Architecture BSc (ARB/RIBA Part 1

Programme Directors: Ana Monrabal-Cook, Luke Pearson

The boundaries of the architectural profession have been tested more than ever in recent times, not only by technological and cultural shifts but also environmental, political and human crises. In this context, Architecture BSc continues to establish primary knowledge and understanding about the core principles of the discipline, providing a platform from which experimental and challenging design work can emerge. The programme teaches students the fundamentals of architecture, developing their critical ability to think about what it means to synthesise architectural designs and what methods they can utilise to do so. This year the programme accommodated a wider set of methods and research themes than ever before, with social projects for community groups and participatory practices sitting alongside explorations in advanced digital simulations, experimental drawing practice, filmmaking and virtual reality. Experimentation is tied to a rigorous approach to design, not only in spatial planning but also in technology, social engagement, environmental design and computation, allowing our students to produce complex and layered buildings. Our Year 1 cohort is organised as a single group before a design unit system begins in Year 2. The first year is contextual through which architectural expertise is developed using diverse experimentation and exploration. Several modules, including ‘The History of Cities and their Architecture’ and ‘Making Cities’, meld ideas from different programmes and areas of research within The Bartlett, allowing students to develop an understanding of the historical and social role of the architect. In Years 2 and 3, our design units offer unique expertise and a broad range of approaches, allowing students to connect their studies to their developing interests. The 14 units explore diverse themes and agendas, including the relationship between architecture and landscape; digital simulation and fabrication; and the role of narrative and the political context of design, from working with housing associations in the UK to the study of the development gap between the Global North and South. Each unit establishes a methodology that builds core skills and expands students’ work in new directions. Following tailored research briefs, students are encouraged to contextualise their projects by carrying out in-depth studies into urban and rural conditions to understand the complexities of producing architecture in radically different environments. This year, restrictions relating to the global pandemic impacted our ability to carry out field trip activities and physically visit sites, other architecture schools and studios. Instead, each design unit organised online masterclasses, workshops, talks and virtual tours, allowing students to connect with a community of experts and professionals.

Throughout the degree, students relate their design projects to all other taught modules. This culminates in Year 3, where design and technology are developed in synthesis, complemented by selfselected thematic interests in history and theory. By the end of their undergraduate studies, our students are equipped to engage with the design of architecture in a sophisticated manner, placing their own practice and research into wider socio-political, historical and environmental contexts. This year, the varied and ambitious design projects all showed a desire to tackle the complexities of our built environment and the pressing issues it faces. Students addressed ecology through bioreceptive materials, analysis of sites through deep time and new ways of understanding natural processes through advanced computation. The social potential of architecture was explored in projects examining programmes for community groups, the vernacular architecture of South America and the impact of failed and re-purposed developments in Asian cities. Architecture as spatial storytelling assumed a renewed purpose as a way of connecting people, with students exploring innovative techniques in drawing and animation to propose buildings that communicate alternative futures and suggest new ways of living. Many students draw from their own personal experiences and geographical location, demonstrating a broad range of backgrounds and influences. The work this year is therefore both uniquely diverse and culturally specific. The Covid-19 pandemic continues to challenge our studio culture. Students and tutors have adjusted to working online, using digital platforms to communicate ideas. From digital pinboards to overhead cameras, we have used all tools available to maintain the visual communication necessary to develop creative and inventive proposals. Even in this adversity, the students have produced projects that are imaginative, rigorous and sensitive. The sheer range of approaches and the daring acts of design that have emerged demonstrate that, as our undergraduate students carefully study the fundamentals of architecture, whatever circumstances arise, they continue to push the ever-shifting boundaries of the profession. Many thanks to our Programme Senior Administrator, Kim van Poeteren, and our Postgraduate Teaching Assistants Stephannie Contreras-Fell, Zoe Diakaki, Hannah Lewis, Dan Pope, Arinjoy Sen and William Sheng-Yang for all your positive energy and hard work.