In many schools of architecture worldwide, design studios are frequently isolated from everyday life and tend to focus on theory without experience. In countries with complex social problems, such as Colombia, experiential learning can offer valuable opportunities for architectural education to become an agency for social reconstruction and peace building. This works proposes a teaching method which centres on the promotion of significant learning, through live projects as a complement to studio-based projects. Bloom’s revised taxonomy and Fink’s taxonomy for levels of knowledge were used as references. In order to develop and test this method, 15 different live projects were designed, built and analysed over the course of four years. These involved the participation of 170 undergraduate learners, various national and international teachers, six sponsors from the construction industry and 12 children’s foundations. The findings reveal valuable insights into the development of intellectual, physical and emotional dimensions through these experiences.

Data from post-occupancy studies in real constructions have been instrumental in the development of mainstream thermal comfort standards for the built environment. However, there is growing evidence of the need to advance these standards, through more robust and comprehensive fieldwork records from a broader spectrum of geographies, climates, architectural characteristics and occupancies. It has been shown that the standards have limited suitability in environments such as educational buildings, as they were developed based mainly on adult subjects working in offices. The lack of guidance in data collection methodologies is also thought to require particular attention, as the accuracy of the assessment models relies significantly on the quality of the information gathered. This manuscript proposes a method to systematically acquire an extensive range of data specifically from school classrooms. The method seeks to improve current techniques as follows: •The post-occupancy surveys suggested in mainstream standards focus mainly on the collection of physical and environmental parameters related to adult subjects. Classroom-comfort-data can be used to collect information not only on physical and environmental parameters but also on physiological and psychological aspects. It also includes tools tailored for occupants from different ages (7 years old and above).•The assessment models suggested in mainstream standards employ between 2-5 parameters to predict thermal comfort ranges. The Classroom-comfort-data method is designed to gather up to 49 different thermal comfort parameters, which allow a more comprehensive evaluation of perception and preference, as well as adaptive strategies, social context, and cognitive and emotional appraisals.•The existing surveys in the standards were formulated primarily for office environments in subtropical and temperate climates. The Classroom-comfort-data method can be adapted to fieldwork within different conditions of climate, building design, occupancy levels, and cultural contexts.

The analysis of thermal comfort in buildings, energy consumption, and occupant satisfaction is crucial to influencing the architectural design methodologies of the future. However, research in these fields in developing countries is sectorised. Most times, the standards to study and assess thermal comfort such as ASHRAE Standard 55, EN 15251, and ISO 7730 are insufficient and not appropriate for the geographical areas of application. This article presents a scoping review of published work in Colombia, as a representative case study, to highlight the state-of-the-art, research trends, gaps, and potential areas for further development. It examines the amount, origin, extent, and content of research and peer-reviewed documentation over the last decades. The findings allow new insights regarding the preferred models and the evaluation tools that have been used to date and that are recommended to use in the future. It also includes additional information regarding the most and least studied regions, cities, and climates in the country. This work could be of interest for the academic community and policymakers in the areas related to indoor and urban climate management and energy efficiency.