BAS 2019 Handbook

BAS 2019 HANDBOOK

Student project: M. Thokan

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Table of contents Welcome to Wits Welcome From the HOS............................8 An Esteemed History.................................9 Transformation at Wits.............................10 Finding Your Way at Wits.........................11 Wits Campus Map...................................12 The School & Resources Classrooms............................................. 16 Studios & Pin-up Space.......................... 16 John Moffat & Extension Floor Plans........ 18 Student Lounge....................................... 20 Fassler Gallery......................................... 20 Library & Archive...................................... 21 Computer Labs....................................... 22 s’Fanakalo [we make].............................. 23 Research Units........................................ 25 Administrative Staff.................................. 26 Architecture Staff..................................... 26 The Degree Programme Pathways in Architecture......................... 30 International Accreditation....................... 32 Outcomes................................................ 33 Rules & Syllabuses.................................. 34 Registration............................................. 34 Fees & Finances...................................... 34 Curriculum............................................... 35 Course Descriptions................................ 36 Semester 1 (Provisional) Timetable.......... 40 Semester 2 (Provisional) Timetable.......... 41 Progression Rules.................................... 42 Exclusion................................................. 42

The Learning Enviornment Teaching Approach.................................46 Studio Culture........................................46 Code of Conduct....................................50 Original Work/Plagiarism.........................50 Assessment Policy.................................51 Supplementary Exam Eligibility...............52 Supplementary Exams............................53 Deferred Exams......................................53 Marks Reports........................................53 Recommended Reading.........................56 Printing & Material Costs........................56 Prizes.....................................................56 Student Life & Support Student Support..................................... 60 Student Accommodation........................ 60 Orientation.............................................. 60 Class Representatives............................ 60 Communication...................................... 61 Security.................................................. 61 Digital Work............................................ 61 Office Hours........................................... 61 ADU....................................................... 61 Campus Health...................................... 62 CCDU..................................................... 62 Gender Equality Office............................ 63 Disability Rights Unit............................... 63 SRC....................................................... 63 Navigating Student Issues at Wits........... 64 Tips From Witsies................................... 66 Primary Contacts.................................. 69

Cover image: student work, M. Thokan

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Solomon Mahlangu House on the Wits campus

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WELCOME TO WITS

issues common throughout much of the world. To achieve this, the program teaches students to think through the issues pertinent to each project in each situation, rather than to deliver pre-determined responses, ensuring that the designed result is carefully calibrated to specific needs.

Prof. Nnamdi Elleh

Welcome From the HOS Welcome to Wits. We are delighted you’ve decided to conduct your studies with us, and our lecturers and staff will do everything we can to make your Wits experience an enjoyable one The School of Architecture and Planning promotes a broad and comprehensive course of study without compromising the specific technical education needed to produce great yet locally appropriate architecture. At he School, we advance the idea that design may become a way of addressing the myriad needs associated with the continued economic, environmental, and infrastructural development of Africa.

With a strong body of international educators and an increasingly broad network of partners, the School is poised and intends to contribute in a meaningful way to fundamental environmental design

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While establishing fundamentals of design processes, our design studios focus on complex array of issues which may shape the future of our professions.

We link deep history and indigenous knowledge to contemporary thought.

We explore urbanism, city-making, and the influences design can have upon it.

We integrate courses to reflect the way work actually happens in practice - not as neatly delineated packages, but as an interconnected whole.

We are confident that our graduates when they take to the field - will be poised to elevate the profession of architecture and form the next generation of leaders championing the cause of a better built environment for all.

Prof. Nnamdi Elleh Head of School

An Esteemed History The Department of Architecture (now School of Architecture and Planning) was founded in 1922 and is among the oldest on the African continent. In 1959 the Department of Architecture, together with the Department of Fine Arts moved into what is still our current home, designed

by Professor John Fassler, after whom our gallery is now named, in association with ther staff members of the Department at the time. The John Moffat Building was the first of the buildings to be completed in the University’s post-war building programme, and is named after a Johannesburg achitect who bequeathed a small fortune to the university.

Urban planning at Wits traces its origins to the 1938 Congress on Town Planning held

by Architectural Students Society of the University of the Witwatersrand. In 1942,

the then Faculty of Architecture introduced a part-time post graduate Diploma in Town Planning. The Department of Architecture introduced the country’s first full time Bachelor’s degree in Planning in 1965, and a separate Department of Town and Regional Planning was formed in 1967.

Further degrees were introduced in the 1980s and 1990s, setting up the current offerings of both undergraduate and postgraduate study.

In 2001, the former departments of Architecture and Town and Regional Planning amalgamated to form the School of Architecture and Planning. The School maintains the studio-based tradition which is now almost 90 years old, and is among the most widely recognised in Africa.

For more information, go to: https://www.wits.ac.za/archplan/about-us/

John Moffat Building, 1959

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Transformation at Wits At Wits University, transformation is understood as a process essential to sustained academic excellence – through continuous assessment and renewal in the support services, as well as through teaching, learning, research and social engagement undertaken by the University.

Transformation at Wits refers to processes of change in our curricula so that it reflects diverse sources of the best forms of knowledge from within South Africa, Africa and across the world as well as the use of different teaching methodologies, diversification of the demographic profile of both our staff and students without compromising on merit, qualifications and standards as well as an inclusive institutional culture which is characterized by a nurturing, supportive and inclusive

First year performance

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environment necessary for the realization of academic excellence.

The School maintains a standing Trasnformation Committee, which seeks to proactively address some of the difficult challenges posed by the inequalities of South African society. Through the Committee, the School takes measures to assist students in need where possible, investigates teaching methods that can unlock various ways of learning, and explores the decolonisation of our curricula.

The School invites ideas for how positive inclusion can be enhanced.

More information about the University’s transformatoin policy the Transformation Office available at https://www.wits. ac.za/transformationoffice/functions-andresponsibilities/

Finding Your Way at Wits Support services offered by the university are outlined in the Student Life section of this handbook.

A tentative BAS timetable is included in this handbook, however students are advised venues are not always confirmed until just before classes begin, and the final timetable will be available at School of Architecture & Planning reception desk in the John Moffat Building.

While much of the BAS programme is offered from the studios in our own John Moffat Extension, many of the lectures are held elsewhere on campus. Timetables often use the abbreviations listed below to indicate the building venue.

Wits has easy access to Braamfontein which offers good public transport, shopping and leisure spaces. Juta Street is one of the city’s most exciting cultural strips. Students are encouraged to make the most of this location and to sign up for notifications of First Thursdays and Wits Art Museum events. There are also some co-work spaces popping pop in these neighbourhoods, as well as on campus in the PPS lounge.

Students should also acquaint themselves with the Gauteng Institute for Architecture space in Maboneng, the FADA auditorium in UJ’s Bunting Road campus which currently hosts the Boogertman + Partners International Lecture series, and University of Pretoria’s campus which is accessible via Gautrain and also hosts regular events.

Building Abbreviations: Robert Subokwe Block CB

(formerly Central Block) SMH Solomon Mahlangu House

(formerly Senate House) H Hillman Building JM John Moffat Building John Moffat Extension JME Richard Ward Building RW Solomon Mahlangu House SH

(formerly Senate House) UB Umthombo Building WB Wartenweiler Library Basement Chamber of Mines CM NWE North West Engineering Building South West Engineering Building SWE Old Mutual Sports Hall OMS FH Flower Hall CCDU Counselling and Career Development Unit

WSS Wits Science Stadium Dj Du Plessis Centre DDC David Webster Hall DWH

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Wits Campus Map

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Extenstion

John Moffat Building

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Student work: A. Gabru

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THE SCHOOL & RESOURCES

Classrooms Although the School’s home is the John Moffat Building and Extension, it does not have exclusive use of them. The primary lecture halls are booked centrally by the university, and thus these are open for use from any programme which reserves them. These rooms include A1 (the Dorothy Suskind Auditorium), A2, and A3, all located off the main foyer on the ground floor of John Moffat.

The remaining classroom venues are for the exclusive used of the School of Architecture & Planning, unless reserved by an external entity and approved by the Head of School.

These include smaller classrooms such as: A4 at the end of the east wing on the lower ground floor of John Moffat; the Basement Seminar Room (BSR) off the middle corridor of the John Moffat lower ground level; the Fist Floor Seminar Room (FFSR) at the end of the west wing on the first floor; the Old Seminar Room (OSR) in

Student work in the John Moffat foyer

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room 231 on the second floor, south wing, and the New Seminar Room (NSR), located at the end of the east wing of the second floor.

A small structure in the courtyard, accessed from the ground floor of John Moffat, is reserved for students from the School of Construction Economics and Management.

Studios & Pin-up Space Most of the John Moffat Extension is dedicated to studio space for the BAS and BAS (Hons) degree programmes.

These are given to students as active work spaces, and should be treated as such.

Because architecture is a prodcutionbased discipline, over time the studios can get messy. Students should maintain a protocol of keeping any work they want to save in studio on top of tables or in their lockers; anything on the floor risks

Student work: J. Schoonraad

being thrown out during routine cleaning.

Students are also ask to safeguard these spaces as much as possible, keeping lockable doors locked, looking out for each others’ possessions, and alerting Campus Control if unauthorised users are present.

The Level A common area is a shared workspace for both the Schools of Architecture & Planning and Construction Economics & Management. The Level B “bubbles� are used for pin-ups and reviews by any of the architecure degree programmes. Ramp landings, and sometimes the ramps themselves, can also be used for pin-up space when needed. as is the foyer of the John Moffat Building, particularly for public events. First year BAS students are given the entire studio on Level C, while second and third year BAS students share the Level D studios. Level F is dedicated to the BAS (Hons) studio.

The Extension is access-controlled through a gate from John Moffat leading to the bridge connecting the two buildings, and through an exterior entrance entering on B-level. For security purposes, it is of paramount concern that these gates remain locked at all times; do not prop open the doors.

In the lower ground floor of the John Moffat Building, there is a shared postrauate studio which is reserved for Masters students in architecture and the urban planning disciplines. Two studios are also reserved for urban planning students on the second floor of John Moffat. Because these were formerly known as Town and Regional Planning studios, they go by the abbreviaiton TRP1 and TRP2.

The John Moffat foyer (the main lobby) is also used or pin-ups and events.

