BSc ARCHITECTURE AND ENVIRONMENTAL DESIGN
Climate Change is one of today’s most pressing issues and, in the past decade, global policies and research institutions have acknowledged the urgency of addressing it through higher education.
The BSc AED offers students a combined architecture and environmental design education at undergraduate level to form a new generation of architects who are both environmentally aware and able to quantify the environmental impact of their design.
The BSc AED engages climate change and design practice with an emphasis on physical ecologies of building, numeracy and computation, as well as the wider principles of social sustainability. Over three years, BSc AED students are equipped with knowledge and skills in predicting and assessing building performance from both qualitative and quantitative perspectives, learning both the poetic and scientific aspects of the design process.
In the first year, BSc AED students share the design studios with the BArch programme to acquire basic architectural design knowledge, observational and drawing skills through design projects and study trips. An evidence-informed design approach is introduced through lectures, hands-on workshops, group seminars, and individual study sessions.
In second year, through four design briefs, second year BSc AED students explore the urban dimension by investigating social, economic, and building related environmental and energy issues. The four briefs are written in collaboration with Technical Studies to ensure that students acquire an understanding of digital environmental simulations at different scales and learn to develop environmental design strategies based on an evidence-based approach to design.
The third year is structured around the Final Thesis Project; a research by design studio investigating innovative forms of performative architecture, negotiating social and environmental dynamics. Three separate modules allow students to enrich their projects by studying the relation between the geometry, the material system, and the performances of their architectural proposals.
With the return of teaching on campus, students were able to participate in different interdisciplinary activities. The BSc AED students worked alongside Imperial College medics to redesign Healthcare Spaces for the NHS. During Climate Action Week, our students collaborated with other design courses for the realisation of a Material Reuse Station, an initiative designed to promote climate literacy in the University. Finally, following the successful application to the University Green Fund, students collaborated with Square Mile Farm to design and install in our campus a hydroponic wall to produce food. The project aims to raise awareness of the environmental and health benefits of growing plants and vegetables in a more sustainable way.
