Architectural Engineering with Foundation Year

This module will introduce you to the range of sectors and professions involved in the built environment sector. You will also gain an understanding of the role of the different professions, and begin to explore the concept of health and safety in industry.

The aim of this module is to provide you with an appreciation and understanding of architectural design and the factors that influence it. You will gain an understanding of architectural design in the context of the overall building procurement process, and be introduced to the role of ICT as an essential tool in built environment professional practice. Through this module you will begin to develop your expertise in commonly used built environment design representation software applications.

The module is to introduce the concept of digitalisation in the built environment industry and allow you to apply different digital technologies. It will also introduce you to building materials and structure.

This module will introduce you to many of the reasons why we need buildings. It introduces and examines how we design buildings to both passively and actively modify the internally created built environment. The concept of whole building Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) is introduced in relation to thermal comfort, visual comfort, acoustic comfort and Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) with the goal of instilling an understanding in the learner as to how aspects of good building design promote occupant comfort and wellbeing. Via an understanding of the physical properties of construction materials, basic scientific principles and building engineering services, you will gain an understanding of buildings in use, not just buildings under design or in construction.

This module is designed to equip you with a set of skills, knowledge and personal attributes that ensure the student is likely to be successful in their chosen route of academic study on a course within the School of the Built Environment. You will develop the ability to understand what and how they are learning, and to review, plan and take responsibility for your own learning.

This module introduces the process of client/architect/engineer design briefs, and particular specifications in relation to a building’s internal environment, with particular attention paid to the specification of thermal, visual, acoustic and Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) design variables. Building on the theory learned in the Introduction to Building Science module, this module moves on to the design and practical application of environmental design criteria based on the previously developed understanding of environmental comfort.

You will research into, and select, various design variables during the creation of project Room Data Sheets (RDS), used by engineering consultants to design passive and active approaches to the creation of an optimum internal environment for occupant comfort and wellbeing. The module then moves on to the determination of actual environmental conditions in numerous rooms and spaces in a variety of building types via the physical use of measuring equipment. By comparing theoretical and actual design values, you will then undertake observations and Post Occupancy Evaluation (POE) surveys to determine real occupant opinions and perceptions as to their working environment, with the goal of assessing those areas of design with poor feedback and the proposal of corrective measures.

You will be introduced to architectural design thinking through the understanding of the inter-relationships between people and their immediate environment in place making.

You will be introduced to the concept and techniques of drawing, modelling and alternative forms of representations of architectural design. The module will develop your ability to interpret and produce 2-D and 3-D architectural representations (e.g. plans, sections, elevations, axonometric and perspective projections) and models (e.g. analogue, physical and digital).

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

You will develop your architectural thinking and appreciate the implications of the inter-relationships between people, the environment and place making through the development of a building design of a low to medium level of complexity.

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 builds on your introduction to structure, materials and fabric by introducing you to the challenges for the built environment of the Climate Emergency, and by introducing principles of Environmental Design, Systems and Services. The module will discuss building physics and a building’s fabric, and how its environmental services and systems need to be combined to provide physiological, thermal, visual and acoustic comfort. It will also introduce the need to attend to the physical and psychological health, safety and wellbeing of the occupants and the welfare of those making and maintaining buildings when making design decisions. You will consider how principles of responsive design (both passive and interactive) can be utilised in relation to the principles, elements and techniques of sustainable design of domestic architecture.

You will gain a broad understanding of the history and theory of architecture focused on the examination of the histories of modern architecture.

You will develop your ability to select and apply structural assemblies and stability systems. You will also understand how to apply mechanics to the analysis of continuous structures and analyse soil retaining systems.

This module comprises the further development and formation of an iterative architectural design methodology. It builds on the formation of spatial and formal vocabulary and the interpretation and communication of ideas developed in the Design Studio 1A and 1B modules. You will undertake projects for commercial uses and public spaces and design buildings of moderate complexity. In addition to these non-domestic architectures, you will also be introduced to modularisation and modern methods of construction and the challenges and opportunities these pose to architectural form, function and conceptualisations of space and programme, and of the problem of the particular, from the scale of the architectural detail to the specificities of a place or neighbourhood. You will explore the possibilities they afford for producing innovative architectural designs, which address functional, social, and environmental needs in the context of an historic urban fabric. The brief requires you to produce a medium scale building by introducing your own understanding of users’ technical and environmental needs and create your own specifications for the spaces and activities required. The module will further develop your and ability to apply the principles of architectural design, in relationship to the structural, technological and environmental requirements and deepen your understanding of an iterative and integrated building design process.

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 you will work collectively 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 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 in terms of scale, multiple storeys, and for medium as well as long clear spans.

This module comprises the further development and formation of an iterative architectural design methodology. It builds on the integrated Design approach introduced in Design Studio 2A and further develops this via the notion of performative and performance-based design. Through the module you will undertake projects for public use and design buildings of moderate complexity and further your abilities to contribute to the creation of place in urban, peri-urban or rural contexts. In addition, you will also you will gain the skills and ability to deploy digital technologies such as BIM and Computational Design in the development of design alternatives in a further development of your and ability to apply the principles of architectural design, in relationship to the structural, technological and environmental requirements and deepen your understanding of an iterative and integrated building design process.

This module comprises the development of an inventive approach to architecture and the continued formation of an iterative design methodology. It builds on the formation of spatial and formal vocabulary and the interpretation and communication of ideas developed in previous design modules and asks that you both build upon and challenge accepted performance and evidence-based modes of integrated design. In this module you will investigate the power of design in all its complexity in instigating social, cultural, aesthetic, historical and technological change through proposals that are both inventive and interventionist, whilst evidencing care for the future.

You will explore the theme of regeneration and application of architecture practice in the regeneration of cities and urban environments.

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

You will develop, apply and test your architectural design skills in the context of a complex design project. You will apply the necessary skills, competencies and understanding of a selected range of theoretical, technical, cultural, historical and professional issues, and the ability to integrate them into your designs. You will expand your design methods to include (fine) art practices, in particular those which focus on the development of spatial interventions.

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 aims to develop your ability to propose structural schemes to bridge voids, build tall and cover space. You will learn to apply risk management to the selection of schemes and understand the effects of accidental loading