Architecture

How can we build spaces that meet the needs of diverse communities, and are sensitive to the global challenges we face today?

Architects are visionary people, who use their creativity and entrepreneurial skills to design new environments that have social, cultural, environmental and financial value.

At Kent, you will learn from practising architects in a creative studio environment. You will learn about sustainability in the built environment, and how to breathe life into old buildings that weren’t designed for the modern age.

You will consider the needs of people and communities, creating spaces that are friendly and accessible to all people without compromising aesthetics.

The technical skills, design work and professional experience you gain on this course will see you take your first steps to becoming an architect, or pursuing a career in areas such as urban planning, property development, construction or asset management.

Architecture with a Foundation Year

A foundation year is a great way to take your first step to becoming a qualified Architect, this programme will help you develop your design skills, technical capability and portfolio in order to enrol on our Architecture BA and realise your ambition.

Year Abroad (optional)

Go Abroad

Taking a year abroad – whether you study at one of our prestigious partner universities or do an internship – is an amazing opportunity. This can be added during your studies at Kent.

Any questions? We have the answers!

Is there any additional funding for the year abroad? You may be able to apply for funding; check with our Go abroad team.

Do I have to pay tuition fees for the year abroad? Yes, you’ll pay a substantially reduced fee. Fees for the current year (subject to changes) can be found on our tuition fees website. You don’t pay anything to the host uni.

Will I still get my maintenance loan? Yes.

When does the year abroad take place? Between your second and final year.

Do I have to learn a foreign language? You’re taught in English in many destinations, but you’ll get more out of your year if you learn the local language.

Does the University keep in touch? You have full access to all Kent’s support services as well as our dedicated Go abroad team.

Year 1

The following modules are what students typically study, but this may change year to year in response to new developments and innovations:

Compulsory modules currently include the following:

• Studio 1A: Form and Space

  What is ‘design’, and how do architects embark on the creative process of designing the spaces and places in which we live, work and play?

  Throughout history, the buildings we inhabit have been designed with one thing in common —us! From the width of doors to the size of steps, from the height of ceilings to the shape of bricks – everything is designed with the human form in mind.

• Classroom 1A: Form and Construction from the Ancient Times to Modernity

  How did ancient architectural forms develop? What is their relationship with building technology and how are they relevant to today’s architects? Seeking to answer these questions, this module introduces you to some of the most imitated and well-known forms in history, from Ancient Greek Temples to Byzantine Churches.

  By sketching and analysing the forms of significant ancient buildings within their historical context, you'll come to understand their design principles. You'll also gain a better sense of their construction by looking at them forensically. By exploring post and lintel construction, masonry, vaulting, and timber framing, you will become familiar with technological ideas that are still current.

• Studio 1B: Habitation

  Where do we develop our first experiences of architectural space? How do we read, analyse and understand the spaces we inhabit and how do we incorporate ‘successful’ principles into our designs?

  By introducing you to the ‘precedent’, this module develops your awareness of the importance and influence that these can have on the process of design. Through a series of lectures, you’ll also learn about the most ubiquitous building type—the house.

• Classroom 1B: Science and Beauty of Light

  How do we transform spaces - and completely change people’s moods - without touching them? The answer is through light. Understanding the power of light in architecture can completely transform the feeling of a space and can help you create building designs that people enjoy.

  In this module, you’ll learn about the physical nature of light, how we can reflect and control it, and how to measure the average daylight factor (ADF) of a room, predicting if it will be comfortable to use. We’ll also introduce you to global environmental issues, such as how passive solar designs allow us to provide comfortable buildings with reduced environmental impact.

• Studio 1C: Sustainable Building

  What impact does architecture have on our environment? In the context of the climate crisis, how can architects design a sustainable future, promote clean energy consumption and support ethical material sourcing?

  In this module, you’ll consider how architects and designers can develop sustainable and ethical approaches to their work. Building on the knowledge, skills and experience you’ve acquired in the autumn and spring terms, you’ll then design a small public building based on sustainable principles.

• Classroom 1C: Survey and Interpretation of Medieval Architecture

  The architecture of Canterbury’s World Heritage Sites lies at your doorstep. But how can we understand its Medieval buildings and spaces, and unlock their secrets? This module introduces you to methods for decoding and visualising this unique heritage and using it as a source of inspiration throughout your architecture career.

  By exploring Medieval architectural and urban forms around the world, you'll learn how some of the world’s greatest cities were shaped, as well as the origins of architectural ideas that still matter today.

Please see the course page on our website for full module details.

Year 2

The following modules are what students typically study, but this may change year to year in response to new developments and innovations:

Compulsory modules currently include the following:

• Studio 2A: Landscapes

  How do buildings sit within their landscapes? How do we perceive the world around us and appreciate its beauty and potential? And how can we transform particular spaces into landscapes that enhance our lives and contribute to our sense of wellbeing?

  In this module, you'll observe and record the existing condition of a site – its orientation, topography, existing structures and natural features, history and seasonal rhythms. You will respond to a brief that includes building and landscape elements and create an innovative design for groups of people to engage with exterior and interior spaces.