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John Moffat & Extension Floor Plans

(A level below) A8 Main CAD Lab

A3 Level D A2

A1

JME Levels D & E / JM Ground

Level C

Level B West Bubble

Postgrad studio

BSR

East Bubble SARChi

JME Levels B &C / JM Lower Ground

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A4

Key Classroom spaces Studio Spaces Computer Labs Library Academic & Research Staff Offices Adminstrative Offices

TRP Studios

NSR

OSR GIS Lab

Small CAD Lab

JM Second Floor

FFSR

Level F

Martinessen Library

JME Levels F / JM First Floor

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Student Lounge

Fassler Gallery

The School maintains a small student lounge in room A8, near the bridge to the Extension. This room is open to students from the School of Architecture and Planning, as well as to students from the School of Construction Economics & Management, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The School offers the facility as a place to mingle with fellow students in other disciplines, run study groups, or brainstorm around issues within the architecture and planning disciplines.

A small gallery space in the foyer next to the School’s reception was established in 2002, and named after the architect John Fassler, who was Head of School for 20 years from 1948-1968. The gallery’s design includes transparent walls and rotating panels; coupled with it’s prime position in the building, it is specifically designed to encourage casual interaction with students on a daily basis.

In exchange for offering the space, the School considers it the responsiblity of the student users to maintain good order and cleanliness. Students are expected to clean up after themselves, be respectful of other users, and generally maintain a welcoming environment in this space.

Exhibit in the Fassler Gallery

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Exhibits rotate throghout the year, and formal events are often scheduled to correspond with a new exhibit opening.

Students are encouraged to include attendance at these events and the browsing of exhibits as part of their education at Wits, which sometimes draw architects and other professionals from outside the school.

Student work: W. Swaan, 1949

Library & Archive The School of Architecture & Planning has an in-house branch library, the Martienssen Library, part of the Wits University Library system. The library is located in the south wing of the first floor of the John Moffat Building, and it is open during the following hours during academic terms: Monday 08:00-21:00 Tuesday 08:00-17:00 Wednesday 09:00-21:00 Thursday 08:00-17:00 Friday 08:00-17:00 Saturday 08:30-12:30 Saturday Sunday closed Outside of academic terms, the library closes at 17:00 all weekdays and is closed on weekends.

The library resources are comprised of: • a physical and e-book collection, mainly focussed on architecture, urban design, planning and construction that comprises approximately 27,000 volumes;

• the entire collection of thesis documents emerging from the graduate programmes in the School and School of Construction Economics & Management; • online product specifications and catalogues; • copying and scanning facilities; • desktop workstations; • on-loan Kindles; • all required reference material such as dictionaries, codes of practice and standards (SANS) that might be needed by students; a wide range of paper copies of local and international journals.

Additionally, the Martienssen Library houses one of the preeminent architectural archives in Africa, with a collection dating back to 1922, including many earlier volumes. The School has collected architectural drawings since its inception, and has built a digital catlogue of the archive available at: http://wiredspace.wits.ac.za/ handle/10539/10306

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Computer Labs There are four computer labs in the John Moffat Building and Extension, three of which are designated for students of the School (the fourth is designated for students from the School of Construction Economics & Management). The three designated for the School of Architecture & Planning, including the Main CAD Lab, Computer Lab 2 and Computer Lab 3, have the same software installed on all machines, allowing students to utilise any one of them if another lab is full or in use.

In all computer labs, the rules which students must abide by are posted in visible areas. These rules exist not to be overly restrictive, but to preserve the professional nature of the labs, maintain the equipment, and provide security. It is important to note that use of the computer labs is a privelige granted to students when they enroll, but not an absolute right. Thus, anyone found to be in violation of any of the rules of use may have their priveleges revoked and will be prohibted from using the computer labs.

The Main CAD Lab, located on level E of the John Moffat Extension (directly in front after one crosses the bridge to the Extension) is open during academic terms 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and has 104 computers. In order to maintain security, this lab is open only to students from the School of Architecture & Planning; students from other disciplines or guests are not allowed inside. It is the primary teaching space for digital software, and thus it’s use is restricted when a class is in session. A timetable is posted at the main entrance.

The Main CAD Lab has both standard-size and large-format scanning and printing

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capabilities. The office of the School’s IT officer is located at the entrance to the lab, and assistance may sometimes be available if problems arise. However, students should not rely on the continuous presence of the IT officer, and must plan to complete printing or other IT-related tasks well ahead of time to avoid problems or backlogs.

The Small CAD Lab is located on the second floor of the John Moffat Building, in the south wing, room 229. It is open daily during academic terms from 08:00-16:30, and has 20 computers. It is generally not used for teaching purposes, so use is not restricted during opening hours.

The GIS Lab is also located on the second floor of the John Moffat Building, in the south wing, room 226. It is also open daily during academic terms from 08:00-16:30, and has large number of computers, but is sometimes used for teaching purposes, particularly in the urban planning programmes, so use is restricted during teaching times. A timetable is posted at the entrance. Although the full suite of architectural software is available on machines in this lab, it is the only lab with ArcGIS installed on the computers, and for that reason students needing ArcGIS capabilities take priority in this lab.

Software common to the architecture and planning disciplines is licensed for use on all computers, including: • Adobe Creative Suite • AutoCAD • GIS • Microsoft Office Suite • Revit • Rhino • SketchUp

s’Fanakalo [we make] The s’Fanakalo makerspace is located on Level A in the John Moffat Extension.

It consists of a digital lab containing a variety of 3D printers, laser cutters, printing presses and a CNC (computernumerical-controlled) milling machine, as well as a traditional woodworking and metalworking equipment. The s’Fanakalo makerspace also explores interdisciplinary research, such as the relationship between architecture, visual arts, filmmaking and open source technology.

Making is integral to the teaching and learning at the School and serves as an extension to the design, construction, structures and representation studios.

The aim of the makerspace is to facilitate fabrication and productoin as a critical thinking tool, a way of developing embodied understandings of design processes from conception to realisation, constuction technologies, materials, and processes of making. s’Fanakalo Staff The makerspace is enabled by three academic staff and one full time support

staff member. Workshop staff have experience in model making, fabrication and fine arta, and will support and assist students in finding solutions to their representation and fabrication concerns.

The staff supervise and train students on the use of particular machinery. Due to capacity issues, some machinery may have restricted use, and students are advised to consult with the s’Fanakalo staff ahead of time to make arrangements.

Material Bank & Sample Library The digital fabrication lab contains a model material bank which has a wide range of offcuts of Cardboards, coloured paper, perspex, balsa, polystyrene, MDF, masonite, corex and styrene. These mateals are donated by students when they have unwanted materials, unneeded surplus or offcuts, and are used and distrubuted to undergraduate students (by appointment) free of charge and on a as per need basis. The bank works on a policy of take what you need, donate what you can. The digital fabrication lab also houses a small samples library of a wide variety of

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laser cutting materials, from cardboards, to specialist plastics and timbers.

Access Due to helath and saftey concerns, acess to any of the equiopment is only

granted after studnets have completed training in the relevant machinery and can demonstrate that they can use it saftely and correctly.

s’Fanakalo Operating Hours Service

Hours

Student access

Staff managers

Woodworking workshop

Mon-Fri 08:00-17:00

All architecture students

David Mthethwa, Dirk Bahmann

Metalworking workshop

Mon-Fri 08:00-17:00

All architecture students

David Mthethwa, Dirk Bahmann

Model material bank

By appointment only Mon-Fri 08:00-17:00

All architecture students

Brigitta Stone-Johnson, Dirk Bahmann

Laser cutting

By appointment only Mon-Fri 08:00-17:00, (07:00-21:00 at year end)

BAS 3rd year, BAS (Hons) & M.Arch only

Dirk Bahmann, Anita Szentesi

3D printing

By appointment only Mon-Fri 08:00-17:00

BAS 3rd year, BAS (Hons) & M.Arch only

Dirk Bahmann, Anita Szentesi

CNC milling

By appointment only Mon-Fri 08:00-17:00

M.Arch only

Brigitta Stone-Johnson

Student work: A. Shippon

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Research Units The School is has a strong reputation for research, and is the host of two specialised reearch units: • The Centre for Urbanism and Built Enviornment Studies (CUBES) • The South African Research Chair in Spatial Analysis and City Planning SARChi) CUBES The Center for Urbansim and Built Environment Studies (CUBES) is a platform for urban research, learning and civic engagement located in the School of Architecture & Planning. The Centre was established in 1996 in the former Faculty of Architecture, under the name Centre for Development and Built Environment (CDBE). After the new Faculty of Engineering & Built Environment was formed in 2001, CUBES became part of the School of Architecture & Planning and adopted its present name in 2002.

CUBES’s research focuses on material built-environment issues affecting the poor in cities and towns in South Africa.

CUBES leads a variety of research programmes that consider how urban citizens, and in particular marginalised peoples, are affected by the material realities of cities, built environments at different scales, access to urban goods and spaces, and contestations over urban physical and political orders. CUBES values critical reflection on existing practices of development, planning and architecture, which are constantly at risk of excluding the poor in their quest to maintain order and formalize contemporary cities.

CUBES’s three integrated activity areas are grounded research, education and mentoring, and civic engagement/activism.

These activities include institutional and community partnerships, and research programmes that engage students of different degree programmes. One of CUBES’s central activities are the community-oriented City Studios, that link research, engagement/activism and education. CUBES also organises conferences, exhibitions and the weekly Faces of the City Seminar series, run jointly with SARChi, the Gauteng City Region Observatory (GCRO) and the Wits City Institute. For more info, see: https://www.wits.ac.za/cubes/ SARChi The South African Research Chair in Spatial Analysis and City Planning is a National Resarch Foundation funded research chair housed in the School of Architecture & Planning. The Chair was established in 2010, and in its first five years attempted to respond to the challenges of rapid urbanisation in the global South, and especially to the development of large and complex city-regions that pose considerable dilemmas for planning and urban management.

The primary objective of the research is to support, develop and promote forms of development planning that will contribute to making cities in poor and middle-income countries more liveable, sustainable, efficient and equitable. Other objectives of the research include:: • contributions to local and international scholarship; • the mentorship of emerging scholars; • the development of research partnerships with agencies in the public and private sectors; • and the bridging of the theory-practice divide.

For more info, see: https://www.wits.ac.za/sacp/

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Administrative Staff

Architecture Staff

The adminstrative staff of the School often operates behind the scenes from a student’s perspective. Students are therefore unlikely to regularly interact with some of them.

Permanent academic staff. listed below, coordinate all courses taught in the BAS programme, but they may also be supported by sessional staff, who are often practicing architects taking on a minor teaching load.

Initial inquiries of any topic related to the BAS degree programme may be directed to the undergraduate administrator, located at the reception desk.

