School of Architecture: Honours Bachelor of Architectural Studies

The Honours Bachelor of Architectural Studies (BAS) 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 (BAS) degree are arranged in five main thematic groups:

1. Design: The practice of design and the understanding of its theories and methods.
2. Visual and Digital Media: The use of creative and analytical tools and techniques. 
3. Cultural History and Theory: The understanding of cultural and historical forces shaping the built world.
4. Technology and Environment: The understanding of materials and methods, building technologies, and environmental issues and systems critical to the making of architecture.
5. Urbanism and Landscape: An introduction to urbanism and landscape and the organization of 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 aesthetic issues of architectural conception, and progressively establish expertise and understanding.

The projects range from fundamental design studies of building elements to large-scale architectural 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, design, theory, technology, environment, and urban issues are integrated into a major individual project - the comprehensive building design project and technical report.

Visual and Digital Media

The visual and digital media sequence acts as a support for the design studio, introducing multiple methods of visualization that act as communicative, analytical, and generative tools for architecture. These courses build aptitude and understanding in the use of architectural tools and techniques, from hand-drawing and drafting in two dimensions to advanced three-dimensional digital modelling, visualization, and fabrication. At the upper levels of the curriculum and within elective coursework this focus area introduces a range of courses in traditional visual media, as well as, an expanded series of digital offerings in areas such as parametric design, rapid prototyping using computer-aided design/computer-aided manufacturing (CAD/CAM) technologies, and interaction.

Cultural History and Theory

Technology and Environment

The study of the technical aspects of building and design begins with a series of courses that provide students with an understanding of the materials and methods of building construction, structural design and analysis, and environmental issues and their impact on design. Within this sequence students learn not only about the technologies of buildings and their material systems and assemblies, but also about architecture’s essential relationship with its environmental context, as they are introduced to important topics such as sustainability, building energy, and environmental assessment systems such as Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED TM). Upper-level electives in this sequence give students the opportunity to engage in design-build projects and offer coursework in such areas as materials, advanced structural systems, alternative energy systems, and ecological design among others.

Urbanism and Landscape

Professional Practice

Students gain invaluable architectural professional experience through the co-op program which integrates two years of alternating paid work terms into the pre-professional course of study. Through co-op, Waterloo Architecture students expand their professional education and opportunities as they apply their knowledge and skills within architectural firms all over the world.

Professional Accreditation

The Canadian Architectural Accreditation Board Visiting Team reviewed the professional program in 2011, including the Honours Bachelor of Architectural Studies and Master of Architecture degrees. The team report was presented to the full Certification Board in June 2011. The Board granted the maximum six-year term of accreditation. The program was deemed to have met all 37 academic performance criteria. The Canadian Architectural Accreditation Board (CACB) accreditation allows University of Waterloo Architecture graduates to directly enter the process of professional licensure in Canada and the United States.

The provincial architectural associations in Canada require that an individual intending to become an architect hold a professional degree in architecture accredited and/or certified by the Canadian Architectural Certification Board. Two types of degrees are accredited by the Board. The first is the Bachelor of Architecture which currently requires a minimum of five years of study (except in Quebec where four years of professional studies follows two years of Quebec Collège d'enseignement général et professionnel (CEGEP) studies). The second is the Master of Architecture which currently requires a minimum of three years of study following an unrelated bachelor's degree or two years following a related bachelor's degree. These professional degrees are structured to educate those who aspire to registration and licensure to practice as architects.

Three- and four-year degrees, even when included in reviews of the professional programs, are not accredited by the CACB. These degrees are useful to those seeking a foundation in the field of architecture, as preparation for either continued education in a professional degree program or for other professional studies or employment options in fields related to architecture.

Graduates wishing to proceed to professional registration in Ontario should contact The Registrar, Ontario Association of Architects, for information regarding the work experience and other requirements.

Non-Architecture Students

Students not enrolled in the Architecture program may take any architectural course listed in the recommended core program (depending on availability of space) with the exception of courses in the theme area of Design. Prerequisites indicated in the course descriptions are primarily for Architecture students. For non-Architecture students, prerequisite evaluation must be carried out by the respective instructors. Please contact the course instructor or the undergraduate officer for Architecture if you are interested in taking any Architecture courses.

Requirements for the Degree of Honours Bachelor of Architectural Studies

(Pre-Professional Architecture)

Architecture Electives

The Architecture Elective requirement gives students breadth of study and opportunities for research at the upper levels of the pre-professional program in relation to four curricular areas: Cultural History and Theory (ARCH 540), Technology and Environment (ARCH 570), Visual and Digital Media (ARCH 510), and Urbanism and Landscape (ARCH 520). Four Architecture electives must be taken over the course of the BAS program. A minimum of two electives in the 4A term will be taken as ARCH 400-level Cultural History electives offered in Rome, or as alternate Architecture upper-level electives. A minimum of two electives will be taken from the 500-level series in the third and fourth years (3A, 3B, 4A, 4B) of the BAS program.

Open Electives

The Open Elective requirement gives students some breadth of studies related to their role as educated professionals in society. Two electives from any discipline must be completed to satisfy the Architecture Open Elective requirement. These courses can be taken in any semester in the second to fourth years (2B, 3A, 3B, 4A, 4B) of the BAS program.