#Artistic Education in Poland_Faculties of Architecture
Can architectural education respond to the challenges of the modern world? We ask deans and deans of Architecture Faculties at Polish universities about the direction they take when educating young architects. Professor Agata Anna Gawlak, dean of the Faculty of Architecture at Poznań University of Technology, talks about the competencies that an architecture graduate should have in 2030, the role of practice in architectural education, and building relationships between the university and business and local governments.
Agata Anna Gawlak - a professor at Poznan University of Technology - a researcher and architect, member of the Advisory Group - Terms of Reference Centre for Urban Wellbeing, Birmingham University and the Expert Team on Accessibility and Inclusive Design of the Association of Polish Architects in Warsaw. Author of more than sixty scientific publications.
How do you define your department's most important mission in today's world of architecture?
I think the key to the current turbulent times are sensitivity and resilience at the same time. The ability to adapt, which, when translated into the leadership of the Faculty of Architecture, on the one hand, includes the constant revision of the research directions undertaken, the revision of the curriculum in terms of innovative teaching methods and tools, key curricular content, and finally remaining attentive to the needs of students, which, after all, are also evolving and highly variable over time.
It remains very important for the Faculty of Architecture at Poznan University of Technology to further strengthen its key research areas: regenerative design, sustainable design, protection of contemporary monuments or design for health in the broadest sense. And this will be possible on condition of further development of the university's infrastructure, especially laboratories, and international cooperation. All faculties of architecture in Poland are underinvested in the infrastructural, laboratory sense compared to other faculties at technical universities. Therefore, here I see the greatest need for action as deans and leaders.
What competencies should an architecture graduate have in 2030 - and how do you help develop them?
An excellent question about a very valid timeframe, because it's already "like tomorrow." The 2030 graduate is already studying at our Department, so we know very well what competencies we want to equip him or her with. The most important will be the ability to cooperate, of course interdisciplinary, in teams, including international teams, and to use new technologies.
Very important is the cooperation of the Faculty with visiting professors from all over the world, only in the last two years there were professors from: Polytechnic University of Milan, University of California at Berkeley, Manchester School of Architecture, National Cheng-Kung University in Tainan, Taiwan, German University of Technology in Oman, Lisbon School of Architecture, Technical University of Brunswick or ETH Zurich. Openness to knowledge is a key competence. It is also important how our university's diploma is and will be perceived in the world, which is why we submit to international accreditations; last year these were KAUT, EUR-ACE Label and the most prestigious RIBA (Royal Institute of British Architects) accreditation. We want our 2030 graduate to be able to choose his own career path, both at home and abroad, and to feel confident everywhere with the competencies we equip him with.
The ability and willingness to learn throughout life are also extremely important. Our profession is one of those professions that require absolute openness, not only to constant dialogue with the environment or criticism, but also to new knowledge, to changing conditions, to sensitivity to context.
Which elements of the curriculum do you consider crucial, and which need the most change today?
I would like to take this opportunity to emphasize the great value of the current synergy between the leading units providing architectural education, both faculties and institutes in Poland. We are creating the Academic Forum for Architecture and Urbanism (AFAIU), where many aspects of teaching are discussed, with a focus on causality and joint action. Our point of view on the educational program and needed changes is consistent. This is very important.
As AFAiU, we have representation on the National Architectural Policy Team or the Education Standards Team. The latter document needs to be amended, among other things, in terms of adaptation to the current situation, such as verification of the places where students can do their internships, adjustment of the number of hours in the undergraduate and graduate curriculum, or, finally, increased flexibility in the selection of the number of hours and ECTS credits assigned to individual courses. The learning outcomes, which were published in 2018, also require changes and adaptations, if only in the context of technological developments. That's why we are taking action, applying to the relevant ministries, presenting a consistent, developed position. And this I consider a great value. It is very easy to get enthused about the experimental and open methods of education that we all constantly encounter at various universities around the world. However, it is important to remember that in Poland we have very specific legislative conditions regulating the practice of the profession, the professional chamber and so on, so our actions in terms of the study program, but also in terms of the educational methods themselves, must be thoughtful and responsible.
How does the university combine the traditional workshop (drawing, mock-ups) with new technologies such as AI or BIM?
We are one of the few universities in Europe whose candidates for architectural studies must have a drawing aptitude, verified during the drawing entrance exam. This ensures that when students begin their studies, they already have a fairly good technique, are able to make sketches, map their surroundings or depict their concepts on sketches. At the same time, we want students to use other tools as well. That's why a few years ago we decided to change the program in such a way that digital design methods and tools are introduced as early as possible, that is, from the first semester of study, so that drawing and digital workshop are taught simultaneously, not sequentially to each other. We don't want to create an awareness or misconception in students that one tool is in any way substitutable for the other, because this is just an appearance. While we teach the latest design techniques, for example, using generative intelligence, at the same time we require students to be able to present their designs by doing them entirely by hand as well. This is difficult, but very developing, also from the point of view of neuroscience and the structure of our brain.
How do you provide students with real contact with practice - architectural offices, construction sites, investors?
Poznan University of Technology is a large university with an extensive system of cooperation with the socio-economic environment, especially with entities in the region, and the cooperation, i.e. internships and apprenticeships, is carried out by the Internship and Career Office. Professional practice in an architectural studio under the supervision of a licensed architect for fifteen weeks has been mandatory for several years, included in our study program. Students can also do internships abroad (Erasmus +) as part of this mandatory practice.
