Architecture BA

Core modules:

Architectural Design and Communication 01

This foundational first-year module serves as a crucial introduction to the interconnected disciplines of Architectural Design and Communication. Students will explore fundamental architectural principles, experimenting with concepts of space, form, function, and place. Simultaneously, they are immersed in the design process, learning iterative methodologies for problem-solving and creative exploration.

Through group work students will begin to learn about the social context of design projects and the ways in which collaboration with user groups and communities might enhance the development of design proposals. The module embeds learning within critical contemporary issues, placing a strong emphasis on climate and social justice. Through socially engaged design projects, you will be required to consider the environmental impact and societal responsibilities inherent in design decisions.

Central to this learning journey is the cultivation of a strong studio culture - a vibrant, collaborative environment encouraging peer learning, critical dialogue, and the development of a socially conscious design ethos. This module provides the essential building blocks for a thoughtful and technically proficient design practice.

A significant emphasis is placed on developing essential communication skills vital for any designer or architect. This includes mastering core techniques for visual representation, such as sketching, technical drawing, physical model-making, and introductory digital tools in addition to the core methodologies of design experimentation and testing.

The module cultivates effective verbal and written as well as drawn and modelled communication, enabling students to articulate design intentions, present work clearly, and engage constructively in design review presentations and peer group discussions. Through design tutorials and reviews, workshops and studio projects, students learn to synthesise architectural ideas, design thinking, and clear communication, building a solid base for subsequent years of study.

40 credits

Architectural Environment and Technology 01

This foundational module introduces first year architecture students to the essential interplay between the built and natural environments. It establishes a critical understanding of how buildings respond to, are shaped by, and impact their surroundings. 

Students will explore core principles of environmental physics relevant to architecture, including heat transfer, solar gain, natural and artificial lighting, and basic acoustics, learning how these factors fundamentally influence design decisions and occupant comfort. The module introduces methods for climate analysis, orientation and site assessment, enabling students to understand the environmental context of architectural projects.

Students will be engaged in discussions relating to Climate Justice, the Climate Emergency and the responsibility of the architect to understand the impact of design decisions on the embodied and operational carbon cost of a building project. Students will be encouraged to develop a critical understanding of how architectural technology, materials, and sustainable discourses and processes relate to colonialism and empire

Students will gain an introductory overview of common building materials and fundamental construction techniques, considering their inherent properties, structural behaviour, and environmental implications. 

Key concepts of sustainable design will be introduced, focusing on passive strategies, energy awareness, and the importance of resource efficiency. Simple building services related to heating, ventilation, and water will be discussed in principle. 

Through lectures, case studies, and a close connection with studio design work, this module provides the essential environmental and technical knowledge base required to inform responsible and responsive architectural design proposals developed in parallel studio modules and future studies.

20 credits

Architectural Humanities 01

The course explores the reciprocal relationship between architecture, landscapes, the built environment and society, introducing a broad range of inhabitations and domestic settings across the world and across time. Through a multidisciplinary and cross-cultural approach lectures will examine how humans have approached their needs for shelter and inhabitation, and the relationship between domestic types and public life, both in the past and in the present. The relationship of buildings to landscapes across a range of scales is explored. The course seeks to establish that architecture and landscapes are socially contextualised through style, symbolic references, typologies, use, materiality, meaning, structure, layout, and form, and also through the framing of human activities and rituals. By adopting a global approach the course engages with broader questions of locality, exchange, and adaptability.

The course examines how the field of architecture is positioned in relation to wider issues - in particular, climate breakdown. Neither architecture nor climate are simply technical phenomena: both are social, political, and cultural; both raise questions about resources, land, economics, labour, policy, infrastructure, and more. We will explore these entanglements starting from a series of building case studies, and moving outwards to explore the wider landscape, material and immaterial networks that constitute architecture and climate. You will begin to position yourself in relation to these and other networks, and reflect on how you might encounter them in your future. Lectures will relate the physical making of the modern world to political, social, and other constructions.

20 credits

Architectural Design and Communication 02

Building directly upon the foundational principles and skills introduced in Semester 1, this second module challenges students to apply their learning to architectural design problems of increasing complexity and specificity. While continuing to explore core concepts of space, form, and function, the emphasis shifts towards integrating design thinking with detailed contextual analysis, including site conditions, precedent studies, and programmatic requirements. The iterative design methodologies learned previously will be employed with greater rigor, demanding more focused experimentation and critical evaluation of proposals.

Students will further develop their collaborative skills, applying insights gained from initial group work to navigate more nuanced design scenarios that require careful consideration of social dynamics and community perspectives. Engagement with the themes of climate and social justice moves beyond identification towards the exploration of potential integration into design proposals.

Communication skills are further refined, demanding greater precision and clarity in visual, verbal, and written formats. Students will enhance their proficiency in sketching, technical drawing, physical model-making, and digital representation, using these tools not just for individual exploration but also for constructing a design narrative. Expectations for presenting work and engaging in critical discourse during design reviews and peer discussions are elevated, fostering more sophisticated understanding of the subject. 

The strong studio culture remains vital, supporting students as they tackle more demanding tasks and synthesize technical skills, contextual understanding, and critical awareness, solidifying their foundation for the second year of the course.

40 credits