InfraTech Journal of Sustainable Architecture and Civil Engineering
Science Fiction Films as Pedagogical Tools in Architecture Education: A Curriculum-Based Review Using NUC BMAS and NBTE Standards in Nigeria
Abstract
Haliru Aminu Ahmad, Nurudeen Abdullahi and Aishat Jaâ??afar Abdullahi
The intersection of architecture, education, and science fiction provides an ideal setting for investigating innovative approaches to urban futures, spatial imagination, and cultural transformation. This study examines the pedagogical integration of science fiction films into architectural curriculum in Nigeria, with particular reference to the Benchmark Minimum Academic Standards (BMAS) for universities and the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) guidelines for polytechnics. By analyzing selected films such as Blade Runner (1982), Black Panther (2018) , Her (2013), and Inception (2010), the study examines how speculative cinematic worlds can serve as conceptual laboratories for design thinking, sustainability, and socio-cultural critique [1-4]. The methodology incorporates film analysis, curriculum review, and expert interviews with educators and students from Nigerian architecture schools. The findings show that science fiction narratives inspire critical engagement with themes such as futuristic cities, cultural identity, ecological crises, and technological mediation of space, all of which are relevant to current global concerns in architectural education. Integrating these films into studio projects, theoretical classes, and urban design seminars boosts creativity, problem- solving skills, and cross-disciplinary collaboration. The study concludes by recommending a structured pedagogical framework that leverages science fiction films as tools to foster critical imagination in architecture, in line with BMAS and NBTE standards. It contends that such integration will not only advance architectural pedagogy, but will also position Nigerian architecture schools to engage actively in global discourses on sustainable, inclusive, and technologically driven futures.