Architecture BSc (Hons)

Course Summary

How you learn

Design projects are the core of the course, and a significant part of teaching takes part in the design studio.You will learn to conceptualise, analyse and develop your creative imagination, applying this to design problems which increase in complexity throughout the course. Design projects simulate the real-world skills used in architectural practice.

Year 1 has a small-scale and domestic focus with an emphasis on environmental principles and three-dimensional investigation through making and drawing.

Year 2 has a larger urban scale and international focus and is designed to expand knowledge, imagination, confidence and skills. The year is centred on a European field trip.

Year 3 has a strong social and environmental focus with design projects located in the UK.

You learn through:

weekly studio-based design tutorialslectures and seminarspractical workshopsfield trips within the UK and Europedigital classesvisits to important architecture and placesvisits to current architectural practiceslectures and talks from practicing architectsspecialist consultants from industry

Applied learning

Project-based learning

All three years of the course are structured around applied learning. This links your studies to real-world situations.The course seeks to train architects who care about people and the environment, and who appreciate how architecture can have a positive impact on society. Modules in the history and theory of architecture look deep into social and cultural issues, and help to explain how architecture is connected to them. Design projects then apply this knowledge and understanding.A range of software is used for Computer Aided Design (CAD) and Building Information Modelling (BIM), which together allow exploration of the design and the creation of a data-rich environment.

Environmental emphasis

The curriculum specialises in environmental design and introduces fundamental knowledge of environmental science and low-energy design across all three years.We use software that allows the environmental quality and energy performance of buildings to be simulated and tested — this is then used to inform studio design projects. Environmental simulation tools are also used to test 3D proposals in a variety of ways.

Field trips

Field study trips within the UK and Europe broaden your understanding of architecture within contemporary contexts, and prepare you for a variety of scenarios which you will find in practice.Extracurricular activities, organised with our active architecture student society (SHarc), include hands-on workshops and a guest lecture series where students invite practitioners to discuss current issues and concerns.