Listed here are the adminstrative staff members who frequently deal directly with students.

Undergraduate Administrator Mabelo Mametja Senior Secretary mabelo.mametja@wits.ac.za Postgraduate Administrator Siphokazi Makhaye Adminstrative Officer siphokazi.makhaye.judin1@wits.ac.za Clerical Assistant Batseba Qwabe batseba.qwame@wits.ac.za PA to the Head of School Marisa Sauls Office Administrator marisa.sauls@wits.ac.za IT Technician Olalekan Ajibola olalekan.ajibola@wits.ac.za Workshop Assistant David Mthethwa david.mthethwa@wits.ac.za

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Architecture UG Programme Director Ariane Janse van Rensburg Associate Professor M.Arch, PhD, PrArch (SA) ariane.jansevanrensburg@wits.ac.za Architecture PG Programme Director Hilton Judin Adjunct Professor BA, B.Arch, PhD hilton.judin1@wits.ac.za BAS Degree Convenor Garret Gantner Senior Lecturer BSAS, M.Arch, PrArch (SA, USA), LEED AP garret.gantner@wits.ac.za Dirk Bahmann Lecturer B.Arch, PrArch (SA) dirk.bahmann@wits.ac.za Gerald Chungu Lecturer B.Arch, MEng-UD, PhD gerald.chungu@wits.ac.za Christos Daskalakos Lecturer B.Arch, MEP (UD), PrArch (UK) christos.daskalakos@wits.ac.za Kirsten Doermann Lecturer Dipl.-Ing, M.Arch, PrArch (SA) kirsten.doermann@wits.ac.za

Sandra Felix Lecturer BAS, B.Arch, PrArch (SA) sandra.felix@wits.ac.za

Hannah Le Roux Associate Professor B.Arch, M.Arch, PhD, PrArch (SA) hannah.leroux@wits.ac.za

Liale Francis Associate Lecturer BAS, M.Arch, PrArch (SA) liale.francis@wits.ac.za

Sechaba Maape Lecturer BAS, M.Arch, PhD sechaba.maape@wits.ac.za

Sally Gaule Senior Lecturer BA (Fine Arts), MA (Fine Arts) sally.gaule@wits.ac.za

Solam Mkhabela Lecturer BAS, MCPUD solam.mkhabela@wits.ac.za

Kevin Goncalves Lecturer BAS, BMAUD kevin.goncalves@wits.ac.za

Melinda Silverman Semior Lecturer B.Arch, M.Arch, PrArch (SA) melinda.silverman@wits.ac.za

Ludwig Hansen Senior Lecturer B.Arch, M.Arch, PrArch (SA) ludwig.hansen@wits.ac.za

Tuliza Sindi Lecturer BAS, BAS (Hons), M.Arch tuliza.sindi@wits.ac.za

Brendan Hart Lecturer BAS, B.Arch, MPhil, PrArch (SA) brendan.hart@wits.ac.za

Brigitta Stone-Johnson Associate Lecturer BAS, M.Arch brigitta.stone@wits.ac.za

Daniel Irurah Associate Professor B.Arch, M.Arch, MUD, PhD, PrArch (SA) daniel.irurah@wits.ac.za

Anita Szentesi Associate Lecturer B.Arch, PrArch (SA) anita.szentesi@wits.ac.za

Sundeep Jivan Associate Professor BAS, B.Arch, PrArch (SA) sundeep.jivan@wits.ac.za

Patricia Theron Lecturer BSc, BSc (Hons), M.Arch patricia.theron@wits.ac.za

Elijah Katsetse Associate Lecturer BSc, MSc elijah.katsetse@wits.ac.za

Gustavo Triana-Martinez Lecturer BAS, M.Arch, PrArch (SA) gustavo.triana@wits.ac.za

Deborah Kirkman Lecturer B.Arch, BAS (Hons), M.Arch deborah.kirkman@wits.ac.za

Diaan van der Westhuizen Associate Professor B.Arch, M.Arch, MSc, PhD, PrArch (SA) diaan.vanderwesthuizen@wits.ac.za

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Student work: S. Naidoo

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THE DEGREE PROGRAMME

Pathways in Architecture The Bachelor of Architectural Studies (BAS) programme can be seen as a gateway to a potentially diverse field of professional career paths, both within the architectural discipline or peripheral to it.

The programme is structured to produce graduates who can participate across a this broad field of professions in both the larger design and construction industries; the possibilities are not limited to the historical and typical definition of what an architect is, or what an architect does.

The word Architect is a legal term. Only those who have gained professional registration within a specific category may legitimately call themselves Architects. This process is governed by the South African Council for the Architectural Profession (SACAP), which is an independent body operating with a mandate from the Ministry of Public Works of the South African government. Other countries have similar bodies, but may have slightly different criteria.

SACAP SACAP offers registration as candidates (those who have completed the academic criteria but not the experience criteria and/or exams) and as professionals in categories of Architectural Technologist, Senior Architectural Technologist, and Architect. The category of Professional Archietct (PrArch) is the most rigorous and generally holds the highest professional esteem, but the other categories alo have specific and important roles to play in the profession.

Those wishing to eventually become a regsitered Professional Architect will need to satisfactorily complete the BAS degree, and then set their sites on moving

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towards the two postgraduate degrees in architecture, the Bachelor of Architectural Studies with Honours [BAS (Hons)] and the Master of Architecture [M.Arch] degrees. registration.

The BAS Honours Degree To become eligible for the BAS (Hons) degree, students from the BAS will need to work in the profession for at least one year, in addition to meeting all the academic criteria for admission. Strong performance in the BAS degree at Wits plus a year of work experience may automatically qualify students for the BAS (Hons) degree at Wits based on the BAS (Hons) admission criteria.

Masters Degrees Wits offers two types of Master of Architecture degrees. The M.Arch (Professional) is the professionally accredited degree which gains eligibility as a Candidate Architect with SACAP and, upon completion of experience requirements and professional exams, as a Professional Architect.

Another M.Arch degree, the Master of Architecture by Research, is offered for those seeking to pursue reesarch and receive a higher qualification, but not specifically interested in professional registration with SACAP. The M.Arch (Research) degree offers a high degree of flexibility for students to propose their own topic of study.

Wits also offers Masters degrees outside the direct realm of arhcitecture, which can be pursued following the BAS (Hons) qualification. These include the Master of Urban Design (M.UD) and the Master of Urban Studies (M.US) degrees. The M.UD degree, in combination with an M.Arch (Prof), leads to candidacy as an

BAS

Bachelor of Architectural Studies The BAS is a 3-year, full-time course of study covering a broad base of creative, practical and professional thinking. Graduates qualify with the South African Council for the Architectural Profession (SACAP) as a Candidate Architectural Technologist.

BAS graduates need to gain at least one year of professional experience within the discipline in order to qualify for admission to the BAS (Hons) degree.

BAS allows eligibility as

non-registration option

SACAP C.Arch.T. Candidate Architectural Technologist

Minimum 1 years professional experience Completion of a year of work experience in the discipline leads to eligibility to apply for the BAS (Hons) degree or registration as a Pr.Arch.T work experience may allow eligibility for registration option without further study

BAS (Hons)

Bachelor of Architectural Studies w/ Honours 1-year, leading to qualification as a Candidate Sr. Architectural Technologist & eligibility for a suite of Masters-level degrees. options beyond the Pr.Arch path

BAS (Hons) in high standing opens eligibility for

M.Arch (Prof)

Master of Architecture (Professional) 1-year, professionally accredited degree leading to qualification as a Candidate Architect with SACAP.

M.UD nonprofessional options

SACAP Pr.Arch.T Professional Architectural Techologist

Master of Urban Design 1-year programme leading to eligibility for registration with UDISA.

M.Arch (Research)

Master of Architecture (by Research) 1-year, non-professional research degree on a proposed topic of study.

M.US

Master of Urban Studies 1-year degree programme with various interdisciplinary specialties.

M.Arch allows eligibility as dual candidacy

SACAP C.Arch Candidate Architect

UDISA C.UD Candidate Urban Designer

Minimum 2 years integrated work experience An M.Arch degree, combined with completion of the required professional experience allows eligibility for the Professional Architect exams.

dual registration

SACAP Pr.Arch Professional Architect

UDISA Pr.UD Professional Urban Designer

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Urban Designer with the Urban Design Institute of South Africa (UDISA). UDISA is not a professional body with a mandate from the Ministry of Public Works like SACAP is; it is only a voluntary professional association. However, some professionals find that Professional Urban Designer qualification leads to some additional career opportunities.

The M.US degree is a single nonprofessional qualification requiring one of five different areas of specialisation: • Sustainable & Energy Efficient Cities • Urban Politics & Governance • Urban Studies • Housing & Human Settlements • Urban Research Levels of Professional Registration With the BAS degree, one becomes eligible to register as a Candidate Architectural Technologist (C.Arch.T) with SACAP and, following one year of documented work experience and the successful completion of a professional exam, registration as a Professional Architectural Technologist (Pr. Arch.T) Registering in this category allows one to take on certain responsibilities within the profession. Registration in this category is not required to gain eligibility for the BAS (Hons) degree.

Upon graduation with an M.Arch (Prof), one is eligible to register with SACAP as a Candidate Architect (C.Arch). SACAP requires Candidate Architects to gain, document, and submit reports about relevant professional experience they are gaining under the supervision of a Professional Architect (Pr.Arch). Once these requirements are completed, one becomes eligible to sit for the professional registation exams which, if completed successfully, unlock the Pr.Arch category of registatration.

32

The typical journey to becoming a Professional Architect will last a minimum of 7 or 8 years, though it could take longer than that depending on one’s circumstances.

Complete information on the professional registration categories can be found on SACAP’s website: https://www.sacapsa.com

International Accreditation To ensure quality and consistency of professional competence, professional bodies around the world require professional degree programmes to be accredited by their national body (SACAP in South Africa) and in some cases, by international bodies.

The entire sequence of architecture degrees [BAS, BAS (Hons), M.Arch (Prof)] are validated by SACAP nationally, and by the Commonwealth Association of Architects (CAA) internationally.

The CAA is part of an international agreement called the Canberra Accord that recognises university qualifications as equal across all jurisdictions of the singatory bodies. These includes the CAA, (which includes 34 countries, mostly in Africa, the Pacific and the Carribean, but also including Australia and the UK), as well as national professional accreditation bodies of Canada, China, South Korea, Hong Kong, Mexico, and the USA. Details of the Canberra Accord can be found on their website: http://www.canberraaccord.org

Outcomes The BAS degree is required by both Wits and the accrediting professional body to maintain certain outcomes in order for students to qualify for award of the degree.

