Historical knowledge as a catalyst for redefining architectural design for a resilient future

Historical knowledge has long been seen and taught as memorisation of dates and built forms. Teaching history this way has created a major rift between the history of architecture and the architecture design studio in architecture education. Architecture education needs to be redefined to meet evolving needs, keep pace with technology, and prepare for an ever-unpredictable future. The study is based on a qualitative analysis informed by a comprehensive literature review of seminal texts in architecture education. The study proposes a Future-Oriented History Pedagogy Framework through a robust analysis based on Schön’s reflective practice theory, Frampton’s critical regionalism, Salama’s pedagogical and transformative theory, and Miller’s futures literacy. Collectively, the study explores how architectural education can reconsider historical knowledge in light of climate unpredictability and transformations in practice, yielding lessons for a resilient future. By integrating historical knowledge, critical thinking, design intelligence, and future applicability, the proposed conceptual framework offers a perspective on how to integrate history into the design education process to train future-oriented architects. This study provides a basis for future research to deepen understanding of how to make history relevant in contemporary educational practice and will help shape architecture education in the coming decades.