BA(Hons) Architecture and Planning (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.

This module will introduce the structures, processes and challenges of planning in the UK. You'll explore how national, regional and local institutions shape planning policy and decision-making, and consider the roles of government, professional bodies, communities and other stakeholders. Topics may include plan-making, development management, governance, housing, infrastructure, sustainability and changing political priorities. By examining contemporary challenges and examples from practice, you'll develop an understanding of how the planning system operates and how competing social, economic and environmental interests are negotiated.

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.

In this architecture and planning studio, you'll develop a design response that connects spatial planning with architectural thinking. You'll investigate a site and its social, environmental and policy context, using research and analysis to shape a brief and design strategy. Through iterative studio work, you'll explore scale, movement, land use, built form, public space, sustainability and the needs of different stakeholders. Drawings, models and digital techniques will help you test and communicate proposals while developing an integrated understanding of place-making and design decision-making.

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 introduce the intellectual and ethical foundations of town and country planning. You'll trace the development of planning theory over the past six decades, including shifts from physical to social planning, rational systems approaches and collaborative, environmental and design-led perspectives. You'll critically examine concepts such as economic development, sustainability, aesthetic quality, public interest, democracy and professional ethics. Moral and political philosophies, including utilitarianism, theories of justice, social democracy and free-market liberalism, will help you analyse planning debates and construct clear, evidence-based arguments.

In this advanced studio module, you'll develop an architectural project through research, analysis and iterative design. You'll investigate the physical, social and environmental context of a brief, establish a clear design position and translate it into a coherent spatial proposal. The studio will support experimentation, critical discussion and the integration of conceptual, technical and environmental thinking. Through drawing, modelling and other appropriate communication methods, you'll strengthen your ability to test ideas, respond to feedback and justify architectural decisions with growing independence and professional awareness.

Continuing your advanced architectural studio work, this module will support the further development and resolution of a substantial design proposal. You'll integrate contextual, social, environmental and technical considerations while refining your architectural intentions through iterative testing. The module will encourage critical judgement, detailed investigation and clear communication across appropriate visual, spatial and technical formats. Through studio discussion, tutorials and critique, you'll learn to evaluate alternatives, respond constructively to feedback and demonstrate a coherent relationship between research, concept, material decisions and the experience of users.

This module will examine how global forces shape cities and how planning responds to rapid urban change. You'll explore contrasting international contexts and consider issues such as urban growth, governance, infrastructure, inequality and environmental sustainability. Comparative examples will help you analyse relationships between global processes and local conditions, including the different actors and interests involved in planning decisions. Through critical engagement with theory, policy and practice, you'll develop an informed understanding of the opportunities, tensions and responsibilities involved in planning the future of global cities.

This module will examine agency, asking how built-environment practice can influence places, decisions and social outcomes. You'll consider the relationships between professionals, clients, communities, institutions and wider systems of power, and explore how different forms of action can enable or constrain change. Through theory, case studies and reflection, you'll analyse responsibilities, values and the consequences of professional choices. The module will help you recognise your capacity to act, collaborate and advocate while developing a critically informed position on practice and its public impact.

This module will enable you to undertake an independent dissertation on a spatial planning topic. You'll define a focused research question, critically review relevant literature and select an appropriate methodology for gathering and analysing evidence. Supported by supervision, you'll manage an extended research process, address ethical considerations and connect your findings with planning theory, policy or practice. By interpreting evidence and constructing a coherent argument, you'll develop advanced research, critical thinking, project management and written communication skills relevant to professional or further academic work.

You'll gain the technical skills needed to understand and validate the principles and techniques to achieve low carbon proposals - with a focus on carbon reduction, environmental responsibility and sustainability.

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.

You'll integrate architectural and urban design criteria in response to complex, real-world challenges, defining your own brief to address societal needs, environmental sustainability, and inclusivity while also demonstrating ethical and professional conduct.

You'll gain a comprehensive understanding of planning processes, regulations, legal frameworks, and decision-making practices. Through a practical and collaborative studio-based approach, you'll engage with real-world challenges, reflecting on how your design proposals align with and are influenced by planning policies