The understanding of the current state of architecture is reflected in all types of teaching guaranteed by the department, i.e. the teaching of the basic studio and foundations of architectural design, the subject of ecology and a total of five design studios.
Being on the same “wavelength” does not mean suppressing various individualities and differences in accents. So far the department’s most important action was the AIR House project for the international student’s competition Solar Decathlon 2013, in which some of the instructors and a large of group of students of master’s and doctorate studies participated. At an exhibition in Los Angeles, USA the team won a bronze medal in the overall ratings and a gold medal in the rating of architecture. By relocating AIR House to the CTU campus after the end of the competition, the Faculty of Architecture received a permanent “teaching aid” on a scale of 1:1, on which it is possible to demonstrate various aspects of sustainability.
The department has followed the project with other events, for example student conferences, workshops, dissertations on the theme of sustainability and also student theses under the heading “learning by doing”: the design and construction of stairwells for flats and recently footbridges for the Krkonoše National Park.
In the area of research, the department focuses on the theme of sustainability and experimental teaching methods. Significant examples include the participation in prestigious research under the direction of Professor Markvart as part of the Centre for Advanced Photovoltaics, in cooperation with the Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Faculty of Nuclear Sciences and Physical Engineering, Faculty of Civil Engineering and University Centre for Energy Efficient Buildings, and research as part of the Czech Science Foundation’s Architectural Design Methodology project in the context of sustainable architecture.
In addition to the pedagogical and research work, the members of the department are practicing architects, participating in architecture competitions and work in the Czech Chamber of Architects.
Libové Libčice 2019
Sheds in Krkonoše 2019
Footbridges for KRNAP 2018
Summer workshops organized by the institute studios 2018, 2017
Photo by: Jiří Ryszawy, Štěpán Tomš, Lubomír Kotek, Martin Král