Architecture

The RIBA and ARB consider competencies in urban design essential skills for the development of architects and the architectural profession (MArch/ Part 2 ARB Criteria 2024). In this module students develop design thinking in relation to broader urban contexts, reflecting on issues that impact the development of successful urban spaces, networks, identities, social needs and values and environments. Orientated towards the analysis of urban spaces, and engaging with theories, precedent and practices of historical and contemporary urban design in diverse contexts, the module asks students to reflect on these current practices through their studio design projects. Within specialist design units, students will be guided through weekly lectures to develop holistic social and environmental analysis and design proposals, which address identified urban needs and enhance the performance of existing urban contexts. Working in response to real-world scenarios, students will be required to develop speculative, reasoned and evidenced design proposals which contextualise and advance current practices in response to thoughtful, robust analysis of social needs and governance/ policy objectives in relation to planning policies, professional standards and regulatory frameworks.

This module forms the first part of a three-part curriculum on architectural design, delivered across three terms. In the following design modules, students will build on their urban design work through site-specific social engagement, design interventions and larger-scale architectural design proposals, maintaining and developing deeper and more detailed design thinking on the relationships between urban, architectural and detailed design.

You will explore significant themes in the theory of architecture from the second half of the twentieth century and early twenty first, and ways of researching meaning and intention in the built environment. This will be done with a view towards developing a robust theoretical framework for your own design work. Using course texts as the basis for discussions, you will examine the growth and development of some of the more significant architectural theories of the last fifty years and their impact on architectural design practice. This will help better understand those contemporary landscapes in which architects operate as designers and give them tools to look, see, interpret and respond in diverse cultural contexts.

The module encourages independent, critical thinking and competent research skills. It will broaden your knowledge of recent trends in architecture and introduce a variety of theoretical, social, professional and material concerns. Texts, precedent, cases and contexts will be studied through lectures, seminars, reviews/ presentations and a one-day study trip, as well as and through input and reading. You will be expected to look beyond given texts and case studies in order to describe your own developing positions in architecture as they relate to existing theoretical concerns.

This module will have a taught lecture, seminar and tutorial format. You will use their parallel design module (or exceptionally a design project already completed in a previous MArch design module) as vehicle for a production of a detailed report in which you will assess your design of a building as though it were a live project. Key topics addressed include professional ethics within the wider social and economic context of architectural practice, the organisation of the property and construction sectors, legal and regulatory frameworks, and principles of management in general, and with specific reference to projects and design practices.

In this module you will learn to assess environmental sustainability in the context of net zero policy and develop solution to integrate structural systems, material and environmental controls. Students will learn the following: architecture from climate change perspective, sustainability criteria in construction and environmental design, benchmarking and regulations in technical design, integration of structure, services and passive environmental features and its technical challenges, and performance assessment of technical design solutions. Through this module students will learn to apply environmental principles and analyse the complex design options, and develop environmental strategies and context specific construction details.

This module invites students to engage deeply with discussions, experiments, and innovations centred on theoretical and pedagogical perspectives in architecture. It aims to deepen their theoretical knowledge, and expand their methodological skills, enabling them to design their own research investigations. Students will critically observe and analyse a specific practice, situating it within a relevant theoretical or pedagogical framework. They will design a research experiment- either teaching-focused or research-based- to interrogate and expand on this practice, drawing upon and actively engaging with key theoretical paradigms. The final output will be a scientific or artistic research product, fostering a diverse range of creative and intellectual approaches.

The module framework will emphasize critical reflection on contemporary theoretical trends, challenging students to explore how these frameworks can be developed, adapted, or moderated to suit specific contexts or situations. General cohort-level lectures, complemented by focused seminars and one-on-one guidance from tutors, will nurture the development of diverse topics and experimental projects. Building on their Stage 4 studies students will develop a proposal for their research experiment, inspired by existing theoretical discourses, professional insights, or teaching experiences. This approach will encourage innovative inquiry while fostering individual intellectual growth and creative research investigations.

The RIBA and ARB consider competencies in sustainability critical for the development of the architectural profession. In this module you will develop a critical understanding of current theories of sustainability, covering social, environmental and economic aspects, and also how to situate the built environment within the wider context of sustainable development on regional, national and international level. Running with the concurrently taught design module, this module allows you to apply these theories to a studio-based design projects at an urban scale, focusing on questions of environmental sustainability. In this context students will develop the ability to pursue an evidence-based approach to design, utilising methods and tools that allow the critical assessment of the environmental performance of a design at different stages of its development. Using these tools, you will investigate the impact of design choices on energy consumption, carbon emissions or the microclimate within buildings and in outdoors spaces between buildings, and its implications for health and thermal comfort.

This module provides you with the opportunity to engage critically with contemporary technology in architecture, and formulate a set of design strategies for reducing the environmental impact associated with the construction, operation and maintenance of buildings. This module runs concurrently to the design module ARCH7004, in which students focus on the concept stage of their architectural design project.

The module focuses on two areas of technology, (a) building construction, and (b) sustainable environmental design. Within the area of building construction will acquire knowledge of the properties of different materials, structural engineering solutions and construction systems. Moreover, you will also develop the ability to assess the impact of such choices, looking embodied carbon, resource efficiency and the building life-cycle, on the choice of materials and the design of structures and construction systems. In the areas of environmental design, you address questions energy efficiency, lighting, acoustics, ventilation, climate control, alongside questions of comfort, health and fire safety. These will be evaluated against different building standards, which in addition to the legal minimum set by building regulations, includes the cutting-edge standards within the industry.

You will develop technical design strategy that is underpinned by critical research. In addition to reviewing relevant technical literature, you will undertake a critical examination of the use of chosen technologies in existing buildings through case studies. The final output will be an illustrated technical report, in which you will outline your theoretical strategy for achieving a sustainable approach to building construction and environmental design.