Design Thinking for Architects: A Critique of International Education Models

Abstract

The appropriateness of teaching design thinking to architecture students in Georgia is discussed. Design thinking is a user-centered method that was developed about 60 years ago and is widely used in almost all areas of design, including architecture. Leading architectural firms embrace design thinking. This method also has many opponents, who complain about the lack of creativity, its collective work, and more. In contrast, advocates of design thinking argue that design thinking approaches do not necessarily limit creativity, and that contemporary architecture has become so complex that specialists of only one field cannot account for everything. It is interesting that the main opposition to this methodology was met in the country where it was born – the USA. As for Georgia, the survey of students conducted by the authors of the article at the International Design School of the Georgian Technical University found that the majority of them have a positive attitude and intend to use design thinking in their future activities.