Research Article

Exploring the Indirect Effects of a Sustainable Development Goals-Focused Curriculum on Architectural Design Studio

Volume: 7 Number: 2 December 15, 2025

Exploring the Indirect Effects of a Sustainable Development Goals-Focused Curriculum on Architectural Design Studio

Abstract

The worsening climate crisis, depletion of natural resources, and global economic uncertainties have reshaped development paradigms and brought the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to the forefront of higher education agendas. Architectural education, due to its direct influence on the built environment and social life, plays a strategic role in advancing sustainability-oriented thinking. This study was conducted at Abdullah Gül University (AGÜ), which integrates the SDGs into its mission, vision, and departmental curricula. All undergraduates are required to complete five sustainability-focused courses before their senior year, providing a structured foundation for subsequent design education. The research examines how this prior exposure to SDG-focused learning influences other departmental courses, with particular attention to a third-year design studio held in Fall 2022 in the Architecture Department. The studio, located in Divriği, a historic town in Sivas recognized as an urban conservation site, was not explicitly centered around the SDGs but structured around a social responsibility theme that implicitly aligns with them. Through thematic and content analysis of thirty-three students’ project briefs, the study explores which SDGs were addressed and how they were translated into design strategies. Findings indicate varying levels of engagement, suggesting that earlier coursework may implicitly inform students’ ability to express sustainability concerns in culturally sensitive contexts.

Keywords

References

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Details

Primary Language

English

Subjects

Architecture (Other)

Journal Section

Research Article

Early Pub Date

December 15, 2025

Publication Date

December 15, 2025

Submission Date

October 11, 2025

Acceptance Date

December 8, 2025

Published in Issue

Year 2025 Volume: 7 Number: 2

APA
Elagöz Timur, B., Metin, B., & Kevseroğlu, Ö. (2025). Exploring the Indirect Effects of a Sustainable Development Goals-Focused Curriculum on Architectural Design Studio. Journal of Design Studio, 7(2), 327-340. https://doi.org/10.46474/jds.1801321
AMA
1.Elagöz Timur B, Metin B, Kevseroğlu Ö. Exploring the Indirect Effects of a Sustainable Development Goals-Focused Curriculum on Architectural Design Studio. JDS. 2025;7(2):327-340. doi:10.46474/jds.1801321
Chicago
Elagöz Timur, Bahar, Buket Metin, and Özlem Kevseroğlu. 2025. “Exploring the Indirect Effects of a Sustainable Development Goals-Focused Curriculum on Architectural Design Studio”. Journal of Design Studio 7 (2): 327-40. https://doi.org/10.46474/jds.1801321.
EndNote
Elagöz Timur B, Metin B, Kevseroğlu Ö (December 1, 2025) Exploring the Indirect Effects of a Sustainable Development Goals-Focused Curriculum on Architectural Design Studio. Journal of Design Studio 7 2 327–340.
IEEE
[1]B. Elagöz Timur, B. Metin, and Ö. Kevseroğlu, “Exploring the Indirect Effects of a Sustainable Development Goals-Focused Curriculum on Architectural Design Studio”, JDS, vol. 7, no. 2, pp. 327–340, Dec. 2025, doi: 10.46474/jds.1801321.
ISNAD
Elagöz Timur, Bahar - Metin, Buket - Kevseroğlu, Özlem. “Exploring the Indirect Effects of a Sustainable Development Goals-Focused Curriculum on Architectural Design Studio”. Journal of Design Studio 7/2 (December 1, 2025): 327-340. https://doi.org/10.46474/jds.1801321.
JAMA
1.Elagöz Timur B, Metin B, Kevseroğlu Ö. Exploring the Indirect Effects of a Sustainable Development Goals-Focused Curriculum on Architectural Design Studio. JDS. 2025;7:327–340.
MLA
Elagöz Timur, Bahar, et al. “Exploring the Indirect Effects of a Sustainable Development Goals-Focused Curriculum on Architectural Design Studio”. Journal of Design Studio, vol. 7, no. 2, Dec. 2025, pp. 327-40, doi:10.46474/jds.1801321.
Vancouver
1.Bahar Elagöz Timur, Buket Metin, Özlem Kevseroğlu. Exploring the Indirect Effects of a Sustainable Development Goals-Focused Curriculum on Architectural Design Studio. JDS. 2025 Dec. 1;7(2):327-40. doi:10.46474/jds.1801321

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