Prof. Astra Zariņa | A Force of Nature
Abstract
Prof. Astra Zarina teaching shaped the careers and perspectives of many students including renown architect Steven Holl. Astra Zariņa the director of the University of Washington architecture program in Rome, had been among Holl’s earliest mentors. He was one of six students to attend the 1970 inaugural program in Rome. Zariņa’s teachings shaped the careers and perspectives of many students and their careers..
Steven Holl identified seven key values that defined her approach to teaching architects thesevalues include the importance of urban space, field work, social agency, myth & ritual, nature and cuisine. Though her influence was international few know of her impact, and pioneering approach and methods to teaching design. In recent years a resurgence to investigate her pedagogical process and methodology has emerged.
In 1960, Zariņa was the first women to receive the Rome Price from The American academy in Rome and a year later received the Fulbright fellowship. Zariņa’s architectural focus shifted, she became deeply influenced by her time in Rome, where she re-evaluated her modernist convictions. Zarina initiated and directed the UW program in Rome for thirty years and later started parallel Italian hilltop village program in Civita di Bagnoregio..
Astra Zariņa's created tripartite teaching methodology, which she developed throughout her career as: knowledge, action, and reflection. Zariņa’s pedagogical approach transcended the traditional classroom setting, bringing learning into real-world contexts and her pioneering methods preceded David Kolb’s, Experiential Learning Theory ( ELT). Experience and reflection are essential to the learning process and the subject on hand.
Zarina's teaching legacy profoundly impacted her students, shaping both their lives and their careers as skilled architects. Today, a new generation of architecture students is being introduced to her pioneering tripartite experiential teaching method: knowledge, action, and reflection.
