Between methodologies and practices

an outreach experiment at the intersection of Architecture and Anthropology

Abstract

This article aims to present and reflect on a combination of teaching methodologies, particularly the relationship between architecture and anthropology, as applied in an outreach experiment. Thus, it focuses on a specific segment of a project called Casas Coloridas [Colorful Houses], developed with students from the architecture and urbanism undergraduate program at the Centro Universitário UDF, as part of a doctoral research project at the Universidade de Brasília, concluded in 2021. Drawing on Jorge Larrosa Bondía’s concept of learning through experience, the article details the development of this outreach project, from the initial meetings and theoretical approaches, through the empirical routines established by the group during meetings, to a description of key activities involved in the development of the project. Based on this experience, it reflects on fieldwork as a foundational practice for mediating between theory and the critical teaching of architecture, seeking pedagogical insights in the field, underscored by Carlos Rodrigues Brandão's concept of contamination. The study thus demonstrates that such an approach serves as a valuable teaching tool with significant implications for teaching practice, encouraging students to broaden their observations and develop nuanced understandings of social and spatial relationships.