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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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