Community Engaged Dialect in Design Practice

Abstract

Community Engaged Dialect in Design Practice By: Tristance Yee Chun Kee In response to the sub-theme Design Management and Professional Practice, this paper elaborates successful case studies demonstrating multidisciplinary collaborations, with a particular emphasis on the design research projects of the Community Project Workshop at the University of Hong Kong’s Faculty of Architecture. The paper illustrates the adoption of a new kind of ‘design dialect’ that engages designers in their communities and promotes knowledge exchanges between academic research and architectural practice. This dialect has evolved in response to the rapid transformation of design education and practice as society faces new challenges. Design is no longer confined to the articulation of superficial form, but instead plays a meaningful role in resolving real-world needs and crises, attempting to benefit as many people as possible rather than a targeted consumer group. The world of design has seen a paradigm shift from the traditional products and services to an approach focused on user behavior and community. Today there is a strong emphasis on collaboration between design education and professional practices such as government departments, non-profit organizations and private groups. Design schools introduce innovative pedagogical approaches and special curricula dedicated to promoting active engagement between institutions and their communities. The benefits of this approach include the promotion best practices in multidisciplinary design innovation and better management system in the design profession. Keywords: Multidisciplinary Collaboration, Community Engagement, Participatory Design Stream: Design Management and Professional Practice