Contemporary architectural education often faces criticism for overemphasizing outputs, such as final prototypes, at the expense of cultivating holistic competencies crucial for the design process. This shift is particularly evident in frameworks like Egypt’s NARS 2018, which prioritize building competencies rather than focusing solely on deliverables.

Given this emphasis on competencies:

• How can design studio teaching and architectural pedagogy better integrate these frameworks to produce well-rounded designers?
• What are successful examples or strategies from other educational contexts that balance design synthesis with broader skills such as critical thinking, teamwork, and adaptability?