Abstract
The professional practice of industrial design, as well as the spatial design of classrooms and workplaces, has undergone significant transformations over the years. The same cannot be said for the core learning space of industrial design, the studio. Much design education is built around studio culture, following an adage that students will learn from their peers as much as from instructors. This collaborative learning aspect of industrial design has been challenged as design work has become predominantly digital. While scholars focus on pedagogy to address concerns and advance design education, the significance of physical learning space on teaching and learning in design is often neglected. The spatial qualities, furniture, and objects in this space can be enablers or obstacles to reinforce the interactions and learning within the educational space. This paper aims to bring the physical studio space into discussion with a critical look into the use of these learning spaces. Discussion is based on a literature review, self-reflection, observation, analysis of found photographs taken in studios, and conversations with students and instructors. Findings define the core activities and interactions that take place in studio spaces. We discuss the nature of contemporary studio culture in relation to affordances of the physical space. There are opportunities to implement aspects of activity-based workplace and active learning classroom designs in studios together with spatial arrangement to reflect the differences in externalization of design knowledge and technology-mediated interactions at each education level.
DOI
https://doi.org/10.21606/drslxd.2025.094
Citation
Oygur, I.,and Dixon, J.(2025) Revisiting the Design of Industrial Design Studio Space: A Reflective Discussion, in Clemente, V., Gomes, G., Reis, M., Félix, S., Ala, S., Jones, D. (eds.), Learn X Design 2025, 22-24 September 2025, Aveiro, Portugal. https://doi.org/10.21606/drslxd.2025.094
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Revisiting the Design of Industrial Design Studio Space: A Reflective Discussion
The professional practice of industrial design, as well as the spatial design of classrooms and workplaces, has undergone significant transformations over the years. The same cannot be said for the core learning space of industrial design, the studio. Much design education is built around studio culture, following an adage that students will learn from their peers as much as from instructors. This collaborative learning aspect of industrial design has been challenged as design work has become predominantly digital. While scholars focus on pedagogy to address concerns and advance design education, the significance of physical learning space on teaching and learning in design is often neglected. The spatial qualities, furniture, and objects in this space can be enablers or obstacles to reinforce the interactions and learning within the educational space. This paper aims to bring the physical studio space into discussion with a critical look into the use of these learning spaces. Discussion is based on a literature review, self-reflection, observation, analysis of found photographs taken in studios, and conversations with students and instructors. Findings define the core activities and interactions that take place in studio spaces. We discuss the nature of contemporary studio culture in relation to affordances of the physical space. There are opportunities to implement aspects of activity-based workplace and active learning classroom designs in studios together with spatial arrangement to reflect the differences in externalization of design knowledge and technology-mediated interactions at each education level.