Teachers spend the majority of their days inside school buildings, either teaching in their classrooms or working in their offices. Their satisfaction with and comfort in the physical environment of the school plays a critical role in the advancement of the learning process. Through a review of the literature, it was found that a school’s physical environment affects teachers’ comfort levels, which in turn affects their job satisfaction and productivity. This study aims to identify research that focuses on the effect of a school’s physical environment on teachers’ comfort and performance. The Habitability Pyramid, a model of workplace environmental comfort as defined by Vischer was applied to this critical review as a conceptual framework to define studies investigating the effects of a school’s physical, functional, and psychological comfort on teachers. These aspects are related to teachers’ privacy and the amount of control they have over their physical environment, and thereby their effectiveness as educators. Furthermore, the interrelationship between physical environment and teachers’ comfort is not only affected by their classroom’s physical environment but also by the physical environment where they work outside of teaching time. This critical review provides an understanding of the design issues and physical environment attributes that have the biggest effects on teachers’ comfort in the workplace and the importance of the teachers’ voices in the future design and construction of school in the twenty-first century.

Purpose: The role of women in the architecture and design industry is aligned with Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030, which aims to increase the participation of women in the Saudi construction sector. Saudi female graduates from architectural and design schools are currently working in most of the mega projects underway in Riyadh; however, they face certain challenges at the beginning of their working lives due to the gap between the skills acquired during an architectural and design education and those needed for employability.Design/methodology/approach: This study evaluates the employability skills of Saudi female cooperative education (COOP) students and graduates from architectural schools in Riyadh. A quantitative approach is taken, and two questionnaires are administered: one for female COOP students and graduates from the college of architecture and design in one of the private universities in Riyadh and the other for employers from different architectural firms and governmental organizations in Riyadh. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyze the research data.Findings: The research findings suggest that practical experiences and on-site observation activities should be provided, and sustainability solutions and applications should be incorporated into the curriculum to bring architecture education closer to the architectural profession and highlight the role of universities in supporting graduates' skills development.Research limitations/implications: It is worth mentioning that the results of this study were based on the survey distributed to architecture and interior female students in a private university in Saudi Arabia. The number of students surveyed in this study is not large enough to generalize the survey results to the entire population of architecture and interior design students in the kingdom and in the world. The study will be extended to include more participants from male and female students in other universities in Saudi Arabia to investigate the gaps in employability skills in the field of architecture and interior design in the Kingdom.Practical implications: The study has practical and policy implications for further development and upcoming challenges as the labor market seems to improve and innovate every day. The study suggests providing practical experiences and onsite observation activities and incorporating sustainability solutions and applications into the curriculum.Originality/value: The originality of this study is that it focuses on the importance of some employability skills, such as research and budgeting aspects, Sustainability solutions and applications for students that have not been mentioned in the previous studies.

The objective of this study is to explore the tensions between local and international accreditation. In particular, the study aims to uncover the issues related to differences in learning outcomes requirements between the Council for Interior Design Accreditation (CIDA) and Local Accreditation (National Center for Academic Accreditation and Evaluation—NCAAA). CIDA is globally recognized for promoting quality standards. US Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) recognized the CIDA. There are around 195 interior design schools accredited by the CIDA. The NCAAA is in charge of academic accreditation for both public and private higher education institutions in Saudi Arabia. The study utilized a mixed-method approach, combining documentary analysis and interviews. Applying the theory of complexity, the study revealed issues related to local and international accreditation. The application of the theory of complexity addressed the fact that tensions exist between coevolution and agent. The study is unique in terms of how to align learning outcomes with the requirements of various accreditation bodies. The findings may be generalizable even to those countries that have accreditation requirements somewhat dissimilar to those of CIDA.

Interior designers need to understand the importance of research and evidence-based solutions in design. In interior design education, senior students usually start the “research phase” of their projects before the practical phase. They often struggle with crafting a well-refined research thesis, relying on a scientific research background, and implementing appropriate research methods. The present study aims to explore the teaching strategies that instructors at a private university in Saudi Arabia use to conduct senior thesis projects. The study will be conducted using mixed methods. First, a qualitative description of the teaching methods that have been used through different semesters will be explained. These strategies have been developed over time and evaluated through several semesters in an effort to aid the students with their senior theses, adjust to students’ capabilities, and follow the developing trends of design pedagogy. The study will then be supported by an analysis of students’ work and the application of knowledge gained through several semesters using a grading rubric developed by the instructors of the course and based on the requirements of each assignment submitted by students. For the quantitative part, senior students’ completed questionnaires will be used to assess their level of understanding of the research methods and achievement of desired learning outcomes. The study will be limited to the evaluation of research methods taught for senior students. The obtained result will contribute to the literature on interior design pedagogy, specifically in relation to the integration of research methods and the practice of interior design.