In this manner, the BAS qualification aims to produce graduates who: • Demonstrate an ability to identify and address complex architectural problems critically, and to solve them through creative and responsible design and appropriate technology; • Are familiar with current technological knowledge in architecture and are able to integrate design and technological decision-making and develop sustainable approaches to architectural contexts; • Have a thorough grounding in the history and theory of architecture, and have developed critical, analytical methods to appreciate and interpret these fields. They are competent to research and discuss architectural questions in academic and professional contexts; • Are competent to communicate ideas and information (verbally, in writing and graphically) to people from a wide range of backgrounds. They are able to

represent creative ideas and produce technical drawings, both manually and using computer technology and are familiar with a range of software packages; • Demonstrate an awareness of the principles of business management and how a small architectural practice operates; • Will have had experience in group work with peers for field research, academic and design work, group presentation and peer criticism. They will also have been exposed to working directly with communities in a consultative role; • Will have developed effective working practices including time management skills; • Are familiar with the principles of structural dynamics and are able to carry out basic structural calculations on simple structures; • Have an understanding of architecture as part of wider social and natural systems, and are sensitive to different social, cultural and natural contexts.

Understanding cultural diversity and individual creation within a specific cultural setting is reflected in almost all components of the programme.

Student work: M. Thokan

33

Rules & Syllabuses

Registration

The Faculty rules relating to the degree are outlined in the Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment Rules and Syllabuses book is the primary reference for rules, requirements and procedures relating to the BAS degree. It is therefore essential that students familiarise themselves with it. it is available online at: https://www.wits.ac.za/students/academicmatters/rules-and-syllabuses/.

Registration prcedures are outlined in section 5 of the Rules and Syllabuses book, and are also posted online at: https://www.wits.ac.za/registration/

This handbook makes references to the Rules and Syllabuses where certain points are emphasised. However, this handbook is not a comprehensive list of all rules, regulations, processes and procedures.

Students should refer to the Rules and Syllabuses book for all official policies related to the degree. Specifically, the Rules and Syllabuses outlines the following related to the BAS degree: • Admission rules in section 2.2.1.1; • Curriculum information in sectoin 2.2.2.2; • Exceptions to supplementary exam rules in section 2.2.2.7; • Progression rules in section 2.2.3.1; • Exclusion rules in section 2.2.4.1; • Prerequisites and corequisites in section 2.3; • Expected degree outcomes in section 4.1.1; • Syllabuses in section 5.

Rules which apply to the Faculty as a whole also apply to the BAS programme. These are not listed in depth in this handbook, but can be found in the Rules and Syllabuses book, and students should be aware of them. Ignorace of Faculty or University policies is not considered a valid excuse for not following them. The onus is on the student to abide by all rules and regulations at Wits.

34

Important times and dates are listed under the Engineering and the Built Environment tab on the same website.

Students who are admitted or readmitted on conditions may be subject to additional requirements to maintain their registration.

In these cases, students will be informed by both the Faculty and the School, and must agree to the conditions before registration will be allowed.

Fees & Finances Fee payments have deadlines which may affect registration, so students are advised to be up to date on all issues surrounding their fees and finances.

Current fees, deadlines, and financial aid opportunites can always be found on the Wits website at: https://www.wits.ac.za/study-at-wits/feesand-funding/

Student work: A. Gimpel

Curriculum The full three-year course of the BAS programme is listed below. The degree is offered only as a full-time programme; part-time studies are not available, although

in exceptional circumstances it may be possible to spread some years of study over more than one year, with appropriate planning and approval by the degree convenor.

First Year Course Code & Title

Credits Duration

APPM1000

Applied Mathematics

Sem 1

(TBD)

ARPL1000

Architectural Design and Theory I

60

Full year

Sechaba Maape

ARPL1001

Theory & Practice of Construction I

30

Full year

Dirk Bahmann

ARPL1002

Introduction to Structures

Sem 2

Brigitta Stone-Johnson

ARPL1027

Histories & Theories of Architecture I

20

Full year

Sechaba Maape

ARPL1028

Design Representation I

10

Sem 1

Sally Gaule

ARPL1029

Digital Applications in Architecture I

10

Sem 2

Sally Gaule, Anita Szentesi

Total first year credits

7

Coordinator in 2019

7

144

Second Year Course Code & Title

Credits Duration

Coordinator in 2019

ARPL2000

Architectural Design and Theory II

60

Full year

Garret Gantner

ARPL2002

Theory & Practice of Construction II

30

Full year

Liale Francis

ARPL2012

Histories & Theories of Architecture II

20

Full year

Brendan Hart

ARPL2019

Design Representation II

10

Sem 1

Sally Gaule

ARPL2020

Digital Applications in Architecture II

10

Sem 2

Sally Gaule, Anita Szentesi

CIVN2003

Civil Engineering Theory I

14

Full year

Ryan Bradley

Total second year credits

144

Third Year Course Code & Title

Credits Duration

ARPL3005

Architectural Design and Theory III

ARPL3002

Small Office Practice

ARPL3021

Histories & Theories of Architecture III

20

ARPL3031

Theory & Practice of Construction II

CIVN3005

Civil Engineering Theory II Total third year credits

70

Coordinator in 2019

Full year

Melinda Silverman

Sem 1

Christos Daskalakos

Full year

Hannah Le Roux

33

Full year

Deborah Kirkman

14

Full year

Mitchell Gohnert

7

144

35

Course Descriptions The required courses of the BAS curriculum are listed below. If a coregistration requirement is listed, it means that the courses are academically integrated and may not be taken for the first time without enroling in all of the linked courses.

In other words, barring exceptional circumstances which must be agreed in advance by the degree convenor, the a student will not be allowed to register for some of the coregistration courses listed without registering for all of them, unless the student has already passed any of the relevant courses.

In this section, courses are listed in alphabetical and numerical order by course code, regardless of their sequence within the curriculum. For an accurate breakdown of the course sequencing, see the Curriculum and Progression Rules sections.

APPM1000 Applied Mathematics 7 credits, semester 1 Prerequisite: none Coregistration: none Vector algebra, systems of coplanar forces, transversely loaded beams, frameworks, centres of gravity.

ARPL1000 Architectural Design & Theory I 60 credits, year-long Prerequisite: none Coregistration: ARPL1001, ARPL1013 This course consists of two components: design provides an introduction to design and studio, a series of exercises, applying design fundamentals and a sequence of interrelated exercises leading to designing a building; theory introduces architectural elements, thematically tackled, through a range of architectural projects and applied in the design process.

ARPL1001 Theory & Practice of Construction I 30 credits, year-long Prerequisite: none Coregistration: ARPL1000 This course provides an introduction to basic building technology, materials and national building regulations, roles and responsibilities of architects, an introduction to technical drawing, the building processes in domestic contexts, elementary services of water supply, sewerage reticulation and electrical supply, an introduction to topography, basic survey techniques and soil conditions and services related to specific soil conditions.

Students in studoi

36

ARPL1002 Introduction to Structures 7 credits, semester 2 Prerequisite: none Coregistration: none This course introduces the relationships

between architectural forms and structural systems and studies of 19th and 20th century structures that have influenced subsequent architectural design significantly.

ARPL1013 Histories and Theories of Architecture I 20 credits, year-long Prerequisite: none Coregistration: ARPL1000 This course explores the foundations of spatial culture as found in human habitation before “settlement,� and the nature of early settlements, landscapes and ritual spaces.

ARPL1028 Design Representation I 10 credits, semester 1 Prerequisite: none Coregistration: none Introduction to forms of design and architectural representation and production.

Through measured, free-hand, and creative forms of visual representation, the course introduces the fundamentals of descriptive geometry, three-dimensional representation drawings, principles of perspective drawing, and various methods of producing illustrative and rendered means of visual representation.

ARPL1029 Digital Applications in Architecture I 10 credits, semester 2 Prerequisite: none Coregistration: none Introduction to digital architectural production. The course uses contemporary industry-relevant software in the architectural discipline as tools for both architectural design and representation.

ARPL2000 Architectural Design & Theory II 60 credits, year-long Prerequisite: ARPL1000, ARPL1001

Coregistration: ARPL2002, ARPL2012 The course has two components: design focuses on the private and public realm - residential, community and institutional buildings in a range of contexts exploring simple and complex architectural forms and spacemaking; theory focuses on placemaking in different social and cultural contexts, building methods, architecture and community, introduction to urbanism, urban morphology and architectural typology.

ARPL2002 Theory & Practice of Construction II 30 credits, year-long Prerequisite: ARPL1000, ARPL1001 Coregistration: ARPL2000 This course introduces framed structures (timber, steel and concrete), cladding systems, services related to framed structures and relevant national building regulations. It has three components: building climate focuses on thermal concepts and principles, passive and active energy systems, use of solar charts and shading diagrams and an introduction to a range of building materials and structural systems; services focuses on plumbing, fire and electrical reticulation; relevant national building regulations focuses on the development and preparation of technical documentation.

ARPL2012 Histories and Theories of Architecture II 20 credits, year-long Prerequisite: ARPL1013 Coregistration: ARPL2000 This course explores architecture and its codification until the roots of modernism.

The architecture of dynastic, religious and imperial centres of power in relation to technological developments, new materials, religious and aesthetic ideals are examined.

37

ARPL2019 Design Representation II 10 credits, semester 1 Prerequisite: ARPL1028 Coregistration: none Intermediate forms of design and architectural representation and production.

Through targeted design/representation projects, the course focuses on design and creative production through a selection of representational media.

ARPL2020 Digital Applications in Architecture II 10 credits, semester 2 Prerequisite: ARPL1028, ARPL1029 Coregistration: none Intermediate digital architectural production. The course elaborates on the use of contemporary industry-relevant software to create intermediate forms of architectural production, preparing for advanced methods of architectural design and representation.

ARPL3002 Small Office Practice 7 credits, semester 1 Prerequisite: none Coregistration: none This course focuses on the concept of professionalism, architect/client relationships, consultant teams, smallscale contracting, contract without bills of quantities, elementary estimating, computer packages, certificates and final accounts, forms of architectural practice, financial planning, taxation, staffing, standard documents, managing projects and marketing professional services.

