PAR-Based Architectural Pedagogy: A Case Study of Gridshell Design and Built Projects

This paper suggests a pedagogical strategy that roots in the notion of participatory action research (PAR). This methodology advocates a heuristic learning-by-doing process that hinges on recent computational design technologies, digital fabrication, and extended reality techniques. The paper uses lightweight gridshell structures designed and built by undergraduate architectural students, as a demonstrator, to discuss their design exploration workflows based on the cyclic interactions between the digital and physical content. The result highlights a latent teaching approach that encourages architectural students to gain knowledge bottom-up and to seek design solutions through trial and error.