Program Overview

Introduction to the Bachelor of Architectural Studies (BAS) Program

The Honours Bachelor of Architectural Studies degree provides the foundation of skills, knowledge, judgement, and practical experience required for subsequent professional studies in architecture. Our pre-professional Academic Program is fully dedicated to imparting to students the culture and practice of design.

Program Structure

The program is structured around five main thematic groups:

• Design: The practice of design and the understanding of its theories and methods.
• Visual and Digital Media: The use of creative and analytical tools and techniques.
• Cultural History and Theory: The understanding of cultural and historical forces shaping the built world.
• Technology and Environment: The understanding of materials and methods, building technologies, and environmental issues and systems critical to the making of architecture.
• Urbanism and Landscape: An introduction to urbanism and landscape and the organization of natural and human ecologies.

Design

The design courses are the primary focus of Architecture and are informed both directly and indirectly by the knowledge and skills developed in the other theme areas. Design courses are conducted in the form of studios in which students undertake a series of directed design projects, aimed to illustrate and engage practical, theoretical, and aesthetic issues of architectural conception, and progressively establish expertise and understanding.

Visual and Digital Media

The visual and digital media sequence acts as a support for the design studio, introducing multiple methods of visualization that act as communicative, analytical, and generative tools for architecture. These courses build aptitude and understanding in the use of architectural tools and techniques, from hand-drawing and drafting in two dimensions to advanced three-dimensional digital modeling, visualization, and fabrication.

Cultural History and Theory

The cultural history and theory sequence is concerned with the human imagination, the forms through which it expresses itself, and the larger socio-political contexts within which it is enacted. In these courses, students are exposed to works of history, philosophy, literature, and the arts, learning about architecture, urbanism, and landscape within a broad cultural context that enriches their understanding.

Technology and Environment

The study of the technical aspects of building and design begins with a series of courses that provide students with an understanding of the materials and methods of building construction, structural design and analysis, and environmental issues and their impact on design. Within this sequence, students learn not only about the technologies of buildings and their material systems and assemblies but also about architecture’s essential relationship with its environmental context.

Urbanism and Landscape

At Waterloo, students learn about architecture within the larger context of urbanism and landscape, and are introduced to the organization of larger systems, from settlement patterns to the morphology of cities, throughout their education. In this sequence, students are exposed to the principles of urban and landscape design in relation to natural and human ecologies.

Professional Practice

Students gain invaluable architectural professional experience through the co-op program, which integrates two years of alternating paid work terms into the pre-professional course of study. Through co-op, Waterloo Architecture students expand their professional education and opportunities as they apply their knowledge and skills within architectural firms all over the world.

Program Details

• The program description provides a comprehensive overview of the Bachelor of Architectural Studies (BAS) degree.
• Course descriptions offer detailed information about the courses within the program.
• Admission information is available for prospective students interested in the BAS program.