Advanced Architectural Design MA

This module is intended to prepare you for the practical application of advanced building technology and issues of sustainability. Buildings are linked to the consumption of large quantities of energy and other resources and the production of large amounts of carbon dioxide and other pollutants. It is necessary to design, construct and operate them in a climate sensitive fashion in order to optimise performance and resource use. This module will examine how sustainable and advanced construction technology can begin to reduce the effects of global warming, ozone depletion, acid rain, illness and resource depletion through careful design.

This module will enable you to examine contemporary movements in architectural design, analysing principal characteristics, raisons d'etre and major components. This will provide an informed background against which your own theoretical approach to design can develop and mature. The module aims to enable you to explore in depth a design philosophy - both in theory and in practice - that is empathetic to your own ideals and aspirations. You will undertake an integrated Design Project, developing learning gained in other practical and theoretical modules in the course to produce an integrated solution with a high standard of design based on a sound theoretical approach.

This module you will give you the opportunity to carry out a detailed survey and analytical study of an existing urban context and prepare strategic proposals for the further development and/or regeneration of the site in relationship to broader social, economic and environmental issues. You will then develop a design project at an appropriate scale for further exploration and resolution of a group of buildings and/or public spaces.

The research methods module introduces students to a variety of methods, approaches and practical issues involved in conducting academic research. It will give you the chance to become familiar with the key elements involved in designing, carrying out and assessing research relevant to a range of built environment disciplines. The objectives of this module are: to define a topic which is both researchable and manageable within the bounds of a Master’s dissertation/project; to conduct a preliminary literature search and synthesis, providing a background and justification to the research project; to establish clear aims and objectives for the research to specify the detailed plan to be carried out; and to produce a structure for the research which indicates the sources and methods to be employed and a feasible working programme.

This module gives you the opportunity to undertake a major, in-depth piece of work along with other This includes a largely self-directed study, of what you have gained from the course and, often, to integrate it with elements from previous studies or professional experiences. It gives the opportunity for you to develop your research skills and abilities, allowing exploration of a particular and complex area covered in the taught elements of your course of study. The major project represents a study of a specified topic based on the gathering and analysis of primary and secondary data, contextualised within existing knowledge in the field and drawing conclusions to a defined research question.

The aim of this module is to enable you to enhance your understanding and knowledge of: the organisation and administration of architectural practice; the responsibilities and obligations of an architect to clients and other parties involved in the building design and construction process; collaboration, information management and Building Information Modelling (BIM); building control and planning legislation; the legal and contractual procedures involved in building procurement; estimating and cost control of the construction process; the personal and team management skills appropriate to architectural practice; and the responsibility of the architect towards the health and safety of those employed in the construction industry, the well-being of building users and the effect of building development upon society at large.

This module aims to address BIM at the project level. The aim is to provide understanding and support the critical evaluation of the key issues in collaborative, integrated BIM based projects. It includes a broad understanding of process change needed to enable the achievement of BIM benefits in practice.

A crucial element of design is its social responsibility to engage meaningfully with communities and the public at large, responding to and protecting the interests of society. The aim of this module is to provide you with an introduction to theories and practices of community engagement in the built environment, including gaining practical experience and skills through being directly involved in participatory processes locally. In a UK context the formal process of urban design, at the scale of neighbourhoods, involves some degree of consultation with stakeholders. However there are compelling arguments for, and examples of, a range of approaches to this type of interaction, demonstrating how decision-making powers might be shared amongst the different actors, and how the process can be embedded within the local community. In current times these goals, and the means by which they may be achieved, are particularly challenged by economic constraints impacting local authority budgets. This raises additional questions about how it may be facilitated, inviting creative and rigorous thinking to be applied.