ARPL3005 Architectural Design & Theory III 70 credits, year-long Prerequisite: ARPL2000, ARPL1002 Coregistration: ARPL3031 The course has two components: design

38

focuses on complex design exercises with an emphasis on large scale, a major project, integrating theory, design and technology; theory focuses on contemporary issues in architecture, thematically tackled, through a range of illustrative contemporary architectural projects.

ARPL3021 Histories and Theories of Architecture III 20 credits, year-long Prerequisite: ARPL2012 Coregistration: ARPL3005 This course explores architectural histories and theories since modernism. It surveys both built and imagined architecture and how social emancipation, globalisation and media have characterised its production.

The course extends knowledge of recent architecture and builds critical skills.

ARPL3031 Theory & Practice of Construction III 33 credits, year-long Prerequisite: ARPL2000, ARPL2002 Coregistration: ARPL3005 This course focuses on the design development and detail design of largescale and complex building types, detailed consideration of services and building infrastructure, sustainable construction and design as a way to improve the environmental and maintenance performance of buildings through designing with the natural environment, climate, comfort, energy, water, resources, efficient structures, materials, daylighting and landscaping. It emphasises the application and adherence to the relevant national building regulations and introduces industrialised building systems, specifications, approaches to environmental control and performance modelling and the preparation of detailed technical documentation.    CIVN2003

Civil Engineering Theory I 4 credits, year-long Prerequisite: APPM1000 Coregistration: none This course focuses on pin pointed plane frameworks, shear and bending moment, arches and cables, tension, compression and shear, mechanical properties of materials, biaxial tension and compression, torsion, theory of bending, shear stresses in beams, beams of two materials, reinforced concrete beams, combined bending and compression, buckling of struts, deflections and indeterminate structures.

CIVN3005

Theory & Practice of Construction II 14 credits, year-long Prerequisite: CIVN2003 Coregistration: none This course includes the following topics: structural engineering theory (limit states design: load and resistance factors, analysis of member strengths and associated section properties; assessment of deflections: introduction to instability and description of indeterminate structures); design aspects (limit states design of case studies of steel and concrete structures and design of masonry structures); application to design (evaluation of design, construction and cost evaluation of third year design project).

Student structures experiment

39

Bachelor of Architectural Studies [BAS] Semester 1 (Provisional) Timetable

08:00-09:00

9:00-10:00

MONDAY

School Talk

TUESDAY

ARPL1027 History 1 (Lecture)

APPM1000 Applied Maths (Lecture)

2

ARPL2019 Design Rep II (Lecture)

ARPL2019 Design Rep II (Elective)

ARPL3002 Small Office Practice (Lecture)

WEDNESDAY

1

APPM1000 Applied Maths (Tutorial)

2

CIVN2003 Civils 1 (Lecture)

3

14:15-15:15

15:15-16:15

ARPL2000 Design 2 (Studio)

ARPL3005 Design 3

ARPL1027 History 1 (Lecture)

ARPL1027 History 1 (Tutorial 1)

ARPL1027 History 1 (Tutorial 2)

ARPL2019 Design Rep II (Elective)

CIVN3005 Civils 2 (Tut)

ARPL1001 Construction 1 (Lecture)

ARPL1001 Construction 1 (Studio)

ARPL2002 Construction 2 (Lecture)

ARPL2002 Construction 1 (Studio)

ARPL3031 Construction 3 (Lecture)

ARPL3031 Construction 1 (Studio)

1

ARPL1000 Design 1 (Lecture)

ARPL1000 Design 1 (Studio)

ARPL1000 Design 1 (Studio)

2

ARPL2000 Design 2 (Studio)

ARPL2000 Design 2 (Studio)

ARPL2000 Design 2 (Studio)

3

ARPL3005 Design 3 (Lecture)

ARPL3005 Design 3 (Lecture)

ARPL3005 Design 3

1

ARPL1028 Design Rep 1: Graphics (Lecture)

ARPL1028 Design Rep 1: Graphics (Studio)

ARPL1028 Design Rep 1: DG (Lecture)

2

ARPL2012 History 2 (Lecture)

ARPL2012 History 2 (Seminar)

3

CIVN3005 Civils 2 (Lecture)

ARPL3021 History 3 (Lecture)

ARPL1028 Design Rep 1: DG (Studio)

CIVN2003 Civils 2 (Tut)

Note: Venues not listed; timetable subject to change. Students should verify before attending.

40

13:15-14:15

ARPL1000 Design 1 (Studio)

ARPL2000 Design 2 (Lecture)

1

3

THURSDAY

12:15-13:15

ARPL3005 Design 3 (Lecture)

3

FRIDAY

11:15-12:00

ARPL1000 Design 1 (Lecture)

1

2

10:15-11:15

12:00-12:15

DAY YOS

10:00-10:15

Semester 1, 2019 Draft Timetable

ARPL3021 History 3 (Studio)

16:15-17:00

Bachelor of Architectural Studies [BAS] Semester 2 (Provisional) Timetable

08:00-09:00

9:00-10:00

MONDAY

1

2

School Talk

TUESDAY

3

WEDNESDAY

12:15-13:15

13:15-14:15

ARPL1000 Design 1 (Lecture)

ARPL1000 Design 1 (Studio)

ARPL2000 Design 2 (Lecture)

ARPL2000 Design 2 (Studio)

ARPL3005 Design 3 (Lecture)

ARPL3005 Design 3

14:15-15:15

15:15-16:15

ARPL1013 History 1 (Lecture)

ARPL1013 History 1 (Seminar)

ARPL1002 Structures (Lecture)

ARPL1002 Structures (Studio)

2

ARPL2020 Digital Apps II (Lecture)

ARPL2020 Digital Apps II (Lab)

ARPL2020 Digital Apps II (Lab)

ARPL2020 Digital Apps II (Lab; Revit tutorials)

1

ARPL1029 Digital Apps 1 (Lab; Revit tutorial)

ARPL1001 Construction 1 (Lecture)

ARPL1001 Construction 1 (Studio)

2

CIVN2003 Civils 1 (Lecture)

ARPL2002 Construction 2 (Lecture)

ARPL2002 Construction 1 (Studio)

ARPL3031 Construction 3 (Lecture)

ARPL3031 Construction 1 (Studio)

1

ARPL1000 Design 1 (Lecture)

ARPL1000 Design 1 (Studio)

ARPL1000 Design 1 (Studio)

2

ARPL2000 Design 2 (Studio)

ARPL2000 Design 2 (Studio)

ARPL2000 Design 2 (Studio)

3

ARPL3005 Design 3 (Lecture)

ARPL3005 Design 3 (Lecture)

ARPL3005 Design 3

1

ARPL1029 Digital Apps 1 (Lecture)

ARPL1029 Digital Apps 1 (Lab)

ARPL1029 Digital Apps 1 (Lab time)

ARPL2012 History 2 (Lecture)

CIVN2003 Civils 1 (Tut)

2

3

16:15-17:00

CIVN3005 Civils 2 (Lecture)

3

THURSDAY

11:15-12:00

1

3

FRIDAY

10:15-11:15

12:00-12:15

DAY YOS

10:00-10:15

Semester 2, 2019 Draft Timetable

CIVN3005 Civils 2 (Tut)

ARPL3021 History 3 (Lecture)

ARPL2012 History 2 (Lecture)

ARPL3021 History 3 (Studio)

Note: Venues not listed; timetable subject to change. Students should verify before attending.

41

Progression Rules Progression through the programme is subject to rules outlined in the Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment Rules and Syllabuses book, subsection 2.2.3.1 and section 14.

The curriculum consists of ‘major’ courses - those with 30 credits or more - and ‘minor’ courses - those with less than 30 credits. Students are reqiured to both pass all major courses in a year of study (notably the design and construction courses), and meet the other progressoin rules outlined in the Rules and Syllabuses in order to advance to the next year of study.

In some cases, subject to the approval of the degree convenor, students may be allowed to ‘pull down’ minor courses from a higher year of study if they have satisfied any prerequisites and the School has not defined any coregistration courses that the student is ineligible for. The School is not required to allow a student to pull down higher-year courses; this is a privelige granted to students only with approval and based on a reasonable expectation that the

First year student model

42

student will be able to perform well in the courses being pulled down.

Exclusion Students who fail to perform at an expected level are subject to exclusion from the degree programme based on rules outlined in the Rules and Syllabuses book, subsection 2.2.4.1.

Exclusion can be a seroius setback in one’s academic studies. To be readmitted following exclusion, one must appeal to the Faculty and provide evidence that whatever reasons cause the previous problems have been sufficiently resolved. Students are advised to consult with their lecturers as soon as possible if major problems with their studies arise, in order to avoid this outcome.

First year student model

Student work: M. Smith

First year student work in John Moffat

43

Student work: M. Thokan

44

THE LEARNING ENVIRONMENT

Teaching Approach

Studio Culture

The BAS degree is an integrated suite of courses that emphasises creative thinking, proactive research and experimentation, and applied learning. Many of the courses are tightly linked, with projects moving from one course to another as different sets of issues introduced and a repertoire of diverse skills is built.

Studio-based learning is at the core of the architectural education and deserves the highest respect both from students and faculty, not only from the School of Architecture and Planning but from all of Wits.

Students are challenged to develop their own approaches and working methods, and apply the knowledge from one course to projects in another. Much of the learning comes from peer interaction through critical analysis; the education is more about generating open questions than definitive answers. Students are expected to take advantage of the expertise, tools and facilities provided by Wits in order to catalyse the best possible education.

Pin-up

46

The Essence of Studio Courses Studio courses and methods carry an underlying optimism, where faculty members construct opportunities to learn from and to build the capacity to participate in a design discourse. Studios provide the opportunity to imagine and create with the conviction that design matters, has consequence, and is relevant in the varied contexts in which students will find themselves working. Studio work is a partnership between students and lecturers based on research, analysis, provocation

First year presentation

and iteration; the work is dedicated to developing design abilities while critically engaging matters of cultural, environmental, and artistic significance. The values learned in studio become the guiding principles for professional conduct; it is where the tools gained in analytical and theoretical support courses coalesce with creative engagement of critically-posed problems.

Studios are design laboratories and the site of investigation into techniques, forms, and assumptions that are continually evolving; thus studios reward initiative, creativity, productivity, and risk-taking. They are focused on issues that do not have single fixed solutions; frequently multiple solutions are employed in order to develop in students a critical perspective, allowing them to become increasingly independent designers and thinkers. They provide a variety of learning modes, from informal

conversations to formal presentations, individual desk crits to group reviews, short exercises to comprehensive design projects.

