In the midst of things: a spatial account of teaching in the design studio

The role of the material space of the studio is underarticulated in design pedagogy, despite the studio being distinctive and central to design education. This underarticulation represents challenges when defending space and its occupation, designing new studio spaces and for those interested in ways in which the material space of the studio can enhance learning experiences. In this paper, I argue that spatial accounts of learning and teaching can begin to address this underarticulated and under-researched area of design education. Specifically, this paper develops spatial accounts by focusing on design tutors’ experiences and practices of teaching in the studio. Using ethnographic mapping and interviews with design tutors to show embodied and spatial accounts of teaching in the design studio offer new lenses with which to understand design education teaching practices.