Towards Implementing a Studio Culture Policy in the Department of Architecture of EMU – Students’ Perspective in Understanding Studio Culture

In the design studio, a predominant learning format to teach design in architectural education, students develop certain ways of doing things when occupying its space with learning activities and interactions that are often referred to as studio culture. In the architectural design studios in the Department of Architecture of EMU, studio culture is the experienced habits and traditions with, assumingly, minimum explicit indication of what constitutes its prime notions. Considering students’ perspectives, the purpose of this study is an attempt to establish an understanding of studio culture within the architectural design studios of EMU and explore the possibility of using this understanding for future implementation of what is known as a studio culture policy within the department’s current and future agenda for accreditation and international certification by organizations such as NAAB, MiAK…etc. To achieve this purpose, the study relied on four synthesized parameters as a base to build up an understanding of studio culture, these are pedagogical perspectives and learning culture, informal interactions of the studio, the physical space of the studio, and the values embedded within the studio. Taking these in mind, a Self-Administrated Questionnaire was used to collect and analyze data through exploratory and sequential mixed methods. From the data, studio culture in the architectural design studios of EMU was understood through twelve developed narratives that discussed these parameters and their interrelations and were situated, through documented considerations, within the process towards. implementing a studio policy in the Department of Architecture of EMU. The significance of this study comes from its bottom-up approach in understanding studio culture and its implementation of a studio policy. Heading up the process of the implementation with students’ perspectives on studio culture might be a fortified base in the process of implementing a reliable studio culture policy for the department. Keywords: Studio Culture Policy; Studio Culture; Architectural Design Studio; Educational Cultures