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The first episode of a two part mini series on - Formalism and Non-formalistic Approaches in Architecture - where the teaching of architecture and guidance inform how we approach architecture practice, where it needs to be more critical rather than mere form-making generated and embellished from schematics and passed as aesthetics.
"Architecture is often approached in a formalistic manner, with heavy emphasis on form, geometry, composition, and aesthetics. This focus serves as a foundational method for teaching design, establishing architectural autonomy, and managing the complexity of creative projects. However, it reveals little about the deeper reasons behind this predominance. The formalistic approach has long been criticized for neglecting functionality and context. Yet it remains deeply rooted in the history of art theory, providing students with a precise language to understand, analyze, and create built forms. We question whether this approach is relevant now then ever, or alternative approaches from Phenomenology and Dutch Structuralism would be better to create a more functional and inclusive design" (Naziaty Mohd Yaacob's Essay on Formalism and Alternative Approaches to Architecture, 2026)
© 2026 Talk Architecture, Author: Naziaty Mohd Yaacob.
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Four weeks ago I commented on the idea of collaboration, as if the ability to collaborate is necessary in order to have leadership skills.
What are the essential qualities and why is it important that an architect have leadership skills? There are a lot of other skills associated with that - adaptability, understanding context and the fit, steering based on processes which are relevant to the task at hand …
A lecturer has to know how to guide, that’s the very least of the skill they need to have in a collaboration with a student but how does the student learn how to lead and be the driver of his or her project? Then only he/she know how to collaborate with other people ie consultants.
My podcast today answers this question based on conversations we had with Kevin Mark Low before. And subsequent conversations with Azari & Seshan Design, as well.
© 2026 Talk Architecture, Author: Naziaty Mohd Yaacob.
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In the first episode of the series on design approach and methods, we discuss the Preface of Christopher Alexander’s 1964 seminal work, Notes on the Synthesis of Form, the 1971 paperback.
The discussion highlights Alexander’s pivot from a rigid "design method" toward the profound simplicity of the diagram—later known as a pattern. This approach moves beyond the academic "cult of method" and returns the focus to the practical, intuitive act of shaping forms that respond to real-world requirements.
Drawing parallels to modern architectural practice, we relate Alexander’s theories to the layering of functional systems, such as accessibility, safety, and structural integrity. Using the example of a library design, the podcast illustrates how various "sub-problems"—from circulation patterns to shelving—are resolved through specific diagrams and then fused into a final project.
The episode emphasizes a logic-based approach to design over purely emotional or "signature" aesthetics, arguing that an architect’s primary duty is to serve diverse public needs. By investigating the "goodness of fit" between a form and its context, designers can create inclusive spaces that are thoroughly researched rather than superficially styled.
© 2026 Talk Architecture, Author: Naziaty Mohd Yaacob.
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A scenario of the architectural design studio project for a community that would have made a better impact in terms learning for the students, when site-context specific rather than a project that objectifies for 'citation', ' data' and 'research agenda'.
How this sort of project would "fail in the rankings" and not encouraged in schools of architecture.
A closing manifesto is concluded at the end of episode.
© 2026 Talk Architecture, Author: Naziaty Mohd Yaacob.
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Last 29 December 2025, the Vice Chancellor of Universiti Malaya in an article says “Let me be clear: rankings are not the goal; they are a means. The goal is, and has always been, to create knowledge and graduates that make the world a better place. If climbing the rankings comes as a result of doing that goal well, then we should welcome it.
We must remember that our true rank is measured by the positive difference we make for humanity and the world, and as a compass of good, and that alone, remains the most noble of all.”
Today's podcast episode is to address the VC's quote from the architecture education perspective.
© 2026 Talk Architecture, Author: Naziaty Mohd Yaacob.
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The conclusive episode (Part 3) to underline the bigger picture of problems in architecture education where we need to deal with the following:
1. Architecture design studio curriculum needs to be clear on the "design problem" identification and solving them as complexities in the final year project (Part 1) and design thesis (Part 2).
