Implementing Regional Responsiveness: Architectural Inspiration from the American Southwest

Abstract

This work advocates the implementation of the theory of Regionally Responsive architecture into the curriculum of architectural education; combining: (1) Increased awareness of historic architecture and regional treasures. (2) Understanding and applying the theory of Critical Regionalism in a regional context (3) Understanding and applying the basics of passive design strategies in response to climate (4) Understanding and applying the use of the most contemporary quantitative analytical tools (including various measuring apparatuses, computer simulations, wind tunnels, and daylight simulators) The goal is to integrate these four concepts into all sectors of architectural instruction to provide a lens of Regional Responsiveness to inform the student’s design work and professional paradigms. The laboratory for this work is the American Southwest and the prehistoric ruins. The concepts, however, are broad enough for incorporation into any region for any time period.