Architectural Engineering

This module introduces you to the fundamentals of structures. You will learn about the forces acting upon structures and how these are analysed. You will be introduced to different material properties used in various methods of construction, and you will be able to calculate the performance of simple structural elements. Sketching and calculations are an important part of the module.

You will be introduced to architectural thinking and the implications of the relationships between people, environment and place through creative and engaging small-scale design projects. Through the projects you will practice a wide range of architectural representation techniques, from orthographic drawing to model making.

You will develop your skills and knowledge in architectural representation and build design through larger scale design projects and live engagement opportunities.

This module introduces you to construction technology, systems and services by focusing on principles of structures, construction assemblies, techniques and sustainable design of domestic architecture. Within the context of the climate emergency you will explore the fundamental approaches to construction used to achieve safe, environmentally sound tectonic strategies. The module will discuss building physics and the building’s fabric, and how its environmental services and systems need to be combined to provide physiological, thermal, visual and acoustic comfort.

You will be introduced to the canon of western architectural history and its underlying ideological assumptions. The module locates the major practices and sites of western architecture in a wide visual, cultural and ideological context and critically examines its relevance to the practicing architect today. 

This module explores the use of architectural representation to analyse and critique urban contexts and develop contextually appropriate design propositions.  

This module enhances your prior learning and develops the opportunity to enter a national or international design competition alongside the development of a personal interior architecture design brief. Exploring interior typologies, the module aims to develop your creative potential within a future built environment context. You will extend the design brief(s) to propose innovative new approaches to interior space and extend the ideas and approaches you have explored and developed throughout the programme to date. 

The multidisciplinary module allows you to engage in a multidisciplinary practice-based environment and gain an insight into industrial practice. Utilising a real-world scenario student’s work collectively and collaboratively to communicate a project solution to a panel of assessors through varying forms of media. This module is supported with a series of industrial guest speakers to offer real life practices, procedures, technologies, and communication techniques.

This module requires that you study and critically analyse various examples of design concepts for structures. You are required to analyse the parameters (environmental, structural) that had been taken into consideration to resolve structural issues, such as types of soil/foundations, structural characteristics and properties, construction materials and techniques and aesthetic quality. You will develop a wider understanding and knowledge on various structural systems, properties of construction materials, and methods of construction. You will apply this knowledge on your own design solutions in your design concepts in other modules.

This module further develops your understanding of technological innovation in architecture integrating the parallel strands of Structure and Services introduced to you in year 1 through two core themes central to Building Fabric Design: Design for Climate and Sustainability and Design for Human and Life Safety. Through these themes you will develop competencies in more advanced construction techniques, systems and assemblies for non-domestic buildings and through this you will extend and develop your technical vocabulary and grasp of building physics and building fabric design for more complex building forms.  

This module will introduce you to a holistic approach in the analysis of decision making in the design of advanced, complex and challenging structures. You are required to carry out individual research and consider the following factors: the function of the structure, construction materials and techniques, loads and forces, sustainability and environmental impact of the structure such as embodied energy, life cycle assessment-using sustainability tools, indoor comfort, the structural forms and structural performance, and aesthetics.  

You will apply the knowledge to your own design solutions in other modules. 

This module comprises the development of tectonic rationale and detail design at a variety of scales and levels of detail and the continued formation of an iterative design methodology. It builds on the formation of technical assemblies, structural and environmental rationales and communication of detailed design solutions developed in parallel with a design task of some complexity and asks that you both build upon and challenge accepted performance and evidence-based modes of integrated design whilst seeking compliance with technical standards and regulatory frameworks for sustainability, health and life safety, and delivering a plausible and buildable project. 

This module consolidates your ability to provide architectural solutions to problems and synthesize space to address complex architectural problems of increased complexity. It requires you to apply the principles of architectural design, in a complex urban setting and in response to an architectural brief to provide an integrated building design process.  

This module aims to prepare you for your first year in industry by equipping you with a comprehensive understanding of the profession of architecture. You will develop an understanding of the role of the architect in society. You will learn about the management of the construction industry, the role of the architectural practice and responsibilities of each within the regulatory legal context within which architecture operates.