• Classroom 2A: Academic Studies 1 (Early Modern)

  What is architectural history, and why does it matter? Can we use it to become better thinkers, speakers, writers and designers? This module examines whether architectural history can help us develop critical and interchangeable skills in an ever-changing world.

  Concentrating on the ‘Early Modern’ period (15th to 18th centuries), which saw the establishment of the architectural profession as we know it today, you'll explore the development of art and architecture through movements such as the Renaissance, Mannerism, Baroque, Rococo and Neo-classicism.

• Studio 2B: Communities ( Collab. 01)

  How and where shall we live? Who and what gets to decide?

  We’ll address these key themes in a series of weekly lectures and tutorials covering the aesthetic, technical, social, economic and political possibilities of evolving typologies of communal housing. We’ll also consider how to go about creating sustainable communities in the 21st century.

• Classroom 2B: Climate and Sustainability

  How can we design a building that is heated by the sun, but does not over-heat in the summer nor feel cold in the winter, has good air quality but is not draughty, and is made with materials that are non-toxic and more sustainable?

  In this module, you’ll learn how to optimise solar shading to avoid excessive solar gain, how to analyse climate data (temperature and humidity) to assess heating/cooling needs, and how to make use of the cooling/heating potential of the ground and night-time cooling.

• Studio 2C: Adaptive Re-use

  What is the role of heritage sites in regenerating communities, boosting the economy and, crucially, contributing to environmentally sustainable practices? The adaptive re-use of existing buildings plays a key role in the future of our planet and is a central concern for our region.

  In this module, you’ll learn how to combine architectural design with technological and environmental solutions. You’ll also develop the adaptation of an existing built envelope with extensions to provide a new use.

• Classroom 2C: Academic Studies 2 (Modernity)

  How has the last two hundred years of history shaped and influenced today’s built environment? What lessons does the architecture of the modern period have for contemporary design? And how has cultural and social diversity been reflected in the design of buildings and the layout of cities?

  You'll learn through a series of detailed thematic and historical investigations how specific events in architectural history have changed the way we experience the built environment. You’ll also gain an understanding of the responsibility of all architects and designers towards the societies in which they live.

Please see the course page on our website for full module details.

Year 3

The following modules are what students typically study, but this may change year to year in response to new developments and innovations:

Compulsory modules currently include the following

• Studio 3A: Urban

  How can we make our cities more liveable and sustainable? This module introduces you to some of the main ways we can improve our urban environments. You'll learn how to ‘read’ a city, identify its problems, and resolve them through original urban design strategies.

  A master planning project gives you the opportunity to design a framework for new buildings and urban spaces that merge with existing ones, responding to local requirements, character, and regulatory frameworks. You'll learn how to regenerate existing urban communities, making them more sustainable and liveable.

• Classroom 3A: Research (Collab 02)

  What are some of the key debates that have shaped the discipline of architecture over the course of the 20th and early 21st centuries? This module introduces you to key themes and relevant cultural and theoretical contexts over a wide geographic area.

  In Component Two of the Stage Two Modernity module, you’ll discover your general area of interest, and you return in the autumn term having already done preliminary reading. You’ll learn from a series of lectures which positions architectural history and theory in terms of its effects on the practice today.

• Studio 3B: Major Design Project 01

  How does the social-environmental context influence a building design brief? And how can new buildings successfully integrate with the existing built environment and improve its identity and liveability?

  In this module, you’ll learn to use social and environmental analysis to develop a complex building brief that successfully responds to the context by offering solutions to urban challenges. You’ll learn to design a new piece of architecture that responds to, adapts or retrofits and extends an existing architecture (Component 1).

• Classroom 3B: Professional Practice and Detailing 01

  What technical knowledge and skills are required to design buildings in detail, integrating technological and environmental factors, and get them built?

  You'll learn about structural design and building construction, and how to achieve conditions of thermal, visual and acoustic comfort. You’ll also explore the principles of sustainable design and be mindful of the climate emergency and fire and life safety.

  You’ll apply this knowledge to your individual design project, which serves as a case study subject. This enables you to understand how design progresses through all work stages, and how concept designs become completed buildings.

• Studio 3C: Major Design Project 02

  Are you a Part One student seeking employment in your year out, and/or trying to secure your place on a good Masters course or find other design-related study or work? Then you will need to have a fully developed and beautifully presented major design project.

  By the end of this module, you'll have created a portfolio of drawings, models and sketches that will help you market your skill when seeking work or further study opportunities.

• Classroom 3C: Professional Practice and Detailing 02

  What technical knowledge and skills are required to design buildings in detail, integrating technological and environmental factors, and get them built? How do we do this in the context of legal frameworks and procurement systems, addressing sustainability and fire and life safety?

Please see the course page on our website for full module details.

Foundation Year

The following modules are what students typically study, but this may change year to year in response to new developments and innovations.

Compulsory modules currently include the following:

• Project 1: Creative Exploration

• Project 2: Developing Specialist Practice

• Project 3: Consolidating Practice

Please see the course page on our website for full module details.

Professionally accredited courses provide industry-wide recognition of the quality of your qualification.

• Royal Institute of British Architects