CORE GRADUATE LEVEL COURSES

AR5601

URBAN DESIGN THEORY AND PRAXIS

Tutor: Cho Im Sik/ Naomi C. Hanakata

Units: 4

This course will provide a comprehensive and in-depth examination of the theories, methodologies and praxis of urban design. It will introduce ideas that are instrumental in establishing the foundations of urban design, examine rationales and strategies for creating vital and lively urban spaces, and explore key issues and the myriad challenges facing urban design both today and in the future. This course will also view urban design from a place-making perspective—ranging from physical to social, tangible to intangible, and global to local—with a primary focus on topics such as urban form, density, diversity, identity, public space, community, and sustainability.

AR5321

ADVANCED ARCHITECTURAL INTEGRATION

Tutor: Shinya Okuda / Shin Yokoo

Units: 4

The course will offer learning experiences in multidisciplinary collaboration and problem-solving between architects and engineers, to prepare students for contemporary architectural practice. Students will look at case studies that will provide an overview of the foundations for interdisciplinary collaboration. A series of lectures on advanced architectural technologies will also illustrate how multidisciplinary collaboration can produce innovative architecture. Students will then draw up group proposals for innovative integrated building systems aimed at achieving optimisation, performance, and aesthetic goals, in collaboration with lecturers and consultants who are architects and engineers.

Ar5423 Architectural Practice

Tutor: Singapore Institute of Architects

Units: 4

This course will provide students with foundational knowledge and understanding required to enter architectural practice, and offer students an overview of the key aspects of running an architectural firm. It will introduce students to office management processes, to using a system to help to manage information, processes, and risk, to ensure consistent project delivery. Lectures and assignments will be designed to simulate the running of a project, demonstrating what needs to be considered from beginning to the end. The lecture notes and slides provided will be intended not only for academic learning but also for students to use as a guide and resource when they enter practice.

AR4421

Architecture Internship Programme

Coordinator: Richard Ho

Units: 8

NUS DOA’s Architecture Internship Programme is a compulsory course that complements students’ architectural education in the classroom.

Ar5221 Contemporary Theories

Tutor: Federico Ruberto / Francois Blanciak

Units: 4

This course aims to expose architecture students to an array of intellectual ideas and theoretical positions by drawing from an expanded field of discourse that includes architecture, urban studies, design, and the humanities. This broad focus acknowledges the unique nature of architectural education, manifold forces that shape the design of a building, and the role an architect plays in society. The lecture and assignments will be based around nine topics: atmosphere, interior, representation, capital, agency, security, networks, infrastructure, and the Anthropocene.

Under this internship programme, M Arch I students undergo six-month work attachments at firms or organisations in the fields of architecture, design, infrastructure and urban planning. This provides students with valuable exposure to a range of professional experiences and skills which cannot be taught in a traditional university setting. It also allows them to observe practitioners at work, see how classroom learning translates to the workplace, and experience the rhythms, ebbs and flows of life on a job in architecture and its related fields.

Finally, the internship also helps the student progress in his or her maturity and understanding of the industry, in preparation for entry to the M Arch II programme. The six-month internship is recognised by BOA as partial fulfilment of the 24-month log sheet requirement for the Professional Practice Examination; only students who intern in firms registered with BOA will qualify for the partial fulfilment.

AR5806 ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN RESEARCH REPORT (SEMESTER 1)

Units: 4 Pass / Fail Course

The Architectural Design Research Report is a compendium of students’ individual design research conducted in the course. The report shall build and elaborate on a body of ideas that will be further pursued in Architectural Thesis (Semester 2) through actual design practice. Using texts, images, charts and diagrams, and committing to a variety of material research; the report shall display a focused issue, line of inquiry, approach, theoretical background and various evidence that supports the idea.

The course’s fundamental purpose is to enable students to develop a rigorous method and deep-dive focus in a specific area of design research. It expects students to produce a series of high-quality-investigations and analysis of which the outcomes are translatable and pursuable in the area of creative design practice.

Deliverables:

A 4000-word A4 portrait in PDF format

The following should be included in the report:

1. Title of Research

2. Research Abstract (300 words)

3. Research Approach

4. Research Context and Community of Practice

5. Research Outputs

6. Contribution to Knowledge

7. Annotated Bibliography and Review of Literature, Works, and References

8. Image/Resource Index

9. Self-Disclosure of Research

10. Ethics Approval as necessary

Learning Objectives :

1. To demonstrate relevance of the topic in our contemporary world.

2. To demonstrate how architectural design can contribute to the focused issue.

3. To formulate a thesis statement, abstract and approach, understood as a design question and line of inquiry.

4. To take a critical position on research and its outcomes, and a subsequent proposition of architectural design.

5. To present how might the translation of research outcomes occur into architectural approaches, techniques and strategies or tactics.

6. To present how architectural design would be developed and what would be a significant concern for the design.

7. To realistically speculate significant impact of the nascent architectural design to people, communities and environments.

8. To communicate research and design in a concise and thoughtful manner by using texts and visual materials.

Measurable Outcomes :

1. Clear research topic and focus

2. Clear design thesis argument in written and representational tools

3. Presentation of design intent, approach and strategy

4. Presentation of consequential impact of design to social, urban and natural environment

5. Narration of design research project