Learning by Doing at the Sapienza University of Rome: The Technological Design Studios' Experiences Applied to Housing

This paper presents the Design Studios (DS) teaching method in Technological and Environmental Design, applied in undergraduate and postgraduate courses in architecture at Sapienza University of Rome. Design Studios focus on a comprehensive approach to the environmental sustainability of the architectural design process in the field of public social housing construction. Based on the teaching experiences, the paper reports evidence of the teaching methods used for the design proposals submitted by the students of the different DSs for the regeneration of Rome's suburbs. Based on the results obtained, this approach could be seen as a way to develop students' ability to manage the project according to environmental sustainability criteria, from the initial analysis phase to the choice of construction techniques and materials. The article aims to contribute to a disciplinary approach that trains students to become competent architects to address contemporary issues of ecological transition, housing shortage, and suburban regeneration.