For decades, architecture remained under the category of Arts and Humanities in the national curriculum framework in Pakistan. Those were times when architects used to draw manually; it was time-consuming, and the focus remained on art rather than technology, building services and systems, materials, and construction techniques. The field of architecture has evolved considering the challenges of the 21st century, such as the growing population, urbanization, complex building design systems, energy, climate, and sustainability. The majority of architecture professors in Pakistan focus on art, culture, heritage conservation, and adaptive reuse. While the country is facing serious issues such as climate change, disasters, water scarcity, rapid urbanization, an energy crisis, fuel poverty, etc. Last week, a meeting of the National Curriculum Review Committee (NCRC) was held in Lahore to revise the curriculum for B.Arch. (2013) and M.Arch. (2016). The Higher Education Commission (HEC), Pakistan, also revised the Undergraduate Education Policy (UEP) in 2020. According to this policy, 30 credits of compulsory courses must be included in the curriculum of all disciplines, which include courses on art and humanities, natural and social science, English, Islamic Studies, Ideology and the Constitution of Pakistan, the application of information and communication technologies, entrepreneurship, civic and community engagement, etc. These courses are designed to give graduates a broader vision and skill set no matter what program they have undertaken, whether it is related to art, architecture, business, science, engineering, medicine, etc. The two-day session of the NCRC was concluded after some changes and a consensus on a revision of the curriculum. The members will come up with a draft, which will be circulated to get feedback from experts in academia and practice. I congratulate HEC for organizing this meeting and look forward to a finalized version of the revised curriculum. If you guys have any feedback or comments, please feel free to write to me. #NCRC #Curriculum #Architecture #HEC #Energy #EnergyEfficiency #Buildings #EnergyConservation #BUITEMS (at HEC Regional Centre Lahore) https://www.instagram.com/p/Cpjvx0jtffe/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=
