Architectural Pedagogy for the Anthropocene: Theory, Critique, Typological Urbanism

The aim of this article is to develop an architectural pedagogy for the Anthropocene. I reflect on a project within a postgraduate architectural theory module to address the questions: How can architectural pedagogy articulate critical modes of production that contribute to quality education in the time of the Anthropocene? What are the ideas, values, and practices needed?

The method employed is close-reading of texts focused on three areas: critical theory and pedagogy, political theory and the Anthropocene, architectural theory and typological urbanism. These theoretical narratives are placed in dialogue with a reflection on a design research pedagogical project. The theoretical narratives and design research project seek to articulate the multidimensionality of critical education. The methodology enacted in the paper performs the pedagogy of the classroom.

The study yields compelling conclusions regarding the potential for rethinking the idea of typology under the pressure of the Anthropocene, and of critical pedagogy combined with design research to take positions on urgent political and social matters. I conclude with a toolkit of concepts, values, and knowledge practices.

At a time when disciplines tend toward discrete specialisation, while the need for knowledge production is ever more trans-disciplinary, this paper develops inventive techniques and conceptual frameworks for supporting approaches where different fields and ideas make contact as a collective task in the era of the Anthropocene. It updates theories of typology to address contemporary pressures.