclusively on technical and aesthetic concerns, keeping the profession distant from society\u2019s real needs. This approach reflects the legacy of modernism<\/a>, which emphasizes form and positions architectural design at the center of professional practice<\/a>, often at the expense of experimentation and hands-on experience.<\/p>\n

Architectural Education in Latin America<\/a>: Seeking Alternative Approaches<\/p>\n

In Latin America<\/a>, this scenario, complex in itself, is aggravated by specific challenges that directly influence architectural education. Although the region is part of the so-called “global village<\/a>,” it faces unique problems<\/a>, such as profound inequality in income distribution, extreme poverty, the expansion of informal settlements in overcrowded metropolises, and intense migration flows, both internal and external. These factors produce critical deficits in infrastructure and housing, demanding urgent solutions from professionals. In response, scholars have proposed an “alternative thought of alternatives,” rooted in a Southern epistemology<\/a> that seeks to unlearn entrenched concepts and relearn from local knowledge. This perspective enables architects to address social issues with a genuinely Latin American vision\u2014more sensitive and attuned to the region\u2019s specific needs.<\/p>\n

\"TeachingSondoveni Communal Center. Image Courtesy of ConstruyeIdentidad<\/a><\/p>\n

This approach also counters the overemphasis on international references and timelines, such as the universalized culture of reinforced concrete, which marginalizes other construction techniques, or the focus on sole authorship<\/a>, which positions the architect as the only creator. Such tendencies reduce academic debate on Latin American architecture and obscure the constructive and spatial heritage of Indigenous and African peoples<\/a>. As a result, students risk becoming disconnected from the sociocultural realities around them, limiting their engagement with local challenges and opportunities.<\/p>\n

This disconnection may be the central issue, as rethinking twenty-first-century architectural education requires fostering empathy. Architect Juhani Pallasmaa<\/a> argues that education should cultivate “empathetic imagination,” the ability to deeply understand the experiences of those who will inhabit designed spaces. Many architects can build walls but remain unaware of the lives unfolding beyond them. Promoting empathy in education<\/a> means integrating history and sociocultural context, encouraging students to design in a more human-centered, connected way\u2014truly seeing what happens behind these walls.<\/p>\n

\"TeachingCourtesy of COURB Brasil<\/a>Educating in Context: Spaces, Subjects, and Objects<\/p>\n

Ortiz and Trachana<\/a> identify three essential dimensions for education in this context: learning spaces, which extend beyond the classroom; learning subjects, involving diverse actors in collaborative processes; and learning objects, practices directly linked to real societal challenges. Together, these dimensions support a more critical, practical, and contextually grounded education.<\/p>\n

Learning Spaces (Where)<\/p>\n

Architectural education is evolving beyond classrooms to recognize that learning can occur anywhere\u2014on the street, in public squares, during conversations on a bus, or through observing and interacting with the surrounding world. This perspective values experiential, living learning drawn from diverse sources. Rather than relying solely on information transmission, it promotes collaborative, context-connected approaches where students actively participate.<\/p>\n

\"TeachingJerusalen de Mi\u00f1aro Primary School \/ Semillas. Courtesy of Semillas<\/a><\/p>\n

In Brazil, the “Floresta Cidade”<\/a> project at the Federal University<\/a> of Rio de Janeiro collaborates with favelas in Gamboa and Mar\u00e9, as well as Indigenous communities, to promote more sustainable and democratic cities. Organized across city, neighborhood, backyard, home, and body scales, it identifies strategic “forest points” that integrate nature as a central feature. The project combines academic and traditional knowledge through activities that allow students to experience the city directly.<\/p>\n

Learning Subjects (Who)<\/p>\n

Through workshops and community activities, students engage with real people\u2014individuals with stories, faces, and concrete needs\u2014giving meaning to the act of designing. Such contact fosters mutual exchange and a network of collective, living knowledge. Teachers shift from distant evaluators to mediators who encourage listening, dialogue, and critical reflection. By involving users in the creative process, projects gain depth and social relevance, moving beyond learning focused solely on personal or academic goals.<\/p>\n

\"TeachingSanjaynagar Slum Redevelopment Project – Participatory design process underway with residents. Image Courtesy of Community Design Agency<\/a><\/p>\n

For example, the Universidad Nacional de La Plata in Argentina organizes “Community Dialogue Cycles<\/a>,” regular meetings between academics, professionals, and residents. These dialogues address urban planning, sustainability, and heritage, sharing knowledge about traditional and contemporary practices while strengthening community bonds through mutual learning.<\/p>\n

Learning Objects (How)<\/p>\n

Architectural education extends beyond technical skill development to prepare professionals capable of driving social transformation. Internships and practical projects allow students to work with real situations, fostering community learning, collaboration, and stronger peer connections. This hands-on experience\u2014beyond drawing, including discussion and engagement with space\u2014enhances critical understanding and encourages innovative solutions. The goal is to educate architects who are creative, environmentally conscious, socially engaged, and equipped to face twenty-first-century challenges, combining technical expertise with empathy and ethical responsibility.<\/p>\n

In rural Colombia, the National University<\/a> has implemented participatory architecture projects, collaborating with local communities to develop housing and urban solutions that respect cultural traditions and local needs. Students participate in all stages, from diagnosis to execution, promoting practical, context-aware learning.<\/p>\n

\"TeachingJerusalen de Mi\u00f1aro Primary School \/ Semillas. Courtesy of Semillas<\/a><\/p>\n

In a world marked by rising inequality, media dominance, and weakened democratic institutions, education becomes the driving force<\/a> for understanding and transforming the relationship between people and their spaces. Therefore, architectural education must be reimagined: replacing abstract, universalist methodologies with empirical, intuitive, and context-sensitive approaches that value Latin America\u2019s tectonic and cultural diversity. In this way, learning transcends mere model reproduction and becomes a space for resistance and innovation, forming empathetic professionals capable not only of designing buildings but of transforming realities.<\/p>\n

This article is part of the ArchDaily Topics: Architecture<\/a> Without Limits: Interdisciplinarity and New Synergies. Every month we explore a topic in-depth through articles, interviews, news, and architecture projects. We invite you to learn more about our ArchDaily Topics<\/a>. And, as always, at ArchDaily we welcome the contributions of our readers; if you want to submit an article or project, contact us<\/a>.<\/p>\n