Course overview

Located in the historic City of Portsmouth and the Solent region, this course provides opportunities for you to specialise in a discipline where the demand for skilled professionals is increasing. We have close links with Salisbury and Winchester Cathedrals, and the Bursledon Conservation Centre, as well as conservation organisations and universities elsewhere in Europe and in Turkey. This allows for stimulating visits and case study material.

It is ideal for both recent graduates and mature professionals who want to specialise. It will suit anyone with a passion and enthusiasm for the heritage of historic buildings and structures, and who wants to understand what:

• motivates the wish to retain them
• the economic and financial constraints and consequences of doing so
• the methods available to restore them
• how heritage can be planned and managed to best effect

The course takes place in an exciting inter-disciplinary environment, running in conjunction with programmes on urban design, interior design and sustainable architecture. 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 MSc Historic Building Conservation allows you to develop and grow your own creative practice whilst positioning yourself within a theoretical context.

Professional accreditation

The course is also professionally accredited and follows the education guidelines of the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS ), UNESCO and Council of Europe requirements. It is recognised by the Institute of Historic Building Conservation (IHBC) and covers its areas of competence. It is also accredited by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), and prepares architects and surveyors to accreditation standards (AABC and RICS Building Conservation Forum), facilitating work on English Heritage and Heritage Lottery Fund-funded projects. Students can also apply for full IHBC membership after two years of professional experience, as opposed to five years.

Course content

The course covers the following units:

Practice: This unit is mainly based on the practical aspects of the conservation, with an emphasis on raising awareness in conservation skills. It is delivered in collaboration with regional, national and internationals bodies specialising in conservation and is mainly fieldwork based, enabling you to analyse practical aspects and skills in different situations. Assessment is by means of submission of a number of different projects and reports related to practice.

Theory: This unit concentrates on the theoretical aspects of historic building conservation such as historical aspects related to built heritage and relevant legislative frameworks to ensure their protection for future generations. You will look at the international historic preservation principles based on UNESCO/ ICOMOS criteria. It is mainly classroom based with occasional field visits, and the assessment is by means of coursework.

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.

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 MSc Historic Building Conservation 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