Architecture Education Declares

Architecture Education Declares was formed in June 2019 by architecture students from leading schools, including The Bartlett School of Architecture, in response to global scientific predictions of catastrophic climate change and biodiversity loss.

Architecture Education Declares calls for a radical overhaul of architectural education – not just what we do, but how and why we do it. The aim is to move towards a collaborative culture of care to address the climate and ecological emergency and social and environmental justice issues. The declaration calls for a move from Western-centric narratives to a more holistic education that respects diverse cultures, history and heritage. In response, The Bartlett School of Architecture declared a climate and ecological emergency. Through citizens’ assemblies and workshops, students started to explore how design briefs, assessment criteria, tutorials and crits could change.

This year, in the midst of the pandemic, the main goal has been to establish a framework of ideas and systems for future students and committee members to use. The Bartlett School of Architecture Society launched a podcast series interviewing alumni on their views and experiences, while further initiatives are planned for summer 2021. In April, students from the society co-chaired a public UCL event, ‘Healthy, Biodiverse, Equitable Cities’, opened by the new President & Provost, Dr Michael Spence. The event was used as a platform for diverse practitioners to present ideas on how architects and built environment professionals can respond to the climate and ecological emergency. Architecture students joined campaigns such as the London Energy Transformation Initiative against lowering UK building energy standards; the Architects’ Journal’s RetroFirst campaign, promoting the refurbishment of buildings instead of demolishing them to make space for newbuilds; and the Architects Climate Action Network (ACAN), who have produced an Education Toolkit to help drive curriculum and culture change in architecture schools. ACAN also founded the Student Climate Action Network (StuCAN), with Bartlett students forming a StuCAN group.

The determination of the school’s students to make a better world is inspiring, especially during such a challenging year. We look forward to supporting their efforts for a progressive education and a strong student voice in 2021–22.

The Bartlett School of Architecture Society President: Tyler Ebanja Treasurer: Siobhan Obi Vice-President: Jatin Naru Social Secretary: Tochi Itanyi Equity & Diversity Officer: Hao Zhang Media & Communications Officers: Isabella Shen, Maggie Chao