2. The role of the architect as collaborators and teaching in the school architecture how to collaborate and not just merely follow instructions from the part time critics and tutors as it is not really the 'master-apprentice' approach which is not feasible in this day and age any way.
3. The misplaced fascination on university rankings and placing importance on research and publication (70%), leaving academics to focus on teaching at a miserable 30%, thus lessening the quality of studio teaching, hence shifting the responsibility to practice instead when it comes to what we discussed in Part 1 & 2 episodes.
4. A call for the institutions of architecture and the fraternity to 'fight back' on the architecture education aspects and not let Ministry of Higher Education dictate on what architecture education need to be as per points number 1, 2 & 3 above. This is regarding the poor training of students of architecture due to the fascination with university rankings linked to key performance indicators of academics (KPIs).
© 2026 Talk Architecture, Author: Naziaty Mohd Yaacob.
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Part 2 continues the discussion on the systemic problems where "the burden of education has quietly shifted from academia to practice", by referring to Seshan Design SB Handbook and points discussed in Part 1 of the same topic.
Naziaty started by what went wrong in architecture education and how and why we lost our direction. It will span from when I started architecture in 1980 until now. 46 years of reflection plus the on-going discussion on social media especially Facebook.
© 2026 Talk Architecture, Author: Naziaty Mohd Yaacob.
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A frank discussion on a commentary based on Seshan Design's post in a Facebook Group. They highlighted on systemic problems where "the burden of education has quietly shifted from academia to practice", and later gave comments on the problems specifically: the lack of fundamental skills on:
1. Drawing clearly
2. Understanding how buildings put together
3. Accuracy
4. Coordination
5. Accountability
I discussed what happens (happened) and why it is a systemic problem in schools of architecture in Malaysia.
© 2026 Talk Architecture, Author: Naziaty Mohd Yaacob.
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We explain further in depth on the dialogic studio critique methods to explain how we can transform architecture education. In Part 2B, we delve into:
Common Dialogic Critique Methods
Round-Table or Harkness MethodPeer Crits (Structured Peer Feedback)Group Crits or Panel Discussions with Student InvolvementFormative Desk Crits as True DialogueNarrative-Based Dialogic Design (NDD)Hybrid or Alternative FormatsPlus the benefits and implementation tips.
© 2025 Talk Architecture, Author: Naziaty Mohd Yaacob.
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We frequently speak of students as "products" or "graduates"—metrics to be optimized for Lembaga Arkitek Malaysia (LAM) Part I and II exemptions, high QS subject rankings, graduate employability rates, and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). But where is the student's voice?
Do aspiring architects truly seek personal and societal transformation through design, or have they, too, been captured by the logic of credentials—chasing accreditation compliance, technical proficiency, and industry-ready skills over creative risk-taking and ethical reflection?
I referred to an Opinion piece by Dr Syed Alwee Alsagoff's in Star Newspaper dated 28 December 2025 entitled "The Year We Forgot to Ask". I expanded to discuss as an introduction to conversation that we need to discuss on the purpose of architecture education, inspired from this article, in this podcast episode.
© 2025 Talk Architecture, Author: Naziaty Mohd Yaacob.
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Dialogic studio critique methods shift traditional architecture design studios from 'hierarchical, tutor-dominated feedback' (often called "desk crits" or juries) to collaborative, multi-voiced conversations. These approaches, inspired by Donald Schön's "reflection-in-action," Mikhail Bakhtin's polyphony, and Vygotsky's socio-constructivist pedagogy, emphasize mutual dialogue where students actively participate, question, and co-construct knowledge. This fosters deeper comprehension, reduces power imbalances, encourages inquiry, and aligns with ideals of human flourishing and exemplary character (junzi). Traditional critiques can feel adversarial, ambiguous, or judgmental, stifling creativity and student voice. Dialogic methods address this by prioritizing process-oriented, iterative feedback over summative assessment.
