ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Educ.
Sec. Higher Education
Volume 10 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/feduc.2025.1528083
Reinterpreting the Vitruvian Model in Contemporary Architectural Education: Integrating Empirical Insights from Five Schools of Architecture
Provisionally accepted
- 1Department of Architecture, College of Engineering and information Technology, Onaizah Colleges, Qassim, 56219 Saudi Arabia,, Qassim, Al-Qassim, Saudi Arabia
- 2Architecture Department, Faculty of Engineering, Al-Azhar University, Cairo 11651, Egypt;, Cairo, Egypt
- 3Architectural Engineering Department, College of Engineering, Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic University, Riyadh 11432, Saudi Arabia;, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
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Abstract: Architectural education requires integrated methodologies. There is also significant variation in definitions, pedagogical ideologies, and curricular practices across institutions, indicating the need for a common framework that enables architecture schools to respond effectively to contemporary challenges. This study explores the possibility of reviving the Vitruvian model as a unified, adaptable, and evolving model for architectural pedagogy. A structured questionnaire was distributed to faculty members at five international architecture schools, representing the American, British, French, German, and Egyptian systems. In total, 136 valid responses were obtained and analyzed. Statistical analysis, including chi-square tests, revealed no significant correlation between academic status, years of experience, or interpretive preferences and the pedagogical model, suggesting that perspectives on architectural education transcend national boundaries. The findings highlight a contemporary reinterpretation of Vitruvian principles, emphasizing sustainability, interdisciplinary collaboration, and human-centered design as key elements of the architectural curriculum. This study clarifies how the Vitruvian triad can be reinterpreted to advance sustainability, interdisciplinarity, and human-centredness in architectural education, and translates these insights into studio-based practices that more closely align with professional practice.
Keywords: Architectural education, Student-Centered Needs, Vitruvian model, curriculum development, Sustainability framework
Received: 14 Nov 2024; Accepted: 29 Sep 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Selim, Mayhoub and Abuzaid. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Haitham Sadek Selim, haitham.selim@gmail.com
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