Studios are also about production. Studios provide a place to combine, compare, and experiment with different techniques, tools and methodologies of learning and working ranging from the engagement of research to physical model making, drawing and drafting, photography and material studies.

Certain projects may emphasize particular approaches; however, experimentation in and development of multiple methods is always expected. A productive studio culture is dependent upon the open sharing of approaches, processes and results. It relies on a willingness to give, receive and respond to constructive criticism. Dialogue among students within and across studios and support courses is crucial

47

THE BRIDGE

Student work: K. Mohale THE BUILDING I CALLED THE BRIDGE BECAUSE IT CROSSES OVER THE ALLEY IN THE SITE

to the success this mode WITH of learning THE FACADEofIS TOPPED METAL GIVEessential IT GOODthat LOOKS andCLADDING working. It TO is also this AND CAST SHADOWS TO THE INTERIOR dialogue takes place in a climate of mutual THE and BUILDING ISand DESIGNEED TO respect support with recognition ACCOMMODATE BOTH HIGH AND for aMIDDLE diversityCLASSES. of views, backgrounds, values and perspectives. The ability to bring topics of theory, history, and technology as contributors to studio projects, as well as to constructively engage in critical peer-topeerKOKETSO conversations MOHALE about the work, is the 819407 foundation of professional studios and an overarching design approach.

DESIGN

Desk Crits, Pin-ups and Reviews Critiques are expected to be directed to the design work, products or process and should be respectful, meaningful and constructive. Reviews and critiques are moments when students, peers and instructors pause together and step back from the process of production to gain perspective, evaluate the state of the work

48

objectively, and to decipher together the next steps toward exploration or resolution of the problem at hand. Studio pin-ups and reviews are public events from which much learning may be derived; they should be viewed as a collaborative, not adversarial, stage of the design process.

Mid-term and final reviews are milestones but not the sole ground for gauging the student’s effort, growth and success.

Supporting a Studio Culture In studios, students are expected to take risks and experiment with ideas. Student work that constructively expands the bounds of the project premise is expected and will be rewarded. Students who intelligently question the given design premise and propose solutions that might push peers and instructors to think outside the brief may create a better proposal or provoke reconsideration of traditional

design approaches. Such initiative is the engine of the architectural profession and will be valued in this course far more than merely meeting requirements.

Often, students will find that collaboration and discussion with their peers outside of class time is equally as important in developing a design mindset as is directed feedback from their instructors.

Student-to-student learning should not be undervalued, nor should the productive momentum and moral support gained by working with a group of peers. Thus, it is strongly suggested that all students work in the studio space as much as possible, that their work will be there for all to see at all stages of the process, and that instructors will be able to peruse through any design studies undertaken by the student as a way of offering constructive feedback and advice throughout the design process.

Achieving this requires a mutual (and essential) understanding that the work, tools, materials and belongings of each student are sacred and that students have neither the right nor an excuse, under any circumstances, to tamper with, or in any way affect another student’s studio production or personal property.

It is incumbent on all degree candidates to protect the work of the studio by questioning and evicting anyone who is not a member of the course; students must take responsibility for protecting their work space.

Student work: U. Chetty

49

Code of Conduct Students are expected to maintain a high level of professional integrity in both their behaviour and work while at Wits. The university has a code of conduct to which students are expected to adhere, and may impose disciplinary processes on students who do not comply with it. The full code of conduct can be found here: https://www.wits.ac.za/media/witsuniversity/students/gender-equity-andtolerance/documents/Student%20 Code%20of%20Conduct%20(17%20 April%202015).pdf Following the recent conditional legalisation of recreational marijuana, some Wits students have demonstrated a misunderstanding of the law’s provisions.

Although the posession of small amounts of marijuana for personal use may be legal,

First year group project: still shot from animation

50

it remains illegal to deal, sell to others, or consume in public areas or outside one’s private residence. Because Wits is a public university, the entire Wits campus - including residence halls - is public land and therefore the use of marijuana is illegal anywhere on the Wits campus.

Students are also reminded that smoking of any kind in public buildings is strictly prohibited; this includes all Wits facilities.

Original Work/Plagiarism It is expected that students produce original work, without reverting to unauthorised copying or outside assistance.

Plagiarism can apply to both written and visual visual work, including design work, and is considered a serious academic

First year student work

offense. The university has a strict policy regarding plagiarism that all students are xpected to be ware of; students are required to hold themselves accountable for avoiding plagiarism. Any submission suspected to be plagiarised will be dealt with according to the severity of the case per those regulations. Using precedents and invoking peer learning is encouraged, but in these circumstances, sources must be cited, and it must be made clear which work is of he student’s own authorship and which work, imagery, or aspect of a presentation comes from someone else.

The Wits plagiarism policy can be found here: https://libguides.wits.ac.za/plagiarism_ citation_and_referencing/plagiarism_policy

Assessment Policy The School has a detailed Assessment Policy which aligns with Wits regulations regarding assessment, but allows for greater specificity based on the teaching and assessment methods used in architecture and urban planning.

Students are expected to be familiar with the Assessment Policy, and are required to follow the rules of submission presented within it. The policy is currently under revision and may be updated during the 2019 academic year, but the current version always applies.

The current Assessment Policy is downloadable from the School of Architecture & Planning Sakai site, which all students have access to.

51

Supplementary Exam Eligibility is their a failure by absence (FABS) or exclusiong (FNQL) in any course?

NO

YES

how many courses were failed in the year?

less than 3 now, but total will depend on the outcome of a deferred exam

1

2

more than 2

is the weighted average mark of all courses 50% or higher?

is the weighted average mark of all courses 50% or higher?

YES

YES

NO does the failed course(s) offer a supp?

does the failed course offer a supp?

YES

NO

NO

Sealed supp Student can write a sealed supp which will be marked if eligibility criteria are met following the deferred outcome

52

YES

is the sum of the failed courses at least 80%?

yes, both

YES

only 1 of the 2

do the failed courses offer a supp?

neither of the 2

Supp exam(s) Student is eligible for the supplementary exams only in the course(s) which offers it/them.

No supp exams Student is not eligible for any supplementary exams.

Supplementary Exams Within certain parameters, if a student fails one or two courses in a year, they may be eligible for supplmenetary exams, often called ‘supps’ for short. The purpose of these is to allow students who have a reasonable chance to pass the affected courses, but performed poorly on the main exam, to get a second chance o improve their exam performance and pass. Not all courses offer suppplementary exams, and not all conditions allow one to remain eligible for supplementary exams.

Refer to the diagram at left to understand the eligibility criteria for supplementary exams.

If one meets the eiligibility criteria and passes the supplementary exam with a mark high enough to bring the course mark to 50% or above, the maximum mark that will be recorded is 50%, regardless of how high the exam score was.

Deferred Exams In special circumstances only, subject to rigorous criteria, students may be allowed to defer a final exam. The criteria are published by the Faculty and are updated from time to time. Students should familiarise themselves with the criteria, as not all requests for deferred exams are granted.

Requests for deferred exams must be lodged as soon as possible after the exam, and in all cases within three days of the exam in order to be considered. Requests are made to the Faculty, not to the School, and there are specific protocol which need to be followed. Students should contact the Faculty office to understand what the process of applying for a deferred exam is.

Submitting a request does not guarantee acceptance, and if a deferred exam is granted, the student forfeits the possibility of a supplementary exam.

Marks Reports Students are issued marks reports at the end of each academic year unless a hold is placed on receipt of marks. Holds are usually placed due to outstanding fees.

Common Course Results Abbreviations The marks reports can contain abbreviations which may not be easily understood by students, the most common of which are given below.

PAS Passed FAL Fail FAB Fail: absent from exam FNQ Fail: did not qualify for exam FCM Fail on a component FSB Fail on a subminimum requirement WDF Wait: deferred exam granted WS1 Wait: supp exam granted WS2 Wait: sealed supp granted Course Result Abbreviations Explained PAS / Passed means you passed the course.

FAL / Fail means you falied the course by achieving a mark of less than 50%.

FAB / Fail: absent from exam means you failed the course by being absent from the exam. The final mark is recorded as zero, and having a FAB on your record triggers a number of other problematic issues regarding the outcome and permission to re-register. Students are often unaware of how badly a FAB affects their registration; this should not be taken lightly and should be avoided at all costs.

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FNQ / Fail: did not qualify for exam means you were excluded from the exam.

Similar to FAB, this result gets recoerded as a zero and triggers other problematic issues.

FCM / Fail on a component means you failed at least one required component of a course. In the BAS programme, this is usually only relevant in the architectural representation courses (ARPL1028, ARPL1029, ARPL2019 and ARPL2020).

In this case, your course mark may be above 50%, but you do not gain credit for the course until the failed component is passed. You would be required to register for the course again the following year, but will be required to take only the component that was failed. If you achieve a passing mark, the marks from the other components the previous year will be applied alongside your new component mark, and this will get recorded as the final mark of the course.

First year group project: still shot from animation

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FSB / Fail on a subminimum requirement means you failed an assessment within the course that was required to be passed in order to gain credit for the course. In this case, your final course mark may be above 50%, but if you fail the required assessment, the final mark is irrelevant; you still fail the course. This outcome requires one to repeat the course.

WDF / Wait: deferred exam granted means your results cannot yet be determined because you are yet to write a deferred exam.

WS1 / Wait: supp exam granted means you failed the course but are being granted the opportunity to write a supplementary exam. Ultimately, the outcome of the supplementary exam will determine the final results.

WS2 / Wait: sealed supp granted means you failed the course and may or may

not be eligible for a supplementary exam, depending on the outcome of one or more deferred exams. Since supplementary exams and deferred exams are both written at the same time at the end of the year, you are granted the opportunity to write a supp, but it will only be marked if the outcome of the deferred exams allows eligibility for the supp.

Outcome Abbreviations In addition to the course results, the marks report will give an overall outcome for the year. These also have abbreviations, the most common of which are listed below: Q Qualified PCD Permitted to proceed PSC Proceed on special curriculum RET Must return to year of study MBA MRNM but exclusion waived MBP May proceed on conditions MBR May return on conditions MRNM Minumum requirements not met Outcomes Explained The abbreviations above do not always create a clear picture of what the utcome means. They are explained in greater detail below.

Q / Qualified means a student has met all the requirements of the entire degree programme. It is issued when a student is ready to graduate.

PCD / Permitted to proceed means a student has completed all the requirements of the current year of study and can take the full curriuclum of the next year of study.

