Awakening Creative Thinking Through Making

Abstract

Connecting design thinking to making throughout the design process creates an awareness of materials, the assembly process, and of one's self. The discoveries made through an iterative, cyclical process can be invaluable to a variety of professions, especially when involving collaboration. The University of Maryland College Park (UMCP) has multiple disciplines related to the built environment and art and design. Several of these buildings are located on the perceived "back side" of campus with little interaction among the programs. How can architecture foster making in an educational environment and promote collaboration and a sense of place among a variety of interests and disciplines? With the recent maker movement cultivating around the world and the fact that many disciplines associated with art and design have always supported thinking through making, UMCP could benefit from a facility that promotes learning-by-doing as well as collaboration among a variety of disciplines.