Continuing the discussion on the purpose of architecture education, we introduce the 'key principles in dialogue critiques' first in this episode (Part 2A) to explain how we can transform architecture education.
© 2025 Talk Architecture, Author: Naziaty Mohd Yaacob.
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We dive into the conversation on "reforms in architecture education" to understand further how education affects the profession in a profound way. The principles from Mark Alan Hewitt's 2020 reforms explained in arch daily —emphasizing embodied cognition through hand drawing, physical model-making, haptic engagement, and sensory-rich practices—can absolutely be integrated into both the ARB Competency Outcomes Framework and the RIBA Themes and Values framework. Both are deliberately outcomes-based and flexible, allowing schools to innovate in how they deliver competencies without prescribing specific methods. This openness creates space for embodied approaches as effective pedagogical tools to meet required outcomes.
Link here: https://www.archdaily.com/941809/12-ways-to-reform-architectural-education
© 2025 Talk Architecture, Author: Naziaty Mohd Yaacob.
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Another “unfiltered” critic argues that architecture education is the root cause of the profession being undervalued and widely misunderstood. The defense of the profession, we contend, must begin in academia, where the core problem lies in situating architecture schools to comply with—and be dictated by—non-architects who neither understand nor uphold the profession’s essential competencies. This external oversight has diluted the foundational truths of architecture, eroding its rigor and distinct identity over time.
By allowing administrators, accrediting bodies, and university structures dominated by non-practitioners to shape curricula and priorities, schools inadvertently prioritize bureaucratic compliance, interdisciplinary trends, and measurable outcomes over the deep, tacit knowledge and creative judgment that define architectural expertise. This shift not only weakens the training of future architects but also sends a broader signal to society that architecture is a generic design discipline rather than a profound synthesis of art, science, ethics, and cultural responsibility—further contributing to its undervaluation in the public and professional spheres.
Part 2 will be about the "reforms in architecture education".
© 2025 Talk Architecture, Author: Naziaty Mohd Yaacob.
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This podcast episode is a one-off reaction piece to the discussion on "What makes a good studio master?" It refers to the Malaysian Architecture Education context and the premise from the problem of bureaucracy.
The assertion here argues that formal qualifications (PhD, Part 3 registration, 5+ years industry/teaching experience) proposed by the Malaysian Board of Architects (LAM - Malay Acronym) are irrelevant for design studio masters, who need to have both talents in teaching, as well as being a good designer.
True effectiveness lies in three key roles—coach (tracking progress), consultant (critical feedback), and expert (specialized input)—which can be filled by one person or a team. Everyone guiding students should be considered a “master” in the traditional sense. Core duties include structuring the semester program, facilitating crits, moderating discussions, synthesizing feedback, and ensuring fair assessment while encouraging students to own their ideas—never imposing solutions via tutor sketches. Some experienced critics would draw out for the students, which means they don't know how to teach.
The rigid credential requirements are bureaucratic shortcuts that exclude talented teachers and practitioners, stifle innovation, and regress architectural education. Prioritizing actual teaching ability, collaboration, and facilitation over box-ticking is essential.
© 2025 Talk Architecture, Author: Naziaty Mohd Yaacob.
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Architecture education and the problems of competent graduates have been discussed elsewhere in Talk Architecture podcast, but this topic shows how much things have changed in architecture education and how it affected the curriculum.
So, this morning I asked Grok: Do you think that more and more architecture education and the ranking system serves the developer’s agenda than society’s needs?
Grok says: Yes, absolutely — and the trend has been accelerating dramatically over the past 15–20 years. Architecture education and especially the global ranking systems now function more as a pipeline for producing compliant, brand-friendly designers who serve the real-estate/finance/development industry than as institutions serving society’s actual spatial, social, ecological, or cultural needs.
The main points are:
Ranking systems are explicitly designed around “employer reputation” and “academic reputation” — and the employers who matter are the big corporate firmsThe curriculum has been financialisedDebt + prestige hierarchy forces graduates into the developer machine“Sustainability” has been fully co-opted into developer marketingThe proof is in the built environmentThe thought occurred to do this episode when I read another piece in LinkedIn on a global survey that reveals the future of architectural education. It suggests the way architects need to be, quote "a civic leader, cultural mediator, facilitator, and interdisciplinary collaborator", thus making me concerned for the profession. Yes, you can be all that but not on the expense of fully equipping architecture graduates to be confident of working in the industry, hence what need to happen in the design thesis curriculum and learning experience, as I have discussed in earlier episodes.
© 2025 Talk Architecture, Author: Naziaty Mohd Yaacob.
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The “research-framework” approach to design theses is a myth and must end.
Best industry preparation: give the entire studio one real, complex, shared urban site and force students to solve 10–15 genuine, layered design problems from day one. This final episode of a 3-part series explains how using two cases almost a decade apart.
2008–09 (wrong way): 24 students → 24 different (often easy/speculative) sites → pretty drawings, 2–3 shallow problems, bored students, weak graduates.
2019–20 (right way): one tough shared site (e.g., PJ Old Town market + urban farm) → rich context, 10–12 real problems, deep skills, confident graduates ready for practice on day one. Blog post on a context specific design thesis: https://designthesis.wordpress.com/2020/08/05/raymond-bus-the-market-hub-at-jalan-othman-petaling-jaya/
Takeaway:
Speculative/prototype theses fail students.
Context-specificity is not radical — it’s basic professional training. Every architecture school needs at least one unit doing it.© 2025 Talk Architecture, Author: Naziaty Mohd Yaacob.
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In the second part of this three-part series on the “context specificity” approach, we explain a design thesis studio philosophy that insists on “real site + real community issues only,” with the focus placed on identifying and solving authentic design problems.
The studio runs for a full academic year, structured as:
7 weeks of Special Semester (Brief proposal on site analysis and research) 14 weeks of Design Development 14 weeks of Detailed Design + Special StudiesResearch is integrated into the architectural design process rather than treated separately: it occurs primarily through initial site analysis, topic and building-type research, observation, user interviews, and case studies at the start, and is deepened through additional Special Studies later in the year.
© 2025 Talk Architecture, Author: Naziaty Mohd Yaacob.
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For a design thesis, context specificity approach is the answer, the only way to get students of architecture to be ready, equipped, going into the architecture industry because that's the way the industry works. There is no place for speculative design, prototypes or fantasy design, as you will not be able to overcome the challenges of the industry.
This episode is the first part of the three-part series, focused on identifying design problems rather than speculating with a problem statement and hypothesis ala research framework. The site is very important to be identified and is very specific to how you're going to learn and challenge yourself to be a graduate architect.
© 2025 Talk Architecture, Author: Naziaty Mohd Yaacob.
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For Architecture Academics, a special podcast on: Why Research Framework cannot be used in Architectural Design, specifically in the Architecture Studio Design Thesis Curriculum.
An introduction to a topic addressing what is currently wrong with the way we teach architecture in universities where research and publication becomes increasingly important and how we have lost our way in producing credible architecture graduates. Refer to the link below on a previous Facebook post (for context to this podcast episode).
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/19ziXahE2D/
© 2025 Talk Architecture, Author: Naziaty Mohd Yaacob.
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The seven principles of sensory-driven architecture, which focus on engaging human senses to create meaningful and immersive built environments, are often derived from the broader concepts of sensory design.
1. Sight (Visual Engagement)
2. Sound (Acoustic Harmony)
3. Touch (Tactile Experience)
4. Smell (Olfactory Design)
5. Temperature (Thermal Comfort)
6. Movement (Kinesthetic Awareness)
7. Emotional Resonance (Human-Centered Experience)
This episode, Naziaty Mohd Yaacob, discussed the above principles with disabled persons needs in mind.
© 2025 Talk Architecture, Author: Naziaty Mohd Yaacob. Image by Naziaty Mohd Yaacob.
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