CREATIVITY UNDER THE STUDENT LOOK: A Study in Final Undergraduate Works of architectural project.
Creativity; Architectural project; Final undergraduate works; Environmental Perception.
The contemporary understanding of creativity as a skill present in all individuals that can be learned, trained and refined through practice has contributed to a growing interest in the topic among researchers from diverse interdisciplinary fields, and the dissemination of their discussion from varied contexts. In the field of architecture and urbanism, although the literature on creativity also follows this trend, studies still explore little the students' perceptions of the creative process in architectural design, especially among those who are completing the final undergraduate works. As an individual activity with specific regulation for the Brazilian Architecture and Urbanism courses, the main requirements of the works include the need for continued monitoring by a supervisor and participation in evaluative activities. Understanding that the social, physical, temporal and cultural aspects of the environment influence the creative process (in its various modalities), this dissertation aims to understand how creativity fits into the elaboration process of architectural project final works, based on the perception of students and advisors. Considering the complexity and flexibility of the purposive activity, the research assumed an exploratory character, corresponding to a case study that adopted a multi-method approach, integrating instruments that captured the participants' point of view (questionnaire and interviews) and notions of environmental perception (photographs and mind map). For this qualification exam the method pre-test was performed which was attended by 10 students. The partial results already direct a preliminary answer to the research questions and the discussion of the specific objectives, especially regarding the students' perceptions about the demands of the final works, and their understanding of creativity and the environmental influences on it.