Having taught architecture for almost fifty years, Sir Peter Cook has seen generations of architects go from student to high-profile practitioner. In almost half a century, though, architecture education has not particularly moved on: "I don't see the general situation as being any more progressive than it was when I was a student," he says.
Cook tells ArchDaily that instead of focusing on curriculum, structure and countless other preoccupations of many schools, "my experience is that doesn't matter, it depends who's teaching and how enthusiastic they are and whether they understand people," adding that "a really good architecture school is like a village," with tutors who simply don't go home because they are enjoying it so much (or perhaps for other, less innocent reasons).
In addition, Cook also explains that there is potential for a radical shift in the understanding of architecture education, so that we think of it not only as a route into an architectural career, but rather as a route into a whole host of other jobs. "I know people who have science degrees but they actually organize railways," he says. "There's a role for a wing of architectural education at a certain point to take off and say, 'that person is never going to design buildings, but a certain form of architectural education can enable them to look at the world in more depth.'"
If you enjoyed this interview with Sir Peter Cook, make sure to check out an interview from earlier this year, where Cook discusses utopias and the ideals of Archigram:
