Exploring Embedded Pedagogies for Fire Safety

The Grenfell Tower disaster and subsequent public inquiry exposed systemic failures in building safety, alongside a critical knowledge gap within the architectural profession. These findings have driven regulatory reform, notably the Building Safety Act 2022, and strengthened expectations that architects play a more proactive role in protecting public welfare. In response, professional bodies such as ARB and RIBA have called on architecture schools to embed building safety within their curricula.Royal Institute of British Architects. ‘Mandatory Competences’. RIBA, 24 November 2021. https://www.architecture.com/knowledge-and-resources/resources-landing-page/mandatory-competences.

Architects Registration Board. ‘Guidance for Institutions on Fire and Life Safety Design’. Architects Registration Board, 2022. https://arb.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/Fire-and-life-safety-design-guidance-for-institutions.pdf.

However, efforts to embed safety into architectural education remain fragmented. Fire safety is often addressed in isolated modules or professional practice seminars, rather than integrated into the design studio — the core site of architectural learning.The Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education. ‘Subject Benchmark Statement: Architecture’. The Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education, 2020. As a result, students may graduate without the ability to critically or creatively engage with safety issues in their design work, or to see safety as fundamental to architectural judgement and ethical practice.

This research examines how fire safety is currently integrated into design studios across UK architecture schools, and how this can be done more effectively. Using qualitative methods—including surveys, semi-structured interviews with academic staff, and collaborative workshops, the study explores how fire and life safety are interpreted and taught within the studio context. It aims to build a clearer picture of the current pedagogical landscape, highlight best practices, and investigate the institutional and educational conditions that enable or hinder integration.

The originality of this study lies in its focus on the design studio, where core architectural values and skills are developed. It seeks to map emerging pedagogical approaches, while identifying the key barriers and opportunities educators face in embedding safety into design teaching. Reports by SCOSA and ARB cite challenges including limited resources, curriculum overload, tensions between technical content and creative freedom, and institutional complexity.SCOSA Fire & Life Safety Working Group. ‘SCOSA Fire & Life Safety Working Group, Stage 1 Report’. May 2022.

Architects Registration Board. ‘Guidance for Education Institutions on Fire and Life Safety Design and Sustainability Consultation Report’. 2021. https://arb.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/Safety-and-sustainability-guidance-for-institutions-consultation-report.pdf. Nearly four years after RIBA and ARB’s revised guidance, little is known about how architecture schools are responding—especially within the studio. This research addresses that gap.

Ultimately, the research aims to inform ongoing reforms in architectural education by clarifying how building safety principles can be meaningfully embedded into design pedagogy. Rather than focusing solely on compliance and technical standards, the study promotes the development of competencies such as risk awareness, ethical judgement, and the ability to integrate safety into early design decisions. By identifying effective pedagogical strategies, the research seeks to support more proactive, coherent, and design-integrated approaches to fire safety in architectural education.

Research Objectives

1. Map current practices in the integration of building safety within design studio pedagogy across UK architecture schools through a national survey.This will involve identifying the various methods, resources, and emphasis placed on building safety within the core learning environment.

2. Identify and document innovative pedagogical approaches that effectively embed building safety principles within design thinking and practice through interviews and studio observations.This will involve exploring novel teaching methods, assessment strategies, and learning activities that go beyond traditional or peripheral coverage of the topic.

3. Explore the enablers and practical barriers influencing a deeper and more integrated incorporation of building safety within the design studio curriculum.This will focus on the challenges and enablers experienced by academic staff since the publication of the ARB and RIBA guidelines, with particular attention to institutional support for pedagogically effective and innovative approaches.

4. Facilitate knowledge exchange and collective thinking through workshops.These will provide a platform for sharing findings, surfacing new ideas, and building a shared understanding of effective practice.

5. Propose actionable and context-specific recommendations for educators and institutions to foster a more cohesive and embedded approach to building safety education within architectural curricula. These recommendations will be collated into a best practice toolkit, grounded in the research findings and designed to address the identified gaps and challenges in studio-based teaching.