KSAP Graduate School

Based at a dual-intensive university, KSAP shows commitment to excellence in research and teaching. The fruits of this commitment has been shown in the national research ranking of architecture schools within the UK. In the Research Excellence Framework KASP came 6th place, reflecting the quality of its research as well as the practical impact of this research outside academia. KSAP is still relatively young, but over the last twelve years established itself as a school with a strong research culture. This is not only reflected in the intensity of the research undertaken by academic staff, but also in the extent of postgraduate teaching. Our body of research students, which forms part of the KSAP Graduate School, has been growing steadily.

Alongside the PhD in Architecture, KSAP is offering various specialist postgraduate programmes with a research focus that lead to the award of an MA or MSc. As shown in the diagram below, these programmes enable three different pathways. The first is the standard pathway, leading towards professional accreditation by the Architectural Registration Board (ARB). The second is the specialist pathway that can lead to a career in consultancy within different areas of expertise, such as sustainability, architectural conservation, visualisation and planning. The third is the research pathway in the form of PhD, yet the MA and MSc programmes also function as bridges between the BA and PhD.

Our current doctoral students are undertaking research across a variety of academic disciplines. This diversity of research subjects reflects the cross-disciplinary character of architectural research, and it also reflects different ways in which architectural research, alongside its contribution to academic scholarship, can make contributions to architecture and planning in practice.

During the Autumn and Spring Term, we held weekly PhD seminars. These were conducted in a hybrid mode to increase inclusivity. It enabled those PhD students that were abroad for fieldwork, archival research or industry placements, to take part remotely. These seminars provided a forum for weekly gatherings, during which students were able to share and discuss their individual research but also engage in open debates about some of the wider challenges of research in the built environment. These were also joined by personal supervisors as well as other academics from the school.

This year we took the initiative to give postgraduate research, alongside the research undertaken by academic staff, a more prominent place in the end of year show, and examples of research have also been included in the catalogue for the first time. For this our PhD students formed an organising committee, Previously the focus of the show has been on design work undertaken by architecture students from the BA and MArch. At this year’s show we are giving the Graduate School a dedicated space to make its work more visible. We hope that it will invite new conversations with practitioners and applicants about the role of architecture and planning schools in advancing research, independently or in collaboration with industry or local government. There is the opportunity for practitioners to consider the possibility of a part-time PhD, choosing research subjects that are important for their professional development or help to develop a new area of expertise within their firm.

This year the first cohort of the PGDip in Professional Practice successfully completed their studies, with students receiving professional accreditation as architects from ARB. This was a significant milestone in the development of the school, as it meant that it could cover all stages of architectural education.

The next few years, however, will also involve a lot of change. This year the facilities of the school will undergo an extension and refurbishment, which is based on a design by the architect Sam Jacobs. The aim is to create more and better adapted space for our growing student cohort, which will include dedicated space for postgraduate students. Yet, substantial changes in some of our programmes are also afoot. Earlier this year the ARB has announced plans for substantial changes in the structure of architectural education at a national level, which will have implications for the development of our undergraduate and postgraduate programmes. However, it also offers new opportunity in furthering advancing a research ethos within the education of built environment professionals.

Professor Henrik Schoenefeldt Director of Graduate Studies