Presentation Schedule
Bridging Theory and Practice: A Research-Led Approach to Spatial Practice Analysis in Architectural Education (101836)
Session Chair: David Coker
This presentation will be live-streamed via Zoom (Online Access)
Monday, 9 February 2026 11:55
Session: Session 1
Room: Live-Stream Room 1
Presentation Type: Live-Stream Presentation
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In architectural practice, a persistent disconnect exists between design intentions and lived experience. Students and architects design without understanding how spaces are actually used, leading to designs based on assumptions and biases that perpetuate poor design decisions. This limitation becomes particularly acute in strongly programmed building typologies where operational demands and human needs create competing spatial pressures. Finally, access and observation are often restricted through research ethics limitations, requiring new approaches in academia. Research-led pedagogy for a master's architecture project addressed how students can develop meaningful design responses for complex, culturally specific programmes. Within Henri Lefebvre's spatial triad framework, students investigated spatial practice—the interplay between physical space, organisational structures, and human activity—to mediate between design intentions and lived experience. The project tested whether systematic spatial practice analysis prior to design development enhances students' ability to create user-centred architectural responses. The pedagogical model, grounded in constructivist learning theory, was supported by inquiry-based approaches that challenge design assumptions. Students applied desktop methodology combining integrative literature review, media analysis, and document analysis to investigate three ethically sensitive contexts where direct fieldwork was not feasible. This approach democratises access to diverse spatial contexts, develops critical media literacy skills, and mirrors professional constraints where architects must synthesise available information without direct access. Assessment revealed shifts from aesthetic-focused approaches towards user-centred practice. Students developed empathy for users whose needs remain invisible in conventional programming, producing actionable design guidelines informed by observed spatial practices, whilst developing evidence-based decision-making capabilities increasingly important as the profession faces accountability demands.
Authors:
Janri Barker, University of Pretoria, South Africa
Inge Bosch, University of Pretoria, South Africa
Nabeela Pahad, University of Pretoria, South Africa
Robin Fourie, University of Pretoria, South Africa
Jako Nice, Tshwane University of Technology, South Africa
About the Presenter(s)
Ms Janri Barker is currently a lecturer in architecture with a focus on spatial practice, human-centred design, and universal design and access.
See this presentation on the full schedule – Monday Schedule
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