PSC / Proceed on special curriculum means the student has passed the core requirements to clear the current year of study, but cannot take a full credit load in the next year of study, either because

there is a failed course to repeat in the lower year, or because some higher year courses have already been pulled down and successfully completed.

RET / Must return to year of study means the student has not met the requirements to to clear the current year of study, either because too many credits from that year are outstanding, or the design or construction courses from that year still need to be successfully completed.

MBA / Minimum requirements not met; exclusion waived means the outcome of the year is MRNM, which results in exclusion from the degree programme, but the School is aware of unusual and difficult circumstances which led the student’s underperformance, and the Faculty board of examiners has therefore decided to waive the appeal/readmission requirement which would therwise have been be required.

MBP / May proceed on conditions means the student may advance to the next year of study, but conditions will be placed on their continuance. These conditions must be met or a student will be deregistered.

MBR / May return on conditions means the student has been excluded from the degree programme, but has had the requirement to appeal to be readmitted automatically waived, and must return to the same year of study to complete outstanding courses. Conditions will be placed on the registration, and if these conditions are not met, the student will be deregistered.

MRNM / Minimum requirements not met means the student has not met the minimjm requirements to remain in the degree programme. A student with this

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outcome will be excluded from the degree programme and ould need to apply to be readmitted. Readmission is subject to approval of the application by a Faculty committee.

Recommended Reading The Architecture programme does not require students to purchase textbooks, however, some general reference books not specific to any course which are recommended to be purchased if students have the resources to do so, as they will be useful for the entire course of study and beyond. These are listed as recommended purchases in the list below. Prescribed readings will be made available through the Wits Library or through course readers, which are already covered by fees.

Readings which will be issued by lecturers in each course and readily available either through the Wits Library or course readers are not listed below; these will be issued in course outlines or reading lists in the first two weeks of classes.

General Referenes • Architects’ Data (4th edition) /

by Neufert, E. and Neufert, P. (Recommended purchase) • The Architect’s Studio Companion (6th edition) / by Allen, E. (Recommended purchase) • Sun Wind and Light / by De Kay, M. and Brown, G.Z. ARPL1000 • Architecture: Form space & order / by Ching, F.D.K. (Prescribed reading & recommended purchase) ARPL1001 uild Aid: The How to of building / by • B Alexander, G. (Prescribed reading & recommended purchase)

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Printing & Material Costs The School makes efforts to minimise printing costs for students as much as possible, but since drawings, models and visual communication is a core tenet of the architectural discipline, some printing and material costs are unavoidable. Students should plan on budgeting approximately R1,500 in the first year of study, rising to approximately R3,000 in the third year of study. Despite the costs, the School would like to emphasise that expensive forms of printing, such as large format, glossy paper stock, do not improve marks.

Presentations pieced together from smaller sheets of paper which are less expensive to print will receive equal consideration in marking so long as they are adequately composed.

The School does not yet have the equipment to allow for fully digitised presentations without any printing, but students may be allowed to mix digital projection with hard-copy drawings if permitted in the course.

Although presentation models are expected to be of a high level of craft, exploratory models through the design process need not be constructed of expensive materials.

Where possible, reused materials may be deployed for model-making.

Prizes The School offers a number of annual prizes to BAS students, funded through donations by outside entities. In some years, not all prizes will be issued if there is no project which clearly fulfills the criteria. The list of prizes is indicated on the following page.

Architecture Prizes for Which BAS Students May Be Eligible Name of Prize

Awarded for

Aluminium Federation of South Africa Prize

The Bachelor of Architectural Studies student who in any year of study, submits the best design related to the appropriate use of aluminium.

Concrete Society Prize

The student in any year of study in the Bachelor of Architectural Studies degree who submits the best design in the course Architectural Theory and Design utilizing the medium of concrete.

Gauteng Institute for Architecture Award

The 1st year BAS student who shows the most improvement and potential through a demonstrable commitment to architecture.

Gauteng Institute for Architecture Award (1st year)

The 1st year BAS student who shows the most improvement and potential through a demonstrable commitment to architecture.

Gauteng Institute for Architecture Award (2nd year)

The 2nd year BAS student who most convincingly demonstrates a design proposal that is the result of participatory action research with a disadvantaged community.

Gauteng Institute for Architecture Award (3rd year)

The Bachelor of Architectural Studies graduand who submits the most comprehensively resolved major project in the course ‘Architectural Theory and Design’

Joint Building Contracts Committee BAS Prize

The best student in the Small Office Practice course.

South African Institute of Steel Construction Book Prize (1st year)

1st year BAS student who submits the best design involving steel construction.

South African Institute of Steel Construction Book Prize (2nd year)

2nd year BAS student who submits the best design involving steel construction.

South African Institute of Steel Construction Book Prize (3rd year)

3rd year BAS student who submits the best design involving steel construction.

Running Computers Digital Technology Prize

The student in any year of study in the discipline of Architecture who best demonstrates the ability of digital technology to conceptualise an architectural design project.

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Second year student field trip

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STUDENT LIFE & SUPPORT

Student Support Architecture student life is recognised as particularly demanding and may sometimes feel overwhelming in its intensity. The academics and administrators are mindful of the work and life pressures on students and will advise where requested with regard to creating lighter workloads through reducing coursework loads or deregistration, referrals to campus health resources, and mentorship suggestions.

Students are encourage to use their elected class representatives to bring issues to the attention of the programme directors and Head of School where relevant. It is, however, important that students themselves actively navigate these pressures. Students should not take on too much, particularly in relation to part time work, family obligations, or daily travel.

Some of the more common support mechanisms offered to students are outlined here. For information on general Wits student issues and resources, consult the ‘Students’ section of the University website: https://www.wits.ac.za/students

Student Accommodation Students who live beyond a 45km radius of campus are eligible to apply to rent places in University-owned residences, which cost approximately R3,000 - R6,000 per month.

Accommodation details can be found on the Wits website here: https://www.wits.ac.za/accommodation Places in residence are not guaranteed to all eligible applicants, and not all residence rooms are large enough to accommodate the working space that architecture students require. It is also important to be

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able to travel to and from accommodation well into the evening, as many students work late on campus. Incoming students are to contact the Wits Central Accommodation Office if the conditions of an offered residence room do not meet these requirements so that alternatives can be sought.

For off-campus options, students are encouraged to seek housing near the university. There is a sizable market of student housing available in Braamfontein just to the east of the Wits campus.

Orientation Orientation week, which for incoming BAS students extends into the first week of classes, is a necessary and important introduction to the School and to university life in general. Students who miss the orientation are expected to actively seek out the information presented and take personal responsibility for understanding the content.

Class Representatives Each incoming class elects two class representatives who can attend programme meetings and pass issues of common concern on to lecturers, course convenor and programme directors. The class representatives also sit on the National Architectural Student committee that is convened by the South African Council for the Architectural Profession (SACAP) at the annual Architecture South Africa (AZA) conference.

Formal communication from the The class representatives will set up WhatsApp groups, and each course will have a website on Sakai.

Communication Students will receive an official Wits student email address (ending in @students.wits. ac.za) to which formal communication from the School and the University will be sent to. Any information conveyed by email will be assumed to have been received and read within a reasonable time (typically within one working day), and thus it is important for students to check this email daily. Students are also to use their official Wits email addresses to contact lecturers, rather than messaging apps, and should not call them directly unless previously agreed.

Security The entity charged with security on campus is Campus Control, which is headquartered in Robert Sobukwe block, room 1, but many staffed posts on the Wits campus. While the School makes all possible efforts to maintain complete security, including through swipe-card access to certain spaces and rotation Campus Control security guards inside the building, full security, especially from petty theft, cannot be guaranteed. Students are to keep valuables on their persons at all times, or in the lockers provided inside their studios.

To report crime or request a 24 hour escort service, use Protection Services Division of Campus Control. They can be reached at: (011) 717 4444 or (011) 717 6666.

Digital Work Some submissions of student work will be collected in digital formats during term and/ or after examinations in a manner specified by each course’s lecturer. It is essential that students create regular backups of

their work and store them in more than one place; the loss of work due to laptop crashes or theft is not an excuse for nonsubmission (though theft may warrant a deferral, as outlined in the Assessment Policy).

Office Hours Office hours are specific times academic staff have set aside to be available for students to drop in for consultation and/ or assistance related to their classes. All course coordinators and full time lecturers are to include regular office hours on their course outlines, and keep these posted on their doors. Students who are unavailable during the posted times may make an appointment with the relevant lecturer. In doing so, students are expected to follow normal professional protocols, meaning last-minute requests or requests which do not take into consideration the lecturer’s schedule may be denied.

ADU Unique to the Faculty of Engineering & the Built Environment, the Academic Development Unit (ADU) offers various forms of academic support for our students.

The ADU was established in an effort to boost student success rates and provide assistance for anyone in the Faculty of Engineering & the Built Environment who might be struggling academically.

Some specific support may be given on a case by case bases as issues arise, but the ADU also has ongoing means of supporting students in courses that have proven to be particularly challenging. In the BAS programme, this includes several programmes and offerings:

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• additional tutoring in APPM1000 Applied Mathematics; • building critical writing skills through writing workshops and tutorials; • providing assistance for students who may be vulnerable or susceptible to academic struggles; • assisting with time management.

Students are encouraged to seek assistance from the ADU if they feel overwhelmed or intimidated by their coursework, or fell otherwise academically challenged. The ADU is located at: 3rd Floor, East Wing Chamber of Mines Building Email: aid.adu@wits.ac.za Tel: (011) 717 7062 or (011) 717 7035 More information can be found on the ADU website: https://www.wits.ac.za/adu

Campus Health The Campus Health & Wellness Centre (CHWC) is a registered medical practice offering a wide variety of health services to Wits students and staff members. The services are convenient, accessible, caring and cost-effective. This is likely to be the first port of call for students experiencing illness.

The CHWC can be found on the lower ground floor of the Matrix. Further details can be found on their website: https://www.wits.ac.za/campushealth

CCDU The Counselling and Career Development Unit (CCDU) provides a welcoming and safe space to students, to enhance their

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well-being and contribute to their academic success. Based on an ethos of studentcenteredness, the Unit is staffed by a small but dedicated team of professionals inclusive of psychologists, social workers, careers educators, life coaches and administrators who offer a variety of supportive and empowering services to the student community.

The following services are available through the Counselling & Careers Development Unit: • Career Services: career development through career counselling/education, psychometric career assessments and personal development workshops • Therapy Services: one-on-one counselling and/or group therapy, trauma debriefing and psychoeducation in the form of workshops and talks.

