Defence of dissertation in the field of architecture, landscape and urbanism, M.Sc.(Arch.) Saija Hollmén

Title of the dissertation is “Now the Baobab Shines!” Cultural Locality Interfacing with Interdisciplinary Pedagogies in Architectural Education.

Understanding cultural differences and their relations is essential in a world marked by complexities between various cultural interpretations. As our indigenous culture largely determines the way we see the world, it is only through a conscious decision that we are able to find mutual understanding and common ground in our search for sustainable solutions to contemporary global challenges.

This thesis discusses global sustainability, cultural locality and humanitarian crises in the framework of architectural design practice and interdisciplinary pedagogies in architectural education. The overarching research question covering the main themes of the thesis is: What happens in the interface of architecture, cultures and disciplines from the point of view of university pedagogy?

The realities of architectural design practices described in this book are rooted in real life experiences in low-resource settings on African ground, tested in the field and discussed in the context of education. The aim of the research is to develop a pedagogical framework for interdisciplinary architectural education that would respond to global humanitarian challenges in a variety of cultural contexts, by forging university programmes that create connections and entry points between various disciplines.

Opponent: Professor Esther Charlesworth, RMIT University

Custos: Professor Anssi Joutsiniemi, Aalto University School of Arts, Design and Architecture, Department of Architecture

Contact information for the doctoral candidate: arkkitehti Saija Hollmén, [email protected] 

Defence is held remotely via Zoom: https://aalto.zoom.us/j/64234040396

Zoom Quick Guide: https://www.aalto.fi/en/services/zoom-quick-guide

The dissertation is publicly displayed online 10 days before the defence at:https://aaltodoc.aalto.fi/doc_public/eonly/riiputus/

The dissertation is also downloadable from Aaltodoc: http://urn.fi/URN:ISBN:978-952-64-0102-7