BSc (Hons) Architecture projects and projections of students of architecture at the university of east london
uel.ac.uk/ace
“The sense of self, strengthened by art and architecture, allows us to engage fully in the mental dimensions of dream, imagination and desire. Buildings and cities provide the horizon for the understanding and confronting of the human existential condition. Instead of creating mere objects of visual seduction, architecture relates, mediates and projects meanings. The ultimate meaning of any building is beyond architecture; it directs our conciousness back to the world and towards our own sense of self and being. Significant architecture makes us experience ourselves as complete embodied and spiritual beings. In fact, this is the great function of all meaningful art.� Juhani Pallasmaa, The Eyes of the Skin.
Foreword
Our achitecture and design programmes develop practice to enhance life in the context of society and nature. Our staff teach at the highest level and maintain an enquiring research approach to physical and intellectual contexts. Our teaching balances a respect and understanding of the past and the present with an inspirational, poetic and innovative stance towards the future. Our staff and students, from all over the world, are encouraged to work nationally and internationally to explore a wide variety of interests, approaches and areas of research. This year’s work has explored a wide variety of sites: sometimes here in the UK, sometimes in very different cultural and environmental contexts such as Continental Europe, Scandinavia and China. Sometimes projects focus on remote, isolated communities; sometimes they deal with the complexity of life in the city. We also have links with schools abroad and students have the possibility of engaging with schools of architecture in a number of cities including Venice, St Petersburg, Paris and Athens. At the core of our teaching philosophy is the relationship developed between staff and students. Students are taught one to one, in small groups as well as in studios, workshops, seminars and lecture halls. Our project work follows a pattern of investigation, experiment and innovation.
We have been joined this year by Professor Tony Fretton, Maria Segantini of C+S Architects, Katherine Clarke of Muf and acclaimed author Anna Minton. These internationally renowned practitioners feed their expertise into the School in lectures and debates, design reviews and studio teaching. They also offer expertise in postgraduate programmes. In December 2012 UEL Architecture hosted the ‘Production of Place’ conference, with 130 papers from around the world. We have a number of professional programmes available including BSc Architecture and Diploma/MArch in Architecture accredited by the RIBA and ARB for both Part 1 and Part 2 respectively. We have a lively undergraduate Product Design programme and we are developing an Interior Design programme. The MA/ MSc programmes address areas such as landscape architecture, urban design, computing, sustainability, and history and theory. 21st century architecture and design faces complex challenges from local to international scales. The complexity of these challenges requires us to balance our own creative thinking with working together with others. Our professional and academic programmes address innovative strategies and new poetic approaches to the understanding of people, societies and places and relate these to new contexts, materials, processes and technologies.
Our students benefit from the traditions in the School of making and the study of materials. To these skills our students can add traditional and new approaches to representation and to advanced computing. Our School has links with a variety of offices. Our studio staff are often practitioners of architecture, art and design and students regularly engage with practitioners at design reviews. Our students have an excellent track record of employment. We have a very active evening lecture series given by professional architects, academics and engineers. I would like to thank both those who have given the lectures and those students and staff who have led and organised the programme. Our location in the growing and developing area of east London allows us to benefit from and contribute to the exciting cultural life of the capital. We aim to equip our students with thinking processes and skills to thrive and flourish in the working and cultural contexts of their choice.
Carl Callaghan BA (Hons) Dipl RIBA Head of Subject in Architecture, Design and Built Environment
BSc(Hons) Architecture UCAS code: K100 Institution code: E28
BSc (Hons) Architecture is a three-year undergraduate degree programme that satisfies part 1 of the UK professional qualification for architects. This programme is recognised by the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) and the Architects Registration Board (ARB). This accreditation enables our students to receive the standard of teaching and practice that provides them with the platform to become fully qualified architects. Students are taught in small groups, or studios, under the direction of design tutors. Design studios work autonomously on bespoke programmes led by the design tutors and supported by history, theory, technical and computing staff. The programme emphasises learning through the process of making and the critical reflection of what has been made, encouraging creativity and critical judgement within students. The majority of our teaching staff are practising architects, who bring the latest developments and trends in industry to their teaching. Students benefit from a learning environment that is decked out with the very latest equipment and resources preparing them for progression into the industry. This programme gives students the necessary skills to practice architecture and provide an understanding of the technological, professional and architectural contexts that can be deployed in the workplace.