• HIV/AIDS Education and Support Services: holistic interventions and programmes for students affected and infected by HIV/AIDS. • Learn for Life: a structured programme that provides psychosocial learning and life skills development for students through the facilitation of group processes, presentations, workshops and trainings.

• Graduate Recruitment: a programme that facilitates contact between students and prospective employers through the organisation of career exhibitions, company presentations, and foyer interviews More information can be found on the CCDU website: https://www.wits.ac.za/ccdu

Gender Equity Office The Gender Equity Office (GEO) is a holistic, autonomous and integrated office that deals with all aspects of gender based harm and the advancement of gender equity. Gender-Based Harm (GBH) includes the following: • Sexism / unfair discrimination based on gender or sexual orientation; • Sexual harassment, sexual assault and rape; • Abuse of power and conflict of interest based on sexual/romantic relationships.

GEO offers its services free of charge to all staff members and students of the University, and provides the following services: • Collects and tracks all GBH-related complaints across the university and analyses trends to inform and improve intervention initiatives; • Provides a safe and confidential space with full-time counselling support to complainants and victims of GBH; • Confidentially advises complainants and victims of GBH of their options; • Oversees an independent disciplinary procedure for formal complaints against staff or students accused of GBH; • Engages actively in advocacy around gender equality.

For more information, visit their website: https://www.wits.ac.za/students/geo/

Disability Rights Unit

to improve all aspects of accessibility – physically, technologically and socially.

The Disability Rights Unit (DRU) serves students who have a documented physical, medical, learning and/or psychological conditions; or in cases where professionals have verified that the person needs individualised services to overcome severe disadvantages.

The DRU is able to assist students with the following disabilities: • Visual • Physical • Hearing • Learning • Psychological • Speech • Chronic illnesses & painful conditions • Seizure disorders • Students with temporary disabilities (e.g. broken limbs) may request services for the period during which they are disabled.

More information can be found on the DRU webiste: https://www.wits.ac.za/disability-rights-unit

SRC The Student Representative Council (SRC) is the elected student government body at Wits, and the primary student interface with the Vice Chancellor’s office and senior leadership of the University. Students are encouraged to bring any issues concerning students generally to their elected SRC representatives.

The University is committed to working towards the goal of creating an accessible and welcoming environment for all students with disabilities. The University endeavours to make the learning environment a rich and rewarding one and continually strives

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Navigating Student Issues at Wits

Have a suggestion?

Have a problem?

Wits Vuvuzela www.witsvuvuzela.com for public expression?

graffiti wall between Matrix & Umthombo

academic issues

Voice of Wits 88.1 FM www.vowfm.co.za Meet your student mentor See if they can assist for a course?

Contact your lecturer See your course outline for contact info and office hours Academic Development Unit Chamber of Mines, UG flr 011 717 7024 @ aid.adu@wits.ac.za Wits Writing Centre Wartenweiler Library 011 717 4125 wits.ac.za/students/wits-writing-centre Faculty Office Chamber of Mines, G flr 011 717 7602 @ amelda.vanvuuren@wits.ac.za

for the degree programme?

BAS Degree Convenor Garret Gantner John Moffat, rm 107 011 717 7705 @ garret.gantner@wits.ac.za

for Wits as for the a whole? School?

Student Representative Council Use your class reps as your voice on the Wits SRC

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Head of School: Prof. Nnamdi Elleh To contact, make an appointment with Senior Secretary Marisa Sauls John Moffat, rm 21 011 717 7726 @ marisa.sauls@wits.ac.za

don’t understand your marks? generally lost?

if you missed a submission, refer to the Assessment Policy...

struggling with language?

problems with your registration?

unsure about the degree programme? have a learning disability?

Wits Law Clinic Law Clinic (West Campus) 011 717 8562 www.wits.ac.za/lawclinic/ Disability Rights Unit (DRU) Solomon Mahlangu House, 1151 011 717 9154 www.wits.ac.za/disability-rights-unit

EMERGENCY! Campus Control various posts, HQ in Central Block 011 717 4444 or 011 717 6666 @ (not specified - visit in person or call)

non-academic issues not feeling well? feeling nervous, sad or overwhelmed?

absent from class?

physically ill?

safety or security concern?

Campus Health and Wellness Centre The Matrix, LG flr 011 717 9111 or 011 717 9113 www.wits.ac.za/campushealth CCDU CCDU Building (West Campus) 011 717 9140 or 011 717 9132 @ info@ccdu@wits.ac.za IT problems?

CNS Solomon Mahlangu House, 1st flr 011 717 1717 @ ITstudenthelp@wits.ac.za

problems with your ID card?

ICAM Solomon Mahlangu House, rm 045 011 717 1830 www.icam.wits.ac.za

student visa issues?

International Students Office Solomon Mahlangu House, G flr 011 717 1054 @ studysa.international@wits.ac.za

legal problems?

difficulty finding a place to live?

due to a disability?

trouble getting around?

Central Accommodation Office Solomon Mahlangu House, rm 045 011 717 9172 @ accommodation@residence.wits.ac.za between Wits facilities?

Wits Intercampus Bus Service (no set location) 011 717 1794 @ transport.services@wits.ac.za

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Tips from Witsies “You have to be able to break yourself down before you can build yourself up again, the things you thought you knew are no longer compliant on most occasions which means forget everything you thought you once knew.”

-Third year BAS student “Don’t be afraid of your lecturers. As daunting as the whole first year experience might be, your lecturers are especially there to help you and actually want to see you & all your peers pass at the end of the year.”

-Third year BAS student The workload is intense and so trying to stay on top of all the various tasks you have to complete for the various courses, though easier said than done, will help you in the long run. I’ve been guilty of leaving out tasks that have small mark weight, particularly in construction, thinking the impact would be insignificant so I could spend time on other tasks. However, all I was doing was cheating myself out of learning skills I needed and ultimately this had an impact on the work I produced, which eventually led to me having to repeat the course.”

-Second year BAS student “My advice would be to focus 100% on Architecture Monday to Friday so you can relax, party and regain your energies over the weekend for the following demanding week to come.”

-Third year BAS student “Make use of all your crit sessions. These sessions are put in place to help and guide you through your design process.

Especially when you are stuck on a problem.”

-Third year BAS student

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“Do not skip crits! Yes they will become incredibly tiring and quite frankly annoying because you’ll feel as though you are wasting your time waiting for your chance to get a crit then you’ll feel compelled to get up and leave but do not skip your crits.

Firstly, lecturers take note of this even when they say they won’t take register, and could result in you being excluded from your exams in extreme cases; and secondly, crits help you a lot more than you may realise as it is basically the only chance you can get one-on-one time with your lecturers within school hours... Ask questions during your crit, listen to other crits and take notes, that is how you further your knowledge and skill as a designer and future architect (plus it helps in getting your creative juices flowing when you have a creative block for a design project.)”

-Third year BAS student “There are a lot of group work projects throughout the year and making enemies will not be favorable for you as you never know who you might need help from in the long run so please be kind to one another, you will all experience the same struggles!”

-Third year BAS student “At the end of the day you are designing for people, so spend time interacting with people who are not in your degree and use this time and space to explore different ideas and cultures that you have not been exposed to previously. In order to do this, it is key to work consistently and manage your time effectively so that you don’t find yourself continuously rushing to make deadlines. Whether you get a 75 or 58 doesn’t really matter in the greater scheme of things, how you perform in this degree isn’t what defines you so go do other things too!”

-Third year BAS student

“Your confidence in yourself and the work you produce is another aspect which has a great impact on how you perform.

Comparing your work to others will definitely not help. The work you produce is going to be different and so it’s not a question of just how amazing it looks but whether you’ve been able to take your design as far as you could.”

-Second year BAS student “Attend all the lectures and tutorials as they are very important make the most of the type of learning environment and the people around. So make the most of this it by learning from the people around you and - I don’t like saying this - but use them to your advantage if you have to.”

-Third year BAS student “Science students will find first year maths easier than most; share your knowledge with your peers. History students are your allies in the history of architecture and the lads and ladies whom completed their time in EGD and are accustomed to CAD are your support during the construction course.”

-Third year BAS student “Even though you’ll be learning from your teachers and fellow students, it’s important to teach yourself the things that aren’t always included in the curriculum. The internet is your friend and it will help you through a lot of issues and always teach yourself using tutorials.”

-Third year BAS student

time though take heed of what’s being said because there is possibly something you can learn from it and use in the development of your work, but also don’t feel the need to always make changes based on what criticism you’ve received.”

-Second year BAS student “In my experience, not having correct time-management skills is one of my biggest downfalls. Having proper timemanagement skills will help you in the long run. There is nothing like having a creative block at the beginning of a new project and procrastinating. It just sets you back and produces this snowball effect where the workload compounds as you procrastinate and delay your work flow. If you are bad at managing your time, expect to pull all-nighters regularly. You have not ‘architectured’ until you’ve had at least one all-nighter.”

-Third year BAS student “Use every opportunity that you have to do further your creativity. It may seem a waste of time, amidst all the deadlines and recovering from sleepless nights, but try to surround yourself with as much ‘architecture’ and ‘design’. Get a mentor, whether it be someone in second or third year, or even in post grad and above.

Mentors can really give you good advice, and lead you in the right direction.”

-Third year BAS student

“You will also come to learn that all the work you produce is up for criticism. You’re not going to always like what’s being said and it can sometimes be pretty harsh.

You have to learn to defend your work and it will help if you could actually justify the decisions you’ve made. At the same

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John Moffat Building

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General Contacts

Undergraduate

Enquiries: Mabelo Mametja Undergraduate Administrative Officer (011) 717-7649 @ @ mabelo.mametja@wits.ac.za

Enquiries: Mabelo Mametja Undergraduate Administrative Officer (011) 717-7649 @ mabelo.mametja@wits.ac.za

Physical Address: School of Architecture and Planning, John Moffat Building University of the Witwatersrand 1 Jan Smuts Avenue Braamfontein 2000 Johannesburg, South Africa Registration enquiries: Faculty of Engineering & the Built Environment, Chamber of Mines Building West Campus, University of the Witwatersrand (011) 717-7003

Postgraduate Enquiries: Siphokazi Makhaye Postgraduate Administrative Officer (011) 717-7703 @ siphokazi.makhaye@wits.ac.za

Head of School Enquiries: Marisa Sauls Senior Secretary & PA to the HOS (011) 717-7726 @ marisa.sauls@wits.ac.za

Website: www.wits.ac.za/archplan

PRIMARY CONTACTS

Exhibit of student work

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