Architects organize spaces within and about buildings. They determine the shape a total building will take and how it is to be built. They design, at a large scale, with an awareness of the demands of society. They design in detail with attention to the needs and aspirations of individuals and groups. They show understanding of structural technique, construction detail, and the sound use of materials. They determine the way in which the building will be built and supervise the construction process.
Architecture is a vast spread of concerns about people and their surroundings, their history, cultures, resources, disciplines, and contradictions. The School's primary concern is the development of design skills in architecture, and it stresses awareness of cultural background and existing environment.
The Academic Program in Architecture is intended to prepare the student to become an architect capable of practice within contemporary professional constraints and capable, too, of adaptation to a changing profession and to the society it serves.
Two Academic Programs of study make up the five years of architectural studies: an Honours, four-year Bachelor of Architectural Studies degree followed by a nominal one-year professional Program of study for the Master of Architecture degree. The Honours Bachelor of Architectural Studies Academic Program is on the Co-operative system, which consists of alternating periods of academic study and practical work experience.