Author
Abstract
Concepts are considered as an important part in the architectural design process and play a major role in achieving new and distinctive products. They are the life giving of architecture and represent a means to understanding the essence of the project. Forming concept is no easy way; it requires intensive and creative efforts. From reading previous studies on concepts and realizing their importance, and the problems that block skill development in conceptualizing for designers including architectural students, one easily realizes the lack in knowledge in the nature of concepts which is seen in the products of students in the Iraqi architectural schools.
This paper tries to point out the lack in a clear understanding of the nature of concepts in the products of students of Iraqi schools of architecture. The aim, therefore, is to explain this. The research procedure involves several steps, the first of which is setting an operational definition of concept in architecture and a comprehensive theoretical framework to pinpoint concepts in architectural products in general. Secondly, hypotheses are put forward and a sample for analysis is selected from the products of the third year students in the Department of Architecture of the University of Technology. Thirdly, results are analyzed and conclusions are drawn.
The research has reached two types of conclusions: The first is concerned with drawing up a theoretical framework of architectural concept in architectural products in general. The second type covers the results of analysis. The research concludes that the students, in general, are under the influence of contemporary international architectural trends in the field of creating distinctive and novel products, but the nature and degree of this influence vary. The research has also succeeded in defining the nature of students’ concepts in the field of each variable that has been tested, resulting in a new knowledge description.
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