MArch ARCHITECTURE/PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE (ARCHITECT APPRENTICESHIP)(PT)

Building a great future

Our undergraduate and postgraduate apprenticeship programme is intended to provide the three stages of education and training, which when successfully completed, will satisfy the Architects Registration Board requirements for registration as an architect in the UK.

We'll teach you to consider structural integrity, the character and location of a site, methods of construction, value for money, design quality, impact on the environment, as well as the legal responsibilities for life safety and statutory consents. Full completion of the apprenticeship qualifies you as a Master of Architecture (MArch) and provides you with Postgraduate Diploma in Professional Practice and the professