Architecture
Architecture is the art and discipline of designing buildings and spaces that serve human needs while engaging with aesthetic, cultural, historical, and environmental dimensions of the built environment. Architects conceive, plan, and oversee the construction of structures that people inhabit, work in, worship in, and move through, and the quality of their decisions shapes how people experience the physical world over decades and generations. The discipline demands both creative imagination and technical rigor, the ability to think spatially and visually alongside a thorough understanding of structural systems, materials, environmental performance, and construction processes.
At London South Bank University, this three-year BA programme is validated by the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA), providing the first of three steps towards becoming a qualified architect. This means the programme is formally recognised within the professional pathway to architectural registration in the UK. You will develop design skills through studio-based projects, exploring the creative and spatial dimensions of architectural thinking, alongside the technical knowledge of construction, structures, and environmental design that makes those ideas buildable.
The programme also engages with architectural history, theory, and the social and cultural contexts in which buildings are made.
The programme includes a foundation year, providing additional preparation before the main degree begins, and a year abroad, giving you the opportunity to encounter different architectural traditions, urban contexts, and design cultures.
On completing the BA, many graduates proceed to Part 2 study (typically an MArch) and then a period of practical training before registering as architects with the Architects Registration Board. Others enter roles as architectural assistants, technologists, or urban designers while continuing their professional development. Postgraduate study leading to Part 2 qualification is the standard route for those wishing to qualify as fully registered architects.