Architecture with Foundation BA Honours

Program Overview

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Architecture with Foundation BA Honours

Overview

Our degree courses with Foundation year offer the opportunity to prepare you for advanced study before you progress onto a full honours degree at the University of Westminster.

Course Structure

The following year-by-year outline gives you an idea of what you will be doing on the course, and the subjects listed are indicative of what you will study.

• Foundation
• Year 1
• Year 2
• Placement Year
• Year 3

Foundation Year

The Foundation year offers four studio-based modules which include Recording Place, Making Practices, Reading Spaces and the Major Project. The latter is a design challenge that asks students to draw on skills and interests ignited by their earlier studio-based work and topics explored in the Foundation Pathway Modules. The work from this project will form the centrepiece of the final exhibition showcasing the students' skills and creative visions.

Subjects of study include:

• Critical Thinking in a Changing World
• Introduction to Academic Practice
• Major Project
• Making Practices
• Reading Spaces
• Recording Place

Credit Level 3

Year 1

• Design Studio: Architectural design is taught twice a week in small groups of around 20-22, with a lead tutor supported by a second tutor on the first studio day and a postgraduate student on the second. In the first 12 weeks the focus is on introducing the fundamentals of scale, architectural drawing, and creative practice followed by a small design project. Activities also include on-site sketching, building visits, modelling and digital representation skills and photography,

A longer design project takes up the second 12 weeks of the year, with students investigating the site, context and stakeholders, and then developing their brief. Ideas are developed through an iterative creative process of drawing and modelling and responding to tutor feedback. The design work is then explored through working directly with materials in the fabrication lab.

Activities also include a CAD/digital fabrication lab project and the collective design and preparation of the end-of-year public show, at which the final design proposals are presented.

Studio teaching is varied and involves workshops, site and building visits and group research, with individual tutorials and 'crits' in which each student’s work is presented to their fellow students, tutors, guest critics and practitioners.

• Technical Studies : Students are introduced to structural and environmental principles underpinning architectural design, fabrication processes, building components and assembly techniques.
• History and Theory : Through lectures and small group seminar discussions, students study a range of European and non-western histories of architecture. They also undertake walks around London and make guided building visits. Students develop their writing skills supported by analytical drawing.

Subjects of study in Year 1 include:

• A History of Architecture
• Design, Materials and Fabrication
• Introduction to Design and Skills
• Introduction to Design Practice
• Introduction to Technical Studies

Credit Level 4

Year 2

• Design Studio : Students can choose to study within one of our seven studios, each offering a particular approach to design or engagement in current issues and characterised by diverse themes. Responding to the studio brief, students create two architectural proposals during the course of the year. In the first project they develop their understanding of environmental issues of the site and context, and in the second project, large-scale models are used to examine the design in detail.
• History and Theory : A lecture programme on theory and contemporary issues in architecture and urbanism is followed by small group seminar sessions. These develop students’ critical skills and help students choose a subject for further research in the final year Dissertation.
• Technical Studies : Students are introduced to architectural practice by following the live progress of a construction site (Site Diary module). Working in pairs, students identify a construction site, negotiate to visit it regularly during the course of the year and develop an understanding of the building procurement process. Their summarising reports cover the role of the architect, the organisation of the design team, site health and safety, buildability and the construction sequence.

Subjects of study in Year 2 include:

• Architectural History and Urbanism
• Design Investigation
• Design Projects
• Environmental Design Study: Mapping and Modelling
• Site Diary

Credit Level 5

Placement Year

Between Years 2 and 3, you'll have the opportunity to undertake a year in industry (work placement) and gain work experience, enhancing your employability after graduation.

Year 3

• Design Studio : Students can choose to study within one of our six studios, offering a diverse range of design approaches.

The projects are larger and more complex than in the second year, with the design encompassing urban-scale thinking down to detailed design resolution. The second Major Project forms the culmination of the students’ design practice and technical development, which they present to an external examiner at the end of the year. The work is then exhibited at the annual summer exhibition and goes on to form the basis of their portfolios for employment in an architectural practice as a 'Part 1 year-out' assistant.

• Technical Studies : Students investigate a particular area of environmental or technical interest, and then apply this knowledge in their second Major Project. The work includes an environmental audit of their design decisions and a detailed study of how their proposal would be built. A team of visiting architects, engineers and environmental consultants support this work through lectures and tutorial sessions.
• History and Theory : Students write a dissertation: an extended piece of written research on a subject of interest from the field of architecture. Their work is supported through weekly tutorial group sessions.
• Preparation for Professional Practice : Students undertake a two-week work-placement in architectural practice, studying how the architectural practice is organised, the contractual relationships they have with clients and builders, and the procurement process of the project they have been working on there. They also prepare their CV and build a website to showcase their work. This work-based learning experience is supported by lectures and workshops.

Subjects of study in Year 3 include:

• Design and Technical Exploration
• Dissertation
• Major Design Project
• Preparing for Practice
• Technical Design Study: Exploration and Application

Credit Level 6

Professional Accreditation

The course is validated by the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA), providing exemption from RIBA Part 1.

Entry Requirements

• A levels – CCC (96 UCAS Tariff points)
• T levels – 96 UCAS Tariff points
• International Baccalaureate – 96 UCAS Tariff points from all components of the Diploma Programme. International Baccalaureate Career-related Programme will be considered on a case-by-case basis
• BTEC Extended Diploma – MMM
• BTEC Diploma – DD
• Access – 96 UCAS Tariff points from the Access course

In addition to one of the above, you should have:

• GCSE English Language grade 4/C - IB grade 4 Higher level,GCSE Maths grade 4/C - IB grade 4

If your first language is not English, you will need an IELTS of 6.0 overall, with 5.5 in each component.

Fees and Funding

• UK tuition fee: £9,535 (Price per academic year)
• International tuition fee: £17,600 (Price per academic year)

Facilities

Our world-class facilities include the Fabrication Lab and an enviable central London location.

Teaching and Assessment

Teaching methods across all our undergraduate courses focus on active student learning through lectures, seminars, workshops, problem-based and blended learning, and where appropriate practical application.

Assessments typically fall into two broad categories:

• Practical: examples include presentations, videos, podcasts, lab work, creating artefacts
• Coursework: examples include essays, reports, in-class tests, portfolios, dissertation

Supporting You

Our Student Hub is where you’ll find out about the services and support we offer, helping you get the best out of your time with us.

• Study support – workshops, 1-2-1 support and online resources to help improve your academic and research skills
• Personal tutors – support you in fulfilling your academic and personal potential
• Student advice team – provide specialist advice on a range of issues including funding, benefits and visas
• Extra-curricular activities – volunteering opportunities, sports and fitness activities, student events and more