The Thick Timeline as Method for Design-Oriented Education

Abstract

In a time where students in design-oriented education are confronted with images and (digital) information in a fragmented and unstructured way, the need for tools to process this data in a coherent and structured way is prominent. Furthermore, to understand architecture as a cultural signifier, it is necessary to have sufficient knowledge of architectural history and a broad cultural background; especially in the light of writing a master thesis, a critical essay within specific seminars or an analysis of projects within the personal reference frame, being all part of the curricula of design-oriented courses today. However, we also notice that students sometimes struggle to collect and interpret events, edifices, and movements, … in a coherent fashion. Therefore, this article aims to provide a method for students to identify, capture and compare information through the lens of architecture as a social construct in the format of the "thick timeline". Additionally, this method can also be used as a teaching tool for architectural history and theory courses.