From Disassembly to Re-Assembly An Innovative Pedagogical Approach to Architectural Design and Upcycling Practices

In the context of new curricula methodologies, experiential learning and theoretical skills are being blended to tackle real case scenarios. As a result, methodologies such as the research-by-design approach are gaining momentum for their student-centred and dialogic approaches, highlighting a required change of perspective both on the teaching and learning spheres. In this regard, the following paper discusses the potential of this approach in the architectural technology teaching practices dealing with new challenges such as upcycling, where the canonical schemes may not be applicable. Therefore, the research-by-design approach has been tested as the working method in the "UP+IT – How to Disassemble a Building?" workshop, in which professors, researchers and PhD students from four Italian universities worked together to study and propose upcycling strategies for a real case scenario.