Rethinking Solar Geometry and Design Education in the Tropics: Limitations and Opportunities of Current Teaching Methods
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.20868/abe.2024.3.5410Keywords:
Solar geometry; daylight quality; educational resources; learning process; tropical climate, Solar geometry, daylight quality, educational resources, learning process, tropical climateAbstract
Traditional architecture teaching methods pose limitations in attaining a deep understanding of solar geometry and its impact on daylight design, especially in the Tropics. In the context of climate change, advancing teaching methods is imperative to enhance students' comprehension of buildings’ solar performance. While methods for daylighting analysis are well established, teaching methods for solar geometry have lacked attention. This study investigated common teaching tools and methods affecting students' learning. We conducted a survey comparing students’ knowledge in solar geometry and lighting design at two architecture schools in Costa Rica and Malaysia (n=153). Our findings show that students in both countries have low self-assessed knowledge of solar geometry, a preference for a combination of manual and digital learning tools, and a strong consensus on the importance of solar geometry knowledge for their educational and professional development, highlighting a need for improved teaching methods and tools tailored to tropical climates
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