Architectural Engineering with Foundation Year

This module will introduce you to the range of sectors and professions involved in the built environment sector. You will also gain an understanding of the role of the different professions, and begin to explore the concept of health and safety in industry.

The aim of this module is to provide you with an appreciation and understanding of architectural design and the factors that influence it. You will gain an understanding of architectural design in the context of the overall building procurement process, and be introduced to the role of ICT as an essential tool in built environment professional practice. Through this module you will begin to develop your expertise in commonly used built environment design representation software applications.

The module is to introduce the concept of digitalisation in the built environment industry and allow you to apply different digital technologies. It will also introduce you to building materials and structure.

This module will introduce you to many of the reasons why we need buildings. It introduces and examines how we design buildings to both passively and actively modify the internally created built environment. The concept of whole building Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) is introduced in relation to thermal comfort, visual comfort, acoustic comfort and Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) with the goal of instilling an understanding in the learner as to how aspects of good building design promote occupant comfort and wellbeing. Via an understanding of the physical properties of construction materials, basic scientific principles and building engineering services, you will gain an understanding of buildings in use, not just buildings under design or in construction.

This module is designed to equip you with a set of skills, knowledge and personal attributes that ensure the student is likely to be successful in their chosen route of academic study on a course within the School of the Built Environment. You will develop the ability to understand what and how they are learning, and to review, plan and take responsibility for your own learning.

This module introduces the process of client/architect/engineer design briefs, and particular specifications in relation to a building’s internal environment, with particular attention paid to the specification of thermal, visual, acoustic and Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) design variables. Building on the theory learned in the Introduction to Building Science module, this module moves on to the design and practical application of environmental design criteria based on the previously developed understanding of environmental comfort.

You will research into, and select, various design variables during the creation of project Room Data Sheets (RDS), used by engineering consultants to design passive and active approaches to the creation of an optimum internal environment for occupant comfort and wellbeing. The module then moves on to the determination of actual environmental conditions in numerous rooms and spaces in a variety of building types via the physical use of measuring equipment. By comparing theoretical and actual design values, you will then undertake observations and Post Occupancy Evaluation (POE) surveys to determine real occupant opinions and perceptions as to their working environment, with the goal of assessing those areas of design with poor feedback and the proposal of corrective measures.

You will be introduced to architectural thinking and the implications of the relationships between people, environment and place through creative and engaging small-scale design projects. Through the projects you will practice a wide range of architectural representation techniques, from orthographic drawing to model making.

This module introduces you to construction technology, systems and services by focusing on principles of structures, construction assemblies, techniques and sustainable design of domestic architecture. Within the context of the climate emergency you will explore the fundamental approaches to construction used to achieve safe, environmentally sound tectonic strategies. The module will discuss building physics and the building’s fabric, and how its environmental services and systems need to be combined to provide physiological, thermal, visual and acoustic comfort. 

You will be introduced to the canon of western architectural history and its underlying ideological assumptions. The module locates the major practices and sites of western architecture in a wide visual, cultural and ideological context and critically examines its relevance to the practicing architect today. 

You will develop your skills and knowledge in architectural representation and build design through larger scale design projects and live engagement opportunities.

This module aims at providing a fundamental understanding of the design principles and behaviours of structural forms, elements and systems in buildings. You will be introduced to nature as a generator of structure. You'll explore the relationship between shape, material, structural performance, loads, assembly methods and construction technology through modelling, analysis, and case studies. You will be able to understand the mutual dependencies between architectural design, structural performance and manufacturing technologies in the past and present through the knowledge of historical and contemporary structural forms and materials. The module also enables you to investigate the implications of nature, people and technology in the design of architectural structures.

This module introduces you to the foundational principles and integrated knowledge required for successful architectural practice, aligning with the RIBA Plan of Works. You will develop skills in design integration, environmental consciousness, construction knowledge, and professional practice, in preparation for the challenges of the architectural profession and the changing landscape of the construction industry. 

The module aims to develop the broad understanding of the history and theory of architecture focused on the examination of the histories of modern architecture. The field of enquiry will also be broadened by a consideration of urbanism and critical theory relevant to the histories being considered and demand a greater appreciation of the role of the architect in society.

You will develop your ability to select and apply structural assemblies and stability systems. You will also understand how to apply mechanics to the analysis of continuous structures and analyse soil retaining systems.

This module explores the use of architectural representation to analyse and critique urban contexts and develop contextually appropriate design propositions.  

The multidisciplinary module allows you to engage in a multidisciplinary practice-based environment and gain an insight into industrial practice. Utilising a real-world scenario student’s work collectively and collaboratively to communicate a project solution to a panel of assessors through varying forms of media. This module is supported with a series of industrial guest speakers to offer real life practices, procedures, technologies, and communication techniques.

The module further develops your understanding of technological innovation in architecture integrating the parallel strands of Structure and Services introduced to you in year 1 through two core themes central to Building Fabric Design: Design for Climate and Sustainability and Design for Human and Life Safety. Through these themes you will develop competencies in more advanced construction techniques, systems and assemblies for non-domestic buildings and through this you will extend and develop your technical vocabulary and grasp of building physics and building fabric design for more complex building forms.  

This module enhances your prior learning and develops the opportunity to enter a national or international design competition alongside the development of a personal interior architecture design brief. Exploring interior typologies, the module aims to develop your creative potential within a future built environment context. You will extend the design brief(s) to propose innovative new approaches to interior space and extend the ideas and approaches you have explored and developed throughout the programme to date. 

This module comprises the development of an inventive approach to architecture and the continued formation of an iterative design methodology. It builds on the formation of spatial and formal vocabulary and the interpretation and communication of ideas developed in previous design modules and asks that you both build upon and challenge accepted performance and evidence-based modes of integrated design. In this module you will investigate the power of design in all its complexity in instigating social, cultural, aesthetic, historical and technological change through proposals that are both inventive and interventionist, whilst evidencing care for the future.

You will explore the theme of regeneration and application of architecture practice in the regeneration of cities and urban environments.

This module aims to prepare you for your first year in industry by equipping you with a comprehensive understanding of the profession of architecture. You will develop an understanding of the role of the architect in society. You will learn about the management of the construction industry, the role of the architectural practice and responsibilities of each within the regulatory legal context within which architecture operates

You will develop, apply and test your architectural design skills in the context of a complex design project. You will apply the necessary skills, competencies and understanding of a selected range of theoretical, technical, cultural, historical and professional issues, and the ability to integrate them into your designs. You will expand your design methods to include (fine) art practices, in particular those which focus on the development of spatial interventions.

This module comprises the development of tectonic rationale and detail design at a variety of scales and levels of detail and the continued formation of an iterative design methodology. It builds on the formation of technical assemblies, structural and environmental rationales and communication of detailed design solutions developed in parallel with a design task of some complexity and asks that you both build upon and challenge accepted performance and evidence-based modes of integrated design whilst seeking compliance with technical standards and regulatory frameworks for sustainability, health and life safety, and delivering a plausible and buildable project. 

This module aims to develop your ability to propose structural schemes to bridge voids, build tall and cover space. You will learn to apply risk management to the selection of schemes and understand the effects of accidental loading