Teaching methods and assessment
While you will spend time in lecture theatres and seminars, the design studio is where you will be able to develop your practical skills through participation in project works. The studio is where everything comes together, bringing theory into practice. The annual showcase and exhibitions take place at the studio where students also display their work for ‘crits’ – critical discussion and assessment by staff and fellow peers. Teaching is complemented by design-related activities and excursions in the UK and abroad. Tuition is provided by tutors of the School who are talented architects working in practice. Students receive a high level of contact time with staff as well as regular verbal and written feedback on their progress. Design projects and associated tasks are assessed regularly throughout the year with assessment taking place at the end of the academic year. There are no closed-book examinations for this programme.
What you will study
Year 1 Your first year includes a fundamental, integrated design programme covering a range of disciplines, including workshop and computer skills, photography, drawing and colour. The aim is to develop transferable as well as applied skills, which will form the basis for your progression. You will learn about the production of design proposals that satisfy aesthetic and technical requirements, and how to present them using a range of media and other methods of communication. You will also gain a thorough understanding of the alternative materials, processes and techniques that apply to architectural design and building construction.
Years 2 and 3 The design studios are an important element in the teaching strategy of architecture. An emphasis on urban and landscape intervention and regeneration, together with analytical projects that look at climate and landscape processes, make the design studio current and relevant. This work explores the physical presence of space through its material boundaries. The studio system gives you a choice in composing your education, while the core design work develops.
Entry requirements
The BSc Architecture programme at UEL is demanding and competitive. We require: • 300 UCAS points from a recognised Level 3 qualification • A-levels (including an art or design subject) • BTEC National Diploma • we welcome all level-3 qualifications including access to HE courses • five GCSEs including maths and English (A–C or equivalent key skills level 2) • we also welcome qualifications from international students with English language qualifications (IELTS score of 5.5). In addition, we require a portfolio and interview for assessment from all applicants. We consider applications from those who have gained relevant skills through a wide range of vocational qualifications or work experience and who can demonstrate their enthusiasm and commitment to study architecture.
Employability and academic progression
This programme is professionally accredited and prescribed by the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) and the Architects Registration Board (ARB), laying the foundation for students to become fully qualified architects. Our graduates acquire the necessary knowledge and skills needed to succeed in the workplace. As a graduate you will possess a variety of theoretical and practical skills including CAD skills, preparing projects that satisfy aesthetic and technical requirements, sustainability awareness, and a sound knowledge of architectural design and building construction. To complete the architect’s education, we offer a Professional Diploma in Architecture with Part 2 of the UK qualification for architects, approved by the RIBA and ARB. Furthermore we offer a range of Master’s and Postgraduate Diplomas in architecture. More information is available at uel.ac.uk/ace
How to Apply
It’s quick and easy to apply for our courses online. To apply for a start in September 2014, you should apply online via the ‘Apply’ service on the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) website at www.ucas.com/apply You will need to register with UCAS and will require the following information: • • • •
UCAS Institution Code Name: ELOND UCAS Institution Code: E28 UCAS Campus Code: Leave blank UCAS Course Code for Architecture: K100
You will also need to pay a fee to UCAS to submit your application. This can be done online or via your school or college if they have an arrangement with UCAS. For any assistance or advice on applying for the course, please email us at ace.admissions@uel.ac.uk or call us on 020 8223 2041.
RIBA President’s medals Bronze Medal Nomination Zoh Bin Goh
RIBA President’s medals Bronze Medal Nomination Olga Lucko
Visit us
Our open days are a great opportunity for you to get a real feel for what it will be like to study in ACE. Events take place throughout the year, usually in September, October, January and June. During your visit you’ll have the opportunity to: • discuss your programme with our academics • get advice about tuition fees and applying for funding • tour our teaching facilities and student accommodation • chat with current students to find out what life at ACE is like • get started with the application process. You can find our schedule of events and book online at uel.ac.uk/openday If you are an international student living overseas, look out for dates when we may be visiting your country – you can check at uel.ac.uk/international
RIBA President’s medals Bronze Medal Nomination Marina Fernández Vallés
"Architecture exists, like cinema, in the dimension of time and movement. One conceives and reads a building in terms of sequences. To erect a building is to predict and seek effects of contrast and linkage through which one passes... In the continuous shot/sequence that a building is, the architect works with cuts and edits, framings and openings... I like to work with a depth of field, reading space in terms of its thickness. Hence
the
superimposition
of
different
screens, planes legible from obligatory points of passage which are to be found in all my buildings" Jean Nouvel.
Contact us School of Architecture, Computing and Engineering University of East London Docklands Campus 4–6 University Way London E16 2RD Tel: 020 8223 2041 Email: ace@uel.ac.uk
uel.ac.uk/ace/architecture