Course overview

In today’s climate change, UK’s schools of architecture are expected to graduate students not only with conventional design skills but also with new skills in the areas of environmental sustainability and low carbon building design. This has been clearly highlighted by the HEFCE’s consultation document in 2005 presenting a vision that: “within the next ten years, the higher education sector in this country will be recognised as a major contributor to society’s efforts to achieve sustainability- through the skills and knowledge that its graduates learn and put into practice, through its own strategies and operations”. In line with this vision, this MA Sustainable Architecture course aims to train those already working in architecture, environment or planning and recent graduates who are keen to further develop their skills and knowledge in environmentally responsive design. It provides students with the opportunity to develop the skills and knowledge needed by the profession today.

The course uses the experience and skills of teaching staff with research interest in environmental sustainability, building simulation modelling, and sustainable development of historic sites and contemporary settlements. It takes place in an exciting inter-disciplinary environment, running in conjunction with programmes on historic building conservation, interior and urban design. This integration between various courses and disciplines allows students to engage in current debates about the diverse role of professionals in the development of sustainable buildings and settlements. Students on the course come from a range of backgrounds both disciplinary and culturally, and are encouraged to explore and share thoughts and ideas.

The course is ideal for recent graduates who want to specialise in sustainable architecture, as well as for architecture, environment and planning professionals who wish to build upon their passion for the design of the twenty-first century urban environment.

Course content

Core units will include:

Practice: This unit enables you to develop your knowledge of the various and multi-faceted theories relating to sustainable architecture and environments across various spectrums of interest. It also covers the principles that govern an appropriate and sustainable response to such designed environments, as well as the technologies that may be adopted and incorporated. It will address these issues and evaluate both the design theory and practice-based applied methodologies along with the analysis, evaluation and reflection of this practice in sustainable design solutions.

Theory: This unit gives you an opportunity to engage with the current debate on environmental sustainability, climate change and the value of traditional buildings which inspire a more sustainable practice. It introduces the principles of low carbon passive design strategies, as well as advanced daylight and thermal modelling techniques to assess their effectiveness in achieving an environmentally responsive design. We will encourage you to look at the architecture quality and assess the visual and thermal performance of a selected building type in different regions and climatic conditions. It aims to develop your modelling skills and apply it to a real design project.

Research Methods and Research Proposal (shared): In this unit you will develop research skills, which will aid you throughout your course and particularly in producing your thesis. You will be asked to establish a critical position within an Outline Research Proposal. You will develop techniques, which will allow them to engage proactively within their area of study. You will be encouraged to explore methods of investigation that are responsive to, as well as inquisitive of, the conditions presented and which therefore speculate around possible critical scenarios. Implicit within these explorations is the need to investigate diverse means of representation and depiction through a variety of possible media and discourse.

Integration (shared): This unit allows you to work in a multi-disciplinary context through groups within your own subject area and across the areas of interior design, urban design, sustainable architecture and historic building conservation, as well as explore the interrelationships of all disciplines.

You will need to work collectively on given projects or problems related to staff run studios, which explore a range of given themes. These themes will be introduced at the start of the course and connect to research areas within the School. There will be a group-based activity that is either subject specific or spans different areas of the disciplines as agreed by tutors.

Work-Based Learning (shared option): This unit gives you the opportunity to replace a 30-credit core unit with a work-based version of that unit. Not all units can be replaced and you will need to discuss the appropriateness of a unit with tutors.

Work-based learning requires you to engage in critical and reflective learning in the workplace. This will be developed through a learning contract, negotiated by you, your employer and School. The work undertaken in practice will be appraised through critical reflective writing that engages with the practice of the particular subject discipline and this will form the assessment artefacts. Where professional body criteria and attributes need to be evidenced, these will form the minimum requirements of the learning outcomes.

Thesis: Your thesis is a substantial research-based project that enables you to carry out an in-depth investigation into a subject area of personal interest, which is related to or developed from a theme studied during the course. The proposed research theme should have a clearly defined focus to allow for in depth theoretical, contextual and visual research.

An initial seminar programme will help you develop your research proposal, define a research question and locate suitable primary and secondary sources. You will be allocated an appropriate supervisor on the basis of this proposal, who will work with you toward the final submission. This part of the project is self-managed, with tutorial guidance provided by the allocated supervisor and additional referencing and research support provided by the faculty librarian.

Teaching and assessment

The course is lecture and studio based, culminating in a written or design-led thesis project. It will involve group work, discussion and planning of sustainable environments, as well as independent study to develop design or research-based responses to sustainable problems. Case studies and precedents will inform the process of investigation.

You will generate evidence-based sustainable design decisions and guidance, utilising analytical research methodologies and, where appropriate, computing skills. The School is also engaged in the regeneration of the region and has many connections and contacts, allowing you to test and develop ideas and potentials.

Career prospects

If you are a recent graduate or an experienced professional who would like to develop specialist skills and gain experience in a School of Architecture recognised for its pragmatic approach, practice orientation and high graduate employment rate, then this is your chance.

Our suite of Master's courses in architecture, interior, sustainable and urban design, and historic building conservation are unique in allowing opportunities for cross-disciplinary working. This experience will be of immense benefit to you in the changing workplace of the future.

Graduates will be adept in spatial practice and able to work within their discipline in design practices, architectural firms and cross-disciplinary environments, engaging in issues from the design of details to the exploration of the urban environment. However, the creative skills, professional competencies and expansive learning environment that Portsmouth provides have also led students into a range of careers in disciplines such as marketing, advertising, journalism, virtual design and modelling through to people-centred careers such as project management and even the Army.

In addition there are opportunities for further study for those who chose an academic career .

Portsmouth has an excellent reputation with regional and national employers and an excellent relationship with practice currently being further developed through the provision of CPD events

Facilities and features

Portsmouth School of Architecture is currently housed in the award-winning Portland Building, with a postgraduate centre in the Burnaby Building, which has a dedicated studio space with 24/7 secure access. This space encourages the development of a learning community and debate across a range of disciplines, where the more than 100 postgraduate students in architecture, interior design, urban design, sustainable design and historic building conservation can meet and work.

The Portland Building contains IT support, a shop that sells art and modelling materials, and a refectory providing hot and cold drinks and snacks. Immediately adjacent to the postgraduate studio is The Hub, another cafe with a wider menu.

In addition, you will have access to facilities in the Eldon Building such as excellent workshops and new equipment, including CNC milling and laser cutting machines, which have automated the production of complex models. The faculty has extensive computing, film and video facilities, as well facilities as diverse as life drawing studios and a virtual reality suite.

The University has an extensive library, containing a significant collection of architectural books, journals, magazines and online resources. These facilities combine to provide a supportive and creative learning environment.

Features

The staff team has research interests in urban research, interior research,sustainable research, conservation, history and theory, learning and teaching.

Our emerging research profile has a regional, national and international dimension, and we are currently developing collaborative projects with academic institutions in Turkey, Denmark, Morocco, Spain and Australia.

The School has a Project Office, which coordinates consultancy and projects. It is set up on the premise of  'practice through education: education through practice' and facilitates both live projects with real clients and paid employment experience.

The student community has a voice in the Portsmouth Architecture School Society (PASS) that organise an evening lecture series with seminal speakers and social events including an annual summer ball. This academic community ensures that the Portsmouth School of Architecture develops as an academic institution of significance with a global reach.

Entry requirements

The entry requirements for MA Sustainable Architecture are shown above, for more detailed information please contact:

Department: Portsmouth School of Architecture (ARCH)
Tel: +44 (0)23 9284 4475
Email: create.admissions@port.ac.uk