The intra-action between educational space and student’s belonging within university city school of architecture in Mexico

This paper aims to investigate how the physical and material characteristics of architecture interact with intangible aspects such as learning experiences and belonging, within the context of higher education institutions. While there is a concern in the literature regarding the spatial factor, higher education institutions as material entities is not a topic that has been studied intensely. Therefore, after the COVID-19 pandemic, the relevance of interrogating and examining space is crucial, not only as a container for human activities has gained relevance within the field of architecture and other disciplines. We use the Baradian concept of intra-action to develop an understanding of non-human entities and how they are as important as human ones. The hypothesis is that physical characteristics of space, such as materials, light, colour, layout, form, and material historic components, are essential for the learning experience of undergraduate students through their five years of architecture studies. We examine the National Autonomous University of Mexico, which is an example of how materiality could influence student’s experience. The university’s architectural significance has led it to be listed as World Heritage due to certain material assets which are associated with intangible factors such as meaning and memory which may affect students’ sense of belonging. The methods to facilitate this research include 10 semi-structured interviews with architectural students which were conducted during October and November 2022 at the case study selected. The analysis reveals the importance of materiality among undergraduate students, and how the spatial and physical aspects relate and overlap with the learning experience. The outcomes of this study will add value to the physical and material aspects of a Higher Education Institution by understanding space from a non-anthropocentric perspective. The findings show how the design studios are the most essential learning space for architectural students since it becomes a second home for them. However, the distinctive contrasting designs of the studios, produce discrimination and social segregation between students with different economic, and cultural backgrounds as they perceive the pedagogical approaches within each studio are selected due to their personal context.