The Honours Bachelor of Architectural Studies degree provides the foundation of skills, knowledge, judgment and practical experience required for subsequent professional studies in architecture. Though the Academic Program is pre-professional, it is fully dedicated to imparting to students the culture and practice of design. Design is a synthetic activity. To do it well and serve the needs of the individual and society requires an extremely broad education. Students acquire an understanding of the workings of society and culture, of the principles of physics, of materials and techniques of construction, of the human interaction with the natural and built environment, of historical process, of critical thought and of the diverse forms of creative expression.
Theme Areas
Courses in the Honours Bachelor of Architectural Studies degree, are arranged in four main thematic groups:
- Design: The practice of design and the understanding of its theories and methods.
- Culture: The understanding of cultural forces in the creative world.
- Technology: The understanding of technological and practical aspects of design and construction.
- Environment: The understanding of environmental issues in natural and human ecologies.
Design
The design courses are the primary focus of Architecture and are informed both directly and indirectly by the knowledge and skills developed in the other theme areas. Design courses are conducted in the form of studios in which students undertake a series of directed design projects, aimed to illustrate and engage practical, theoretical and artistic issues of architectural conception, and progressively establish expertise and understanding.
The projects range from fundamental design studies of building elements to large-scale complexes, in exercises which include individual and multiple habitation, design in natural and built environments, development of building programs, studies of principal building types, and urban design. In the final term, theory and design are integrated into a major individual project - the comprehensive building design project and technical report.
Culture
Cultural history is a unique element of Architecture at Waterloo. The courses are concerned with the human imagination and the forms through which it expresses itself. In class students read and write a great deal. They are exposed to works of history, philosophy, literature and the other arts. Architecture is thus conceived as a form of cultural expression and the creative activity of all students takes place against a background of broad humanistic study. The Academic Program fosters critical, discursive and expressive abilities that are essential to the quality of the School and its graduates.
Technology
The study of the technical aspects of building and design begins with courses in statics, strength of materials, building construction and computer applications in architecture. These establish a basis for the main sequence of courses in building materials and methods, structural design, the mechanics of environmental control and computing.
Environment
Architecture has an essential relationship with its context, and can never avoid being part of a larger reality. Understanding these situations, in both the natural and built environment, is a necessary and important part of architectural design. This theme area addresses such questions that include an introduction to sustainable building, landscape and energy-efficient building, environmental assessment systems such as LEED TM, passive design, acoustics, carbon emissions, daylighting, studies of settlement patterns and the nature of cities.