V. I. Iovlev

Flexibility of the Modern Educational

Process in Architecture

The flexibility of the architectural educational process is determined by dynamic in the interaction of two line: social-professional, connected with external factors and educational-professional, depend on the internal reasons.

The social-professional plan

Awareness as a one of basic psychological categories , is interested for the investigation in the way of professional problems of architects. On the border of new Millenium this form of reflection is changed due to influence of some factors :

- the transformation of scientific and artistic pictures of the world;

- sharp social– economical, ecological, geopolitical , ideological development;

- change in methodology, methods, and aids of professional architectural activity.

The preliminary elaboration the problem of modeling the professional architectural awareness , makes it possible to propose hypothesis of that process structure . This hypothesis is founded on some traditional for Russian psychological thinking categories and ideas (Leontjev,1983) .
First of all it is necessary to say about static foundation of the structure. It may be represented as an external and internal plans combination. These plans are interacting within 3 levels : subconscious , conscious and superconscious . Vertical links of this structure are carried out through forms of psychological activity ( thinking , perception , behavior) , and horizontal – through the interaction of professional architect with social and physical environment . It is realizing within the process of creative activity , which may be represented as a satisfaction the human need in selfrealization .
External plan is represented by social , economical , technical and other factors, which influence the mind of the architect . So, the external modification of the architectural awareness influences the internal psychological reasons , which seem to be the important part of the professional level of reflection .
On it’ s turn , the professional reflection is realizing through the activity, which is directed to the architectural environmental change , and accordingly , influences the social reflection of architecture .
Internal plan of conscious is a spiritual phenomenon , which like zoom brings to the focus most important aspects of profession. In accordance with this our hypothesis, the focus itself is constantly moving and widening . The pulsative moving of the focus is directed to the social phenomenon, the fact , that is confirmed by periodical actualization of social problems of architecture . Widening of the focus means not only widening interests and field of vision of the architect , but at the same time it promotes the development of the professional activity methods . The professional mind focus may be manifested by some forms of expressions : categories and notions , values , conceptions , ideas. Modification of categories and notions occurs gradually , step by step , and reserved . First of all it is used by scientist – philosophies within methodological investigations , then it used by theoreticians, after that architectural experts , and later the rest persons , which mind represents so – called ordinary awareness .
The history gives numerous examples of pulsate migration of professional thinking basic categories . Architecture was considered predominantely as a building , or , as an ensemble , or as a space , as an environment and at last ,as a process .At that categories , that already used, not die away, but on the contrary, enriches the architectural professional field . Architects from time to time appeal to this arsenal , for example in periods , denoted with prefixes ‘post’ or ‘neo’ . The awareness focus that times not simply returns to starting point , but expands, removes and brings to the light new tangle of problems , where the known categories are represented in new combinations and points of view.
The change of the architectural image of the world is most brightly illustrated by dynamic of space – time vision . In this respect it is fruitfully to appeal to the experience of architectural activity . That experience includes numerous examples of modeling , which accordance to different forms of space imagination , starting with 2 – dimensional drawings of Ancient Egyptians and linear prospective of Leonardo da Vinchy’s time , finishing by 4 – dimensional kinetic compositions and models.
Widening of the professional activity’s focus is realized by addition of space measures and by moving of psychological accents in the consequence : real , perceptual , conceptual , virtual space . Virtual space , in distinct from conceptual space , is created not only by the mind , but by new space modeling aids . This form of space existence peculiar to modern awareness and influences its joint structure . It is realized by widening of awareness sphere, by enriching architectural thinking , and zooming attention at new technical aids : computer , mass media , internet , etc.
Professional values are closely connected with basic concepts of architectural thinking . They represented by social , ordinal , and professional judgements : in a philosophical , scientific , moral and aesthetic aspects . Here the traditional and most popular system of architectural form qualities are manifested by such notions as ‘structural’, ‘functional’, ‘plastic’, ‘typological’,’informational’. Exploration of architect’s judgements values provided in Ekaterinburg ( Russia), makes it possible to reveal 4 main groups of such categories :

- ecological – psychological values ,
- values of composition and ensemble ,
- values of information ,
- values of activity .

These groups , on it’s tern , include particular judgements , for example , ecopsychological qualities represented by values of comfort , purity, naturality, these values reflects attitude of architects not only to the environment but to themselves . Thus , it is a form of professional self-awareness . Self-awareness on its turn , is directery connected with the social status of architects , that is changed from time to time . A conception , as a phenomenon of the architectural thinking plays the role of stimulator within psychological processes . It manifests itself the mostly bright by conception of architectural form . It’s dynamics is reflected here through 2 factors . Basic concepts may be considered within the processional – environmental plan ( new notions – field , energy , force , dynamics) and social – psychological plan ( identification , orientation , needs ) . The alteration of architectural formalistic conception , that is typical for our time , transferes accents from antropocentric to ecocentric approaches .
This tendency is watched in architectural – compositional process , while architect is working at form , whereby main principles of static compositional systems (layerness , structuralness , wholeness , diversity ) are transformed into principles of self developmental systems ( chronotopological character , inbuiltedness , synchronizes ecological bias purposefulness ) (Iovlev,1996). .Accordingly , the arsenal of compositional categories is supplemented by new concepts.
Thus , viewing architectural awareness as a process , one can certify its typical characteristics and features for the moment . As for characteristics , they are represented by some tendency :

- zooming of vision , when the central sharp point is moving;
- pulsation and widening of internal plan focus;
- nonlinear character;
- dialogical character , manifested as an interaction of 2 plans : external and internal .

The modern situation stimulated videning of social field of architectural activity , that depends on promotion of the social status of architect . Accordingly , it rise level of his self-awareness , first of all in psychological and ecological respects . It promotes new creative thinking , that is closely connected with widening of computer aids and using of global informational nets. These facts extremely influence the methodology of the architectural edication.

Educational-professional plan

Educational-professional plan of the architectural development reflects not only the change of the activity external conditions, but, at the same time, the certain stability, connected with the preservation of academical and fundamental educational values. These values are fixed within predominate methodology, methodics and traditions.
In the Ural Architectural School (Ekaterinburg, Russia) the methodology of the architectural education mostly bright manifests itself in the course Principles of Architectural Design. This course brings to the light basic principles of the development of the professional architectural thinking, and, in a certain measure, reflects the change of the professional consciousness.
Educational-professional plan architectural consciousness development, in that case, follows the idea of ecological-psychological dynamism. These are principles of wholeness, individual approach, environmental intuitivism, orientation to the positive selfdevelopment of the man.

Intuitivism as a methodology of the architectural education

Theoretically, intuitivist thinking seeks to grasp the inner meaning of a phenomenon, while practically it is aimed at creating a new product, achieving a creative result. It implies direct apprehension of truth (Lossky, 1953). Intuitivism is of great importance in creative activity as a specitic state of subconscious thinking drawing on the information energy field of the mankind. We do not oppose this method to rational congnition.On the contrary, the principle of wholeness, requires that all the forms of cognition be synthesized in a new entity (Bohm, 1984). Moreover, we consider intuitivism to be an independent methological approach charactiristic primarily of spiritual, humanitarian and artistic activities.
What are then the principles of applying this method to the task of artistic training of architects?
The language of art is polysemantic. As regards the art of architecture the polysemantic character of its language is enhanced by the specific features of this genre associated with the artistic and functional (or rational) organization of form. The layered structure of architectural artistic image itself stimulates the formation of syncretic professional thinking. Integrity is deeply innerent in the creative element of professional work. It is not be accident that the forms of intuitive cognition organically fit in with more formal, more perceptible frames of the creative process, while practical intuitive methods are connected with the general methods of intensive creative work, being directed at solving one problem, i.e. to further unveil the potentual of the subconcious.
Evidently, various forms of the subconsious may be associated with specific activities and can manifest themselves in specific professional forms of thinking. In architectural thinking, this finds its expression in the use of spatial, or, to be more exact, spatial-temporal categories used for organizing the environment. Considering the nature of architectural work, the reflection of a spatial-temporal environment in images may be regarded as quintessence of artistic architectural thinking with "chronotope" taken as its unit, or the element of the language of architecture.
Artistic cognition of architectural environment may incide intuitive prediction, studying works of art on a given there , using the experience and methods from other genres of art to model the environment.
The prestige of an arhitectural school depends not only on the general professional level of its graduates, but also on their capacity for original thinking. The latter is determined by educational traditions, specific regional features of the artistic thinking, deeply rooted in folk art.
Regionalization in education is associated with the implementation of regional psychology, regional artistic and cultural traditions. "The spirit of the place", the spirit of a particular local space and time carries with it an emotional artistic potential, creates an information field serving as fertile soil for creativity. This "spirit of the place" shows itself in the general manner of thinking and is grasped intuitively. The notion "school" implies also the characteristic features of the place where this school is located.
Intuitivism, which draws on the traditions of spiritual life and humanitarianism is a specific feature of artistic thinking in general and architectural thinking in particular. This refers also to the problem of the revival and expansion of humanitarian teaching methods as well. In this connection, such an effective form of spiritual cognition as thinking in images becomes a means of not only "originalization" but also intensification of the development of professional qualities in the archiect or artist. However, the potentials of iconic thinking are used but little, which is evidenced by the experienced gained in various creative activities (science, technology and art). The formalization of professional thinking, which is essential to professional development, is realized at a later stage, often after the architect has reached maturity. "Computer" thinking, which is rapidly developing as the result of the introduction of computer-aided design in architectural work, presents a new form of the synthesis of the rational and the intuitive.

Interaction of plans

Interaction of social-professional and educational-professional plans determines the dynamic of architectural training. Unevenness of social and professional development predeterminates one of these conception domination in a certain historical period. In Russia during last ten years, one can to observe the emphasis to the social-professional values. The social changes mark the beginning of that. Educational sphere, which demonstrated its priority by the development the janres of "paper architecture", "architectural fantasy", conceptualism, starts to reduction due to the influence of practice and market system. The new system radically influences key notions, conception of the form, dominate values.
Generally speaking characteristics of the architectural education as a process, include factors of energy (effectiveness), speed (intensity), bias (orientation).At present day these characteristics express such new tendencies: widening of the knowledge sphere, increase in the quantaty of subjects, development of new economic forms of educational process organization, intensification, improvement of the procedure for certification, evaluation, and competitional selection. The latter is a consequence of rise a prestige of the profession and respectability of the student audience.

References

Bohm, D.1984 Wholeness and Implicated Order. London: ARK Paperbacks.

 Iovlev, V.I. 1996. Ecopsychology for Architects: Process and

Form.Ekaterinburg:Architecton.

Zeontjev,A.N.1983. Select Psychological Works in Two Volumes. Moskow:

Pedagogica.

Lossky, N.O. 1953. The Teaching about Transformation: Intuitivism. Moscow:

Progress Publisher, 1992.

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