The Elephant in the Room: How neoliberal architecture education undermines wellbeing

Journal article


Troiani, I. (2021). The Elephant in the Room: How neoliberal architecture education undermines wellbeing. Charrette AAE. 7 (2), pp. 11-35.
AuthorsTroiani, I.
Abstract

This essay examines the performative space of neoliberal architectural education in the United Kingdom, its history, attributes and values, focusing on staff and student wellbeing in relation to work-time. Here, it is argued that the unhealthy and imbalanced long work hours culture of the architectural design studio, which has been exacerbated under neoliberalism and post- pandemic through online studio teaching, needs to be acknowledged as ‘the elephant in the room’ of architectural education. As a workspace in which unhealthy work practices are acculturated, and consequently perpetuated from the university into the architect’s work life, the vertical unit system encourages a competitive ego culture at the expense of a balanced work life. In a neoliberal market economy, how might architectural design studio education be reframed to enhance wellbeing?

Keywordsneoliberalism, architecture, pedagogy, wellbeing, work-time
Year2021
JournalCharrette AAE
Journal citation7 (2), pp. 11-35
PublisherAssociation of Architectural Educators
Publication dates
Print01 Sep 2021
Publication process dates
Deposited13 Nov 2023
Accepted author manuscript
License
File Access Level
Open
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https://openresearch.lsbu.ac.uk/item/91w0z

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Accepted author manuscript
C7.2.E08_FM_ITs+edits_12.09.2021.pdf
License: CC BY-NC-ND
File access level: Open

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