Mathematical aspects of educating architecture designers: a college study

Abstract

This paper considers a second-year Mathematical Aspects in Architectural Design course, which relies on a first-year mathematics course and offers mathematical learning as part of hands-on practice in architecture design studio. The 16-hour course consisted of seminar presentations of mathematics concepts, their application to covering the plane by regular shapes (tessellations), and an architecture design project. The course follow-up examined the features of mathematical learning in the studio environment using qualitative methods. It showed students’ curiosity and motivation to deepen in mathematical subjects and use them in their tessellation design projects. The majority of the students refreshed and practically applied their background mathematical knowledge, especially in calculus, on a need-to-know basis.

Acknowledgement

The study was supported by the Samuel Neaman Institute for Advanced Studies in Science and Technology.