N. Gu, S. Watanabe, H. Erhan, M. Hank Haeusler, W. Huang, R. Sosa (eds.), Rethinking Comprehensive Design: Speculative Counterculture, Proceedings of the 19th International Conference of the Association of Computer-Aided Architectural Design Research in Asia CAADRIA 2014, 000–000. © 2014, The Asso- ciation for Computer-Aided Architectural Design Research in Asia (CAADRIA), Hong Kong COMPARISONS IN REPRESENTATIONAL MEDIA USE IN DESIGN STUDIOS BETWEEN HONG KONG AND AUSTRALIA JEREMY J. HAM 1 and MARC AUREL SCHNABEL 2 1 Deakin University, Geelong, Australia jjham@deakin.edu.au 2 Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong marcaurel@cuhk.edu.hk Abstract. Representational media – analogue, physical, digital, or vir- tual – are employed by students in the conception, development and presentation. In 2013 a survey at two architectural schools was con- ducted to study the current representational media use in design studi- os. The survey examined the role digital and physical media play in students’ design work and how students use the various media to gen- erate and communicate their designs. This study presents its im- portance through the shift in architectural education whereby digital tools are not taught per se any longer, however expected to be mas- tered throughout the course. Yet students’ learning experiences are strongly dependant on the successful acquisition of skills and its trans- fer to deep learning. Especially architectural design studios build upon the premises that re-representation leads to a better acquisition of knowledge. Architectural educators may use the study to revisit their studio and reposition the role of media as well as align learning out- comes, deliverables and communication tools with the actual working- and learning-styles of students. Keywords. Representational media; design studio; pedagogy. 1. Representational Media in the Design Studio The means through which architecture students work through design studio problems and communicate their outcomes is through design descriptions or ‘representations’. These act as surrogates for real architecture and enable students to test solutions to design problems without necessitating actual physical construction. Representations of design concepts are recorded through media using tools within certain procedures (Dave 2000). Represen- 136.pdf 1 2014/03/20 23:26:13