The Pavilion Project is a teaching/learning activity in which first year architectural students are engaged
in designing and building wooden pavilions on campus. This is one of a series of studio problems the
students have to tackle in an introductory design course in order to learn the fundamentals of
architectural design. Unlike previous hands-on problems conducted under the same course framework,
designing and building full size building objects raises the essential question about the role of the handson
approach within the introductory design curriculum. In this study we have contributed to this question
in two ways. First, the design/build project has been seen as an integral part of the overall design
curriculum. The central concept of design integration is strengthened by the closure of the course with a
design/build project. Second, the installation of an individual design development into the project
provides a means of evaluation, through which an individual student’s mastery of practical knowledge
can be visually demonstrated. The project has succeeded in achieving a unity between theoretical
exploration and practical experience, between team effort and individual design development.