Architectural Studies (BSc)

At the heart of your experience at the Welsh School of Architecture will be the design project work that is core to the practice of architecture. Design project work is carried out in our purpose-built physical design studios; here you can work with your fellow students, share ideas and provide mutual support.  Your studies will be shaped by exposure to world-leading teacher-practitioners and researchers who, through weekly tutorials, will encourage you to develop new creative approaches to design. You’ll be encouraged to experiment with design, take creative risks and expand your thinking. 

As well as independent study, lectures will explore the contextual issues that inform design project work. Individual and small group tutorials and consultancies will provide feedback and feedforward on your work. Field trips and site visits provide an opportunity to experience architecture, places, and spaces first-hand, and to analyse contexts, cultures and communities to inform your design studies.

How will I be supported?

You will be supported in a number of ways throughout your learning experience.  We host regular year meetings for you and the rest of your cohort to discuss year-wide matters, and for us to listen and respond to your feedback. Module level support is provided by module leaders, and support for design projects and dissertations is provided by a Design Tutor.

You will meet with your Personal Tutor regularly to reflect on your progress and development, and the University also has a student-led mentoring service to support you through your studies. 

You will have access to all course materials, including lecture recordings, handouts, details of all assessments, assessment criteria and links to digital resources, via the Cardiff University Virtual Learning Environment.

Beyond the School, the University offers a range of services to help you with your career planning and runs events to help you manage your emotional, mental and physical health, support with financial issues, and support for students with disabilities.

How will I be assessed?

You will experience a range of different approaches to assessment, which allow you to demonstrate your learning across the subject and to gain valuable feedback which can be applied to future learning. 

As with other creative subjects, much of your assessment will be through coursework. This may be subject specific, such as a technical report or a portfolio of collated studies from one or more subjects. Through your design portfolio you will demonstrate your studio project work and include evidence of learning across the range of modules you have studied. Design Project Reviews, where you present your project work to a panel of reviewers, provide valuable feedback to inform your project work.  Reflective portfolios will assess personal insight on knowledge, observation and experiences within and across subjects and the discipline.  

What skills will I practise and develop?

On successful completion of your Programme, you will be able to:

Knowledge & Understanding:

KU 1 Interpret and evolve design briefs and subsequent proposals as a response to knowledge, observations and interpretations of site, communities, history, technology, people and users.

KU 2 Understand and integrate a range of sustainable building construction systems, assemblies and methods, including structures and materials, into architectural and urban design proposals.

KU 3 Introduce appropriate responses to site and occupant needs through services and sustainable technologies to reduce environmental impact.

KU 4 Synthesise the principles of building physics and performance within the context of environmental comfort, energy and daylight modelling, and life cycle analysis.

KU 5 Critically appraise and synthesise a knowledge of historical and cultural traditions, movements, styles and theories of architecture and associated arts.

Intellectual Skills:

IS 1 Associate and apply appropriate methods and techniques of analysis and interpretation within the histories and theories of architectural design. 

IS 2 Generate, through iterative processes, design concepts and strategies based on a thorough understanding of multiple contexts and inspirations.

IS 3 Analyse and reflect upon, the often contradicting, theoretical, physical, social and environmental parameters of architectural design in the development of architectural ideas.

IS 4 Critically assess design proposals and sites in terms of how they influence occupant wellbeing, environmental, climatic and biodiversity demands, construction and fire/ life safety.

IS 5 Propose and defend the spatial, experiential, and compositional qualities of design proposals as appropriate to building users and wider society.

Professional Practical Skills:

PPS 1 Produce complex and well-resolved architectural and urban design proposals that respond to diverse social, cultural, environmental and socio-economic contexts.

PPS 2 Critically evaluate and use appropriate analytical and research methods to develop reasoned arguments, hypotheses and design decisions.

PPS 3 Systematically select and integrate representation and presentation techniques and tools, aligned with professional conventions, in design, written, modelled and technology work.

PPS 4 Identify ethical responsibilities and fundamentals of practice, including the role of the architect within collaborative professional relationships and with regard to economic, legal and regulatory processes.

Transferable/Key Skills:

KS 1 Develop a personal position on design, ethical and professional contexts with regards to career ambitions.

KS 2 Identify and apply reflective techniques, that informs individual and collaborative performance and learning in complex and unpredictable situations.

KS 3 Apply diverse transferable/ employability skills including: working collaboratively and independently; time management; analytical, logical and lateral thinking to address complex problems; and listening, respecting and contributing to the opinions of others.

KS 4 Apply a range of effective and appropriate communication methods and media in the presentation of design proposals, research, theories, ideas and decisions.