Revolutionizing architectural education: Decade-long Design Build Initiative at AUS wins international award

The innovative Design Build Initiative (DBI) of American University of Sharjah (AUS) has garnered global recognition from the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture (ACSA) for its distinguished approach to design-build education. 

Having received ACSA’s Collaborative Practice Award by the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture (ACSA), the decade-long DBI serves as a successful alternative teaching model to conventional practices and embodies the College of Architecture, Art and Design’s (CAAD) collective approach to hands-on education that is integrated into all levels of its curriculum.

The annual Collaborative Practice Award honors best practices in university-based and community- engaged programs and recognizes innovative and sustained initiatives that extend design education beyond the classroom and into communities.

Design-build programs at architecture schools prepare students for real-world practice. Not only do they design the project, they also participate in its construction. What makes the AUS DBI revolutionary is that it empowers students to directly engage in the creation process, fostering agency in the civic, social and environmental development of the region. The initiative was designed to address and avoid shortcomings in the academic design-build model common in North America. It also addresses the conventional approach to education and professional practice in the region, which typically separates design from construction, often perceiving architecture as surface decoration.

“In a traditional design build-pedagogical model, a single faculty member leads 12 to 15 students while managing responsibility for all aspects related to client engagement, logistics, liability, accounting, construction supervision and turn-key delivery. These are extraordinary tasks and entail considerable physical and mental strain, which ultimately leads to a disconnect between the teaching workload and project responsibilities, jeopardizing the program's long-term viability. Meanwhile, the AUS DBI foregrounds a team-based approach, shared responsibility, curricular integration and fluid teaching assignments that eschew individual entitlement or course ownership. Individual faculty members do not teach the same fabrication courses or design-build studios repeatedly. This relatively large pool of engaged faculty allows for a platoon system that keeps everyone fresh,” said Dr. Michael Hughes, Professor in Architecture and DBI program founder. 

Led by the DBI Collaborative Faculty Team Michael Hughes, Bill Sarnecky, Ammar Kalo, Patrick Rhodes, Ken Tracy, Emily Baker, Marcus Farr, Greg Spaw, Juan Roldan, Camilo Cerro, Jason Carlow, and George Newlands and former CAAD faculty members Daniel Chavez and Matt Trimble; the initiative is built on community engagement. 

Over the past 12 years, DBI faculty have led hands-on studios and elective seminars whose completed projects have won three ACSA Design-Build awards, appeared in three Journal of Architecture Education publications and received eight regional American Institute of Architects design awards– the only projects on campus to receive such prestigious recognition.

“The AUS DBI has been path breaking for architectural education in the region over the past decade, leaving a visible imprint on the profession and the communities we serve. By instilling a deeper understanding of the built environment, the initiative cultivates graduates who are not only adept designers but also skilled builders and engaged citizens. The lasting impact of this paradigm shift extends beyond individual projects, influencing the broader discourse on architecture and emphasizing the importance of hands-on learning in shaping sustainable and resilient communities for the future,” said Dr. Varkki Pallathucheril, Dean of CAAD. 

A versatile professional with more than 11 years of experience, architecture alumnus Layth Mahdi was part of the inaugural project produced in a CAAD Design Build Studio, known as the Display Wall. Maintaining a passion for designing spaces, he is currently Autonomous Systems Team Leader at Dubai Future Foundation, leading the design and development of a number of autonomous systems products ranging from collaborative mobile robots to autonomous delivery Robots.  

“Our Design Build Studio kicked off with a master plan challenge. Working in groups, we each selected a potential construction site for our projects. We ultimately chose CAAD’s main entrance, recognizing its dual significance as a student gateway and a showcase for student work. The wall was designed to signify the college entrance while also functioning as a display unit that seamlessly transitions into a seating bench,” explained Mahdi.

He believes that unlike traditional studios where students focus primarily on design, CAAD’s Design Build Studios allow students to actively participate in the construction, from concept development to fabrication and assembly. 

“This experiential learning model allows students to gain practical skills, understand construction techniques, and experience the real-world challenges of bringing architectural designs to life. Working on this project has been a valuable learning experience for me.  On the design side, I learned about considering various factors in architectural conceptualization and integrating functionality with aesthetics for visual coherence. Engaging in construction work deepened my understanding of the design-build process, emphasizing attention to detail and effective communication for project success. This experience has equipped me with skills and insights that will shape my future in architecture,” he said. 

Having recently graduated with a Master of Architecture from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and started working at Sharqia Development Authority in Saudi Arabia, Nada AlMulla, a 2017 AUS architecture graduate and recipient of the Christo and Jeanne Claude Award by ADMAF, was part of the Gatehouse/Garden project in her fifth-year Design Build Studio.

“The project was a defining milestone in our education, because it allowed us to put into practice the theoretical knowledge of architecture we had accumulated in the preceding years. The whole design experience was stimulating in its fast-paced nature. We made quick sketch models and quicker decisions. We voted on design ideas and rapidly iterated on them. We continuously oscillated between design at a macro and micro scale. The second phase of the project, building, was equally invigorating. We gained an understanding of different material behaviors and learned to pay attention to how materials and parts come together and interact. We addressed one unexpected challenge after the other and learned to be adaptable and creative throughout the whole process,” she said.

AlMulla added: “What sets apart our education is the experimental- and process-based approach which encourages students to embrace moments of curiosity and creativity, and to learn by doing; learning almost becomes a process of discovery. Another advantage that distinguishes our school is its capacity to cater to a diverse range of interests in design education—from digital fabrication and computational design to artistic experimentation, to history and theory, and so on.”  

Supported by a host of new fabrication labs, the initiative also receives annual financial support from the AUS Provost’s Special Initiative Funding.

Faysal Tabbarah, Associate Professor and Associate Dean of CAAD, has an intimate understanding of the initiative.

“As both an alumnus of the undergraduate architecture program (Class of 2008), a current faculty member and Associate Dean, I am uniquely positioned to offer an incisive perspective on the impact of the DBI initiative on both the faculty body and the students. A wide range of faculty members, particularly junior faculty, have been provided with the teaching opportunities, budget and guidance necessary to begin or expand their fabrication-based scholarship. Along with all the successes, perhaps most surprising has been the high degree of collegiality and sustained collaborations among faculty members that continue to take place from seeds sown within the DBI. As for the students, the initiative provides a platform for early on-site experience that positions them well as they begin their careers in architecture and the allied fields,” he said.

The College of Architecture, Art, and Design is a vibrant hub of creativity and innovation. With its dynamic interdisciplinary approach, the college nurtures aspiring architects and designers to become leaders in their fields. Through a combination of rigorous academic programs, hands-on learning experiences and cutting-edge facilities, students are equipped with the skills and knowledge needed to tackle real-world challenges and shape the future of design. The college's commitment to excellence is reflected in its world-class faculty, diverse student body and collaborative partnerships with industry leaders. 

To know more about CAAD, visit www.aus.edu/caad.