Julia Sarduy Teaching Philosophy
Inspiration and student active engagement are the key elements in the learning process. My style of teaching is to engage students in content-rich and compelling conversations and to involve them in understanding the relevance and significance of the subject of study. I emphasize the importance of effective design through a deep understanding of the history of architecture. I showcase and illustrate successful architectural systems and provide important examples of current design-schemes and contemporary dynamics to ensure that students not only have a deeper understanding of critical concepts, but to also instill new possibilities, set personal goals, and encourage creativity. The classroom, studio, or lab, should always be a space for experimentation, prototyping, questions, and discussion. To understand material relationships and spatial experiences, students must physically explore each option, and therefore, the work environment must involve hands-on modeling and creating. It is too often that students are cemented in their 3D software, clicking and orbiting around an object, becoming satisfied with these digital forms and failing to understand how elements actually come together and how projects are structurally sound. In this digitized society, it is important to remember the fundamentals of designing, and to recognize that the objects on the computer screen are virtual reality. In teaching, I reinforce the understanding of the physical reality of designs and concepts and ensure that the learning environment comprises making, experiencing, and generating advanced design solutions. Digital fabrication methods, environmental simulations, and rendering tools are of course very important. 3D-printing, laser-cutting, and CNC-milling, among other fabrication methods, should be highly regarded as building tools. These techniques in combination with the use of site and environmental analysis software can result in highly calculated projects that speak personally of our unique society and culture. A balance between the digital world and the physical reality is essential for successful design. Learning, moreover, should not be limited to the classroom; the entire city can be regarded as an educational environment for design students. My teaching concepts involve field trips to construction sites, successful architecture design elements and installations, and public experiences that encourage stimulating ideas. I have had the fortunate opportunity to be immersed in Florida’s developing design culture and in its eclectic identity. My understanding of such wide-ranging theories on spatial experiences, sustainable building materials, and urban relationships can be successfully applied to the ideologies of an evolving school of architecture. I consider teaching to be based on a symbiotic relationship between the teacher and the student. Teaching compels me to continue to learn and to broaden and strengthen my own skills in order to better help students. At the same time, I enjoy listening to and learning from
students and consider that learning is not a one-sided process, for the strongest achievements are acquired through engaging discussions. The questions and feedback I receive from students are impactful to me and help me immensely to grow as teacher and mentor to my students. Teaching is a remarkably rewarding experience that seeks to cultivate knowledge, to make of our students essential members of our community. In the field of architecture, this means to influence public spaces, solve architectural and urban planning problems, and improve the quality of city life. The impact of teaching extends well beyond the university. In molding future generations, educators guide and inspire the construction of a better world.