BSc(Hons) Architecture (with Foundation Year)

This module will provide a supportive introduction to higher education through architecture, design and the built environment. You'll explore contemporary and historical influences on buildings, places and environments, which may include environmental, cultural, technological, social and economic contexts. Structured activities will develop your confidence, curiosity and independence while strengthening research, information literacy, referencing, critical reading and academic writing. You'll also practise reflective learning, visual communication, discussion and presentation. Along the way, you'll become familiar with university learning expectations, digital platforms and the academic and wellbeing support available to you.

Using practical problems from architecture and the built environment, this module will build your confidence in applied mathematics and engineering. You'll develop skills in measurement, estimation, scale, area, volume, density, ratio and percentages before progressing to geometry, algebra, graphs, trigonometry and mathematical modelling. You'll investigate how forces, load paths, equilibrium, stress, strain and material behaviour help explain how buildings stand up. Through increasingly complex tasks, you'll also use spreadsheets and data handling to interpret built environment scenarios and understand how analytical methods inform design, environmental performance and technical decision-making.

Through a sequence of studio-based projects, this module will introduce you to the foundations of design practice. You'll learn how to conceive, test and refine simple design concepts using design thinking, observational and design drawing, and physical model-making. Hands-on, iterative work will help you explore space, form, proportion and materiality while developing practical problem-solving and communication skills. Working alongside others in a collaborative studio, you'll receive and respond to critique, reflect on your decisions and document the development of your ideas through sketchbooks, process records and a carefully curated body of work.

Through a series of short, playful projects, this module will introduce you to fundamental principles of visual design communication. You'll develop observational drawing, design concept sketching and rendering skills, while exploring graphic design, layout and typography. Three-dimensional modelling in a range of materials will help you investigate form, composition, scale and materiality, supported by workshop techniques and safe working practices. Within a collaborative studio and workshop environment, you'll learn through making, discussion and critique, developing confidence in presenting, evaluating and refining visual and spatial design work.

This studio module will introduce you to foundational principles of architectural design through hand-drawing, physical model-making and material exploration. You'll develop spatial awareness and craftsmanship while using iterative processes, experimentation and feedback to refine your design thinking. Architectural precedents and conceptual frameworks will help you consider relationships between form, function and environment. You'll also explore how cultural, historical, theoretical and environmental contexts can shape design decisions. Through project-based learning, you'll begin to understand architectural design as both a creative and critical practice, building skills for later studios.

In this studio module, you'll develop architectural design through a focus on people and the environment. You'll explore how human needs, activities and experiences can inform spatial decisions, while considering the environmental context of a design. Project-based learning will help you develop and test ideas through an iterative process, using drawing, modelling and critical reflection to communicate and refine your work. Alongside practical design skills, you'll build your awareness of how architecture responds to users, place and wider contextual factors, supporting your progression into later design studios.

This module will introduce you to architectural history, theory and the relationships between cities, buildings and society. You'll explore how architecture is shaped by cultural, social, political and historical contexts, using buildings, urban spaces and ideas as sources of enquiry. Through critical reading, discussion and analysis, you'll develop the vocabulary and interpretive skills needed to examine architectural precedents and understand their significance. The module will help you connect architectural design with wider societal change and build a contextual foundation for your studio work and future study.

This module will introduce you to professional architectural practice and digital representation. Content may include the role of built environment professionals, collaborative workflows and the RIBA Plan of Work, particularly briefing and concept design. You'll examine responsibilities to clients, society and the environment, with emphasis on inclusivity, sustainability and ethical decision-making. Practical training will cover two-dimensional drafting, basic three-dimensional modelling and rendering, helping you produce accurate plans, sections and elevations to professional conventions and communicate spatial relationships and architectural forms effectively.

This module will introduce the principles and practices of sustainable architectural design and technology. You'll explore building science, including heat transfer, passive design strategies and the role of the building envelope in improving energy performance. Study of materials will consider their properties, sourcing, performance and contribution to sustainable and circular construction. You'll also develop an understanding of basic structural and construction technologies and how buildings interact with their environment. Through practical application, you'll learn to analyse and improve the thermal efficiency and environmental performance of architectural proposals.

In this design studio module, you'll explore architecture for living and examine how homes and residential environments respond to people, place and changing needs. You'll develop a design proposal through research, site and context analysis, brief development, precedent study and iterative testing. Themes may include domestic space, community, wellbeing, accessibility, sustainability, materiality and environmental performance. Studio tutorials and reviews will help you communicate ideas through drawings, models and other media while integrating spatial, social and technical considerations into a coherent architectural response.

This studio module will develop your ability to create an integrated architectural proposal through research and iterative design. You'll respond to a site, brief and wider context, exploring relationships between concept, space, material, structure and environmental performance. Work may include precedent studies, site analysis, drawings, models and digital media as you test and refine ideas. You'll consider user needs, sustainability, buildability and relevant regulations, strengthening your ability to communicate design intent and bring conceptual, contextual and technical considerations together within a resolved project.

In this module, you'll investigate environmental design strategies and emerging innovations for more sustainable buildings. You'll consider how climate, building form, fabric, materials and services influence energy use, comfort and environmental performance. Topics may include passive and active approaches, low-carbon technologies, resource efficiency, adaptation and performance evaluation. Through research and applied design work, you'll learn to compare options, recognise trade-offs and integrate appropriate strategies into architectural proposals. The module will strengthen your ability to make evidence-informed environmental design decisions.

This module will develop your understanding of collaboration and coordination within architectural and construction projects. You'll explore how information, responsibilities and design decisions are shared across multidisciplinary teams and project stages. Topics may include professional roles, communication, digital coordination, common data environments, BIM workflows and the management of interfaces between design disciplines. Through collaborative activities and project-based examples, you'll learn to coordinate information, identify conflicts and communicate effectively, building professional skills that support accurate, integrated and responsible project delivery.

This module will extend your understanding of architectural history and theory by examining how cultural, political, social and technological forces shape buildings and places. You'll analyse historical and contemporary examples, considering the global exchange of architectural ideas and their influence on practice. Themes may include identity, place, postcolonial perspectives and feminist theory. Through critical reading, visual analysis and discussion, you'll develop the vocabulary and research skills needed to interpret architectural precedents and evaluate how architecture both reflects and influences cultural identities.

This module will prepare you to navigate professional practice by connecting employability, ethical responsibility and enterprise. You'll reflect on your skills, values and career direction while exploring professional expectations, workplace communication and the development of opportunities. Ethical questions will help you consider the social and environmental consequences of practice, including responsibilities to clients, users, communities and wider society. Alongside this, you'll develop an enterprising mindset and strengthen your ability to present your capabilities, make informed professional decisions and plan your continuing development.

This module will place architecture within wider critical contexts, helping you examine how cultural, social, political, economic and environmental forces influence the built environment. You'll engage with theories, debates and case studies that question how architecture is produced, represented and experienced. Through research and critical reading, you'll compare perspectives, recognise assumptions and consider whose interests are served by design decisions. The module will strengthen your ability to construct informed arguments, connect contextual understanding with architectural practice and communicate a well-supported critical position.

This module will explore how connected technologies and digital design are transforming construction. You'll investigate digital information, collaborative processes and tools used to coordinate design, delivery and operation across project teams. Topics will consider how data and models support communication, decision-making and more integrated ways of working, alongside the responsibilities and challenges associated with digital practice. Through applied activities, you'll develop confidence in using connected approaches to resolve design and construction problems, evaluate information and communicate coordinated proposals within a professional context.

This substantial studio module will bring together your architectural learning through an extended design project. You'll establish a clear position in response to a complex brief, drawing on contextual research, theory, user needs and environmental responsibility. Iterative design work will enable you to integrate spatial, material, technical and regulatory considerations while developing a coherent proposal. Through studio discussion, critique, drawing and modelling, you'll demonstrate independent judgement, refine your design process and communicate architectural intent at an advanced level appropriate to professional progression.