In addition to these mandatory activities, we agree on topics for semester and diploma theses with our partners, authorities of neighboring cities and municipalities, companies. We allow competitions, including international ones. Within the framework of design subjects, students create projects with application potential, resulting from real needs or the current context. What's more, they often carry out term papers and even diploma theses in teams of two or three, preparing themselves for real cooperation, concept presentation, argumentation and simply co-design. Many times this involves study visits, implementing public participation methods.
To support the practical aspect of our graduates' entry into the profession, an entire block of lectures in the last semester of the second degree program is provided by the District Bar Council. Students learn about current legislative conditions related to copyright law, the concept of a work or setting up one's own business, bidding procedures, dispute resolution. These lectures are mandatory. At the same time, in addition to the aforementioned lectures with visiting professors, we invite renowned architects - practitioners - to give lectures. Last year, we co-organized the "Theory and Practice" competition and workshop together with Prof. Ewa Kurylowicz and the Stefan Kurylowicz Foundation.
The aim is to support the student in building a valuable portfolio already during their studies, as well as professional self-confidence. The opportunity to confront while still studying the practical aspects of practicing architecture is invaluable, and it is the task of architecture departments to create such opportunities for students. This requires a huge commitment from the academic staff, but it is possible because the community of practicing architects is also open to cooperation with architecture departments.
What is the biggest challenge for architecture students today, and how does the university support them in this?
The challenge is the sensitivity of the current generation of students, due in large part to the specifics of today's challenging times. Climate challenges, war, pandemics, volatility. This constant uncertainty of the times is reflected quite well in the results of the survey of the psychological condition of students and teachers in the field of architecture "Zawód na A" conducted by the Warsaw University of Technology, of which the Faculty of Architecture in Poznan was one of many ambassadors. However, I believe that the survey itself does not quite allow us to draw reliable conclusions, although many authorities cite it, forging rather bold and probably hasty theses. Meanwhile, we don't have a simple comparison of the results with other fields of study. It would be worthwhile to conduct such research on a larger scale, at least for a few selected majors in Poland, to assess what the condition of architecture students is in comparison with others. We are scientists, a catchy headline is not enough for us to draw conclusions, we need to go always a little deeper. Especially since it's easy to push negative rhetoric.
However, given the obvious need to support students, Poznan University of Technology attaches a very high priority to their well-being, including through an extensive and diverse support system; there is a vibrant Equality Office, an Office for Persons with Disabilities and a Psychological Support Office, where every student can get support, has the option of an assistant, specialized equipment, an individualized study program, and so on.
An inclusive, diversity-oriented approach to education is much needed today. Especially if we care not only about educating competent architects, but also about forming empathetic and sensitive attitudes of our graduates.
How are issues of sustainability and environmental responsibility integrated into the curriculum?
Pro-environmental issues actually form the core and one of the main molecules of our team's research DNA. Besides, this is what modern times require of us. The Department of Architecture at Poznan University of Technology is a member of the Washington-based international non-profit organization Global Urban Development (GUD) with an international reach, bringing together more than seven hundred experts and leaders from sixty countries collaborating on urban planning and education. On the basis of this collaboration, we established EDIT Poznań. We are currently pursuing a Green Campus grant; our Department was the only one to implement training courses commissioned by the Ministry of Infrastructure and Development "Planning after the new - law and practice" from the National Recovery and Resilience Plan fund, Investment A1.3.1 "Implementation of spatial planning and zoning reform" for planners, in connection with the new law. This approach is also confirmed by the study topics adopted for the 2025/2026 academic year, including Mitigation and Adaptation to Climate Change and Regenerative Urbanism.
In the training of architects, we pay attention to the increasing need for resource conservation, modernization and adaptation processes, and this is how we formulate design tasks. I myself undertook postgraduate studies in ESG in order to implement pro-environmental assumptions not only at the stage of the curriculum, curricular content and student training, but also at the level of the organization of the department and university. So this is a current and permanent element, considered by us as a priority.
How does the university build relationships with business, local governments and social organizations?
My current experience shows a very high openness of the socio-economic environment to cooperation with the Faculty of Architecture of Poznań University of Technology: on the one hand, it is an earned trust, on the other hand, openness to new and bold concepts, willingness to dialogue. We receive a great number of invitations to cooperate.
We also undertake cooperation in a broader field. The faculty is also involved in organizing open lectures as part of the "Academic Poznań" project, which can also be attended by residents of our city, or the Wielkopolska Congress of Women, which in the context of the feminization of the architectural profession, which has been discussed for a good few years, has a double significance.
The university's mission is formulated very broadly, social responsibility definitely goes beyond educating the next generation of architecture graduates or the ethics of scientific research. Building relationships, promoting attitudes and, of course, popularizing knowledge in society are important aspects of our statutory activities.
At the end of the interview, let me stress again that it is important in our profession to be able to constantly revise its goals, both in the context of faculty authorities and our students - future architects. In changing times, the ability to see these changes and understand the environment is fundamental. And this is only possible with the aforementioned sensitivity and openness to new knowledge and with humility in the face of criticism from the environment.
Prof. Agata Anna Gawlak
more: A&B 4/2026 - Architect of the city,
download free e-publications of A&B
