Architectural Design and Technology

You will be introduced to English Law and relevant statutory requirements for studying for vocational qualifications in the construction and property professions. You will e-learn about the workings of the English legal system, to the law relating to contracts and to the regulatory framework affecting the use, management and development of land, in particular, planning, building control and the CDM regulations.

On successful completion of this module, you will be able to demonstrate knowledge of the role of the quantity surveyor and the activities a quantity surveyor would undertake in the pre-construction phase of a project. The modules progresses understanding of the processes of financial and cost control during the construction phase of a project and involves the area of contract administration during the pre-construction and construction phases of a project.

This module aims at providing a fundamental understanding of the design principles and behaviours of structural forms, elements and systems in buildings. You will be introduced to nature as a generator of structure. You'll explore the relationship between shape, material, structural performance, loads, assembly methods and construction technology through modelling, analysis, and case studies. You will be able to understand the mutual dependencies between architectural design, structural performance and manufacturing technologies in the past and present through the knowledge of historical and contemporary structural forms and materials. The module also enables you to investigate the implications of nature, people and technology in the design of architectural structures.

This module will introduce you to Computer Aided Design, hand drawing and model making, as techniques for communicating the design and construction of buildings. You will learn how to use draughting and rendering software, the basics of Building Information Modelling, sketching, model making, and the production of scale drawings and details, by hand.

The module content is delivered in our architecture studio and workshop. Assessment will require you to submit physical models, hand drawings and computer renderings

With a focus on 'learning by doing', the module is delivered as a studio-based framework, where a series of small exercises will encourage you to add experimentation and innovation to your projects.  You will complete a design project, which combines guided learning/tutorial and independent study. The outcome of the project will vary depending on the purpose of the design brief. We will also use the Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) to enhance your learning experience.

A range of assessment methods will provide you with the opportunity to demonstrate your skills. This will include summative assessment of the projects based on the predefined criteria and formative assessment through design critic.

This module will introduce you to construction technology, and how this is described, detailed, and specified as part of the architectural design process. Using the domestic house as a framework, module lectures start from the bottom-up covering foundation and ground slab design, and progress to explore wall, roof, stairs, windows, and doors, first floor construction, plus internal elements in terms of forms of construction, materials and performance.

The module is delivered using lectures and seminars, and is assessed using coursework that will include detailed drawings, specifications, and detail models.

Explore the history of architecture and construction. This module provides insight into historic construction, along with an understanding of how ideas and technology have changed and continue to change the design of buildings. The module narrative starts in Salford at the beginning of the 19th Century with the ‘shock city’ of the Industrial Revolution, and moves through 20th century modernism, to cover emerging 21st century ideas of sustainability, ecological design, and off-site manufacturing. Having this contextual knowledge will give you a greater understanding when working with, or integrating into, a historic environment, how conservation and re-use can be informed by an understanding of architectural history. It will also provide insight into how technology and ideas develop. 

We deliver the module using lectures and seminars, and use a final essay for assessment.  In this module, we will also introduce library skills in research and referencing (delivered by the University’s library team).

A fundamental element of an Architectural Technologist’s role is to communicate the building design and construction information in specifications, schedules, drawings and contract documents. In this module, We will teach you specification writing using the National Building Specification (NBS), and material and component specification using reference to British Standards, Codes of Practice, and BREEAM Certification. We will also explore software for preparing design and construction programmes, and the use of BIM in preparing construction contract packages.

The module is delivered using lectures, seminars, and software demonstration. You will be assessed through a design report that will include all aspects of construction documentation– specification, programme, contract documents and Health and Safety – in a design project.

Building on your knowledge and skills, this module will further develop your understanding of technological innovation in architecture integrating the parallel strands. You will consider more advanced construction techniques, systems and assemblies for non-domestic buildings. Through this, you will extend and develop your technical vocabulary and grasp of building physics for more complex building forms in terms of scale, storeys, and medium and long clear spans.

This module enables you to explore and differentiate the principal types of procurement systems and associated contracts used in the UK, you will also explore the fundamental procedures related to contract administration.

This module focuses on development in urban settings, dealing particularly with the options for in-fill sites where a new building is created between existing buildings and structures. The challenges you will explore include how to plan a project in a busy location, how to deliver a sustainable project and how to detail this design within the appropriate legislation and regulations associated with the building type you choose.

You will develop an holistic understanding of tectonics for local and global environmental challenges. You will assess the impacts of building performance on the built environment. You'll apply the principles of technological engineering systems in sustainable design and construction processes to a design solution. You will also apply technical regulatory factors that impact build, sustainability and environmental performance within broad societal concerns.

You will learn to write and deliver an extended and coherent study on a design related topic. On completion, you will demonstrate competency in research skills in support of future learning development. This module will help you to develop the skills of reflective practice through engagement with contemporary architecture and urbanism.

This module incorporates the final design project of the course - an opportunity to pull together and demonstrate all the skills and knowledge you have acquired in a single medium sized project with a brief and site of your own choosing. The assessment will require the submission of a comprehensive package of design and construction information including a physical and historic site analysis; a brief; plans, sections, elevations, selected details, and renderings of the proposed building and site context (including a physical/computer model of the building).

Delivered using our design studio, in this module, you will prepare a design for the conversion of an existing building (on the University Campus), including a measured and condition survey of the building. The module is taught in the design studio. You will be assessed through a design project which includes a brief for the project, together with plans, sections, elevations, selected details, and renderings. of the building as existing and as proposed. You will also complete a design report describing how the building performance will be improved whilst preserving the historic aspects of the building.

This module provides you with knowledge of Modern Methods of Construction (MMC) and an introduction to a range of MMC techniques. Through a focused series of lectures, we will reveal the role of offsite manufacture, platform thinking, generative design, robotics, intelligent building, kinetic architecture, logistics and sustainable considerations.

In this module, you will use an existing model of a proposed medium-sized building to undertake a range of performance evaluation and provide an illustrative report about how the building performance maybe improved. Delivered using our architectural design studio, the module activities will help you to become aware of the current range of performance modelling analytical tools.