Communication dynamics in architectural design process: A case study on an interdisciplinary student workshop experience

The architectural design process is characterized by the necessity of collaboration among diverse stakeholders. The demands of the modern world, coupled with technological advancements and rapid production expectations, require the establishment of interdisciplinary work environments. Such collaboration brings together the perspectives and expertise of individuals from various disciplines, ultimately generating more comprehensive and practical design solutions. The significance of integrating interdisciplinary environments into architectural education is underscored in the existing literature. However, a review of studies related to interdisciplinary settings in architectural education reveals a notable deficiency in research addressing communication dynamics. Consequently, this study aims to fill this gap by examining communication dynamics during the design process, with the goal of enhancing the efficient integration of interdisciplinary environments into architectural education, particularly in conflict situations. This thesis focuses on the data derived from two distinct interdisciplinary student workshops to investigate the communication dynamics within interdisciplinary environments. The primary objective is to identify the dynamics that enable architecture students to effectively navigate the communication challenges they may encounter in interdisciplinary projects. To achieve this, the study first analyzes group interactions and dynamics. The analysis of communication dynamics is informed by observation notes, memos generated from reviewing video recordings taken during the workshops, and data obtained from participant interviews regarding specific conflict instances shown to the participants after the workshops. The findings indicate that conflicts and the methods employed to resolve them are fundamentally rooted in cognitive and interactional factors. The study categorizes these conflict dynamics, solution strategies, and aspects of unresolved conflicts. It emphasizes the importance of a holistic evaluation of communication dynamics, employing the Multimodal Discourse Analysis method informed by analytical tools from Conversation Analysis to elucidate both verbal and non-verbal communication elements. The findings indicate that conflict management yields varying effects depending on the nature of the conflict. Conflicts arise from a multitude of factors, including cognitive aspects such as differing disciplinary perspectives, gaps in technical knowledge, and personal differences, as well as interactional elements like interruptions, silence, lack of active listening, facial expressions, and body language. While these conflicts can sometimes serve as a foundation for learning and the creation of shared meaning, they can also lead to unresolved blockages. The analysis reveals that the reasons behind unresolved conflicts are largely interactional and investigates the dynamics of communication. A thorough examination of these communication dynamics underscores the importance of holistic approaches that integrate both verbal and non-verbal communication to foster mutual understanding in interdisciplinary environments. As such, the effectiveness of various elements of verbal communication—such as seeking a transition relevance place to take the turn during conversations, conflict management approaches of communication, silence management, turn taking, and tone of voice—alongside non-verbal communication elements like modality use, gestures, facial expressions, and body language in moments of conflict, is highlighted. In this context, suggestions for enhancing the verbal and non-verbal communication competencies of architecture students are briefly discussed.