Architecture BA (Hons)

Academic skills when studying away from your home country can differ due to cultural and language differences in teaching and assessment practices. This module is designed to support your transition in the use and practice of technical language and subject specific skills around assessments and teaching provision in your chosen subject. The overall aim of this module is to develop your abilities to read and study effectively for academic purposes; to develop your skills in analysing and using source material in seminars and academic writing and to develop your use and application of language and communications skills to a higher level.

The topics you will cover on the module include:

• Understanding assignment briefs and exam questions.
• Developing academic writing skills, including citation, paraphrasing, and summarising.
• Practising ‘critical reading’ and ‘critical writing’
• Planning and structuring academic assignments (e.g. essays, reports and presentations).
• Avoiding academic misconduct and gaining credit by using academic sources and referencing effectively.
• Listening skills for lectures.
• Speaking in seminar presentations.
• Presenting your ideas
• Giving discipline-related academic presentations, experiencing peer observation, and receiving formative feedback.
• Speed reading techniques.
• Developing self-reflection skills.

Synthesising the principles, practices and theoretical motivations of the architectural design process within a complex design response forms your core learning journey within this module. Combining a critical interpretation of conceptual notions and professional practice with a detailed assimilation of physical context, narrative and spatial awareness. Project briefs will provoke responses to specific architectural conditions and typologies relating to place, form, architectural language, material, sustainability and construction. You will articulate your ideas by employing detailed 2D and 3D communication skills to realise and represent architectural propositions alongside a written and illustrated study of the professional context within which your design ideas are framed. Working independently and collectively, you will enhance your critical learning skills and your reflective attitude within the iterative process of architectural design.

Synthesising the principles, practices and theoretical motivations of the architectural design process within a complex design response forms your core learning journey within this module. Combining a critical interpretation of conceptual notions and professional practice with a detailed assimilation of physical context, narrative and spatial awareness. Project briefs will provoke responses to specific architectural conditions and typologies relating to place, form, architectural language, material, sustainability and construction. You will articulate your ideas by employing detailed 2D and 3D communication skills to realise and represent architectural propositions and the professional context within which your design ideas are framed. Working independently and collectively, you will enhance your critical learning skills and your reflective attitude within the iterative process of architectural design.

A critical appreciation and evaluation of advanced historical, theoretical, urban and technological paradigms governing the disciplines of Architecture forms the core learning journey of this module. The thematic exposure to seminal historic and contemporary architecture will develop critical knowledge to further reveal key theoretical positions and thinking. Presented as a theoretically connected continuum of architectural thought, spanning relevant epochs, content will thematically align to your wider creative learning journey. Existing critical learning skills will be honed to further reflective upon and interpret established theories of architecture.

This module seeks to provide you with a focussed appraisal of the principles of architectural technologies and the social, environmental, ethical and technological principles and requirements of architectural practice, building upon the ‘Practice and Technology’ content taught in previous years. The critical justification and imaginative synthesis of constructional systems and environmental design with the social and ethical considerations of energy consumption and ecological impacts of adopted technologies will be central to this module. The systematic analysis of appropriate case studies and professional practices will underpin this approach. Structural, constructional, environmental and sustainable design criteria will be considered, allowing comparative analysis of current and possible solutions; you will consequently be required to propose solutions for your studio design project that can be rigorously justified in their application to factors such as structural performance; fire strategies; accessibility; and fabrication and assembly. Similarly, environmental consideration of daylighting; acoustic performance, ventilation, heating and cooling will require your justified argument for the design choices you will make. In recognition of the social, ethical and environmental responsibilities of the architect, you will be encouraged to develop an understanding of sustainable design criteria and how these can be satisfied, while also meeting the aesthetic, functional and structural demands of your studio design project.