Graduate Studio 1 Elective (35 Credits)

The Graduate Studio 1 Elective gives students a chance to choose an architectural design project and process that they can develop at great depth under the guidance of an expert in that field. The First Semester of the BAS(Hons) is dominated by the four or five design studio electives on offer for the year although this is in a block release and blended form. These electives are ideally split roughly between students in an equal number from BAS(Hons) and MArch(Prof) and with the requirement that the Masters students must choose a different elective from the one they did in Honours and ideally aim to address issues either related to urban contextual design or landscape, whichever was not addressed in the Honours year. Different studios will have different approaches to process and their expectation of what the outcome of the studio will be and the level of technical resolution required.

 

Graduate Theory 1 Elective ( 10 Credits)

The Graduate Theory 1 Elective gives students theoretical depth and intellectual rigour to the Graduate Studio 1 elective that they have chosen. The Graduate Theory Elective seminar is presented by the Graduate Studio Elective convenor which the student has selected. Typically, the elective engages with ideas of a more theoretical or philosophical nature and explores the relationship of architecture and ideas to social and cultural theory. The final outcome of the seminar is an academic paper of sufficient depth and rigour to NQF level 8. The content and topics of the seminars change from year to year depending on the interests and expertise of the convenor of the course.

 

Architectural Research Methods and Project ( 30 Credits)

The ARMaP course provides an introduction to research, an overview of architectural research methods, as well as the opportunity to demonstrate the ability to conduct architectural research through a research project. The course introduces three kinds of architectural research namely, research into design, research for design and research through design. The ARMaP course sits in support of the Graduate Architectural Practice Studio (GAPS) but also serves as an introduction to research methods in general. The course is delivered in two parts. First is a lecture series that introduces general processes and research methods, and particularly architectural research processes and methods. The second part of the course is a series of group-work architectural research projects. This course may be delivered online.

 

Graduate Architectural Practice Studio (35 Credits)

The Graduate Architectural Practice Studio (GAPS) gives students a direct experience of what it takes to run an architectural practice, and to run an architectural project through to council submission (building planning permission). The course achieves this through project-based Work Integrated Learning under supervision by a registered architect. This is the design studio course for the Second Semester in Honours Year and works initially as an on campus course that develops individual designs for a ‘real-life’ design project presented initially as a sketch design. Subsequently, groups of 3-4 students are associated with architectural practices through which they are employed as ‘virtual’ interns as part of the project learning approach through Work Integrated Learning. They develop and work on one preferred design and conclude the project through to design development phase. Their sole responsibility in the workplace for a minimum of 25 hours per week is to design, under the supervision of a SACAP registered architect, an architectural artefact that can demonstrate prescribed SACAP competencies.

Graduate Building Studies (20 Credits)

The Graduate Building Studies (GBS) course sits in support of the Graduate Architectural Practice Studio (GAPS) and works as a concluding part of the overall project. This course complements the students work experience as a ‘virtual’ intern in an architect’s office, it presents key aspects of professional practice. The GBS course is divided into two parts running in parallel, the first being the role of architects in the design and delivery of a building and the impact that legislative and other requirements have on design, and the second being the development of a representative set of necessary drawings and documentation needed to deliver a building. The first part, delivered as online lecture content, helps students understand the management practice and business acumen, Contract law and PROCAP (Procedural guide for Clients, Architects and other Professionals) work stages and the legislative, contractual, costing and logistical processes of delivering a building. The outcome for the course is a representative set of construction documents and local authority submission drawings.