ARCHITECTURE

Third Year

The final year programme places equal emphasis on both design and technology. Students are required to develop the design of a multi-storey commercial or institutional building and address the issues of tropical architecture in an urban setting. These issues encompass sustainable concerns and the forging of a contemporary tropical identity. As part of their learning objectives, students are required to integrate steel and lightweight envelope construction into their projects. They also apply their understanding of local building regulations and building services requirements into their schemes.

Besides the integration, the single project programme also allows students to experience the different stages of design development. Students take the same design through the preparation of submission drawings and eventually focus and develop the architectural details of a selected portion of their architectural designs. Students are taught to understand the inter-dependence of design and technology. They learn to appreciate the designs of details not as mere solutions to technical problems but elements that imbue architecture with soul and meaning. The practice-oriented architectural training allows students to better understand the holistic and challenging process of architectural design and subsequently it also enables them to appreciate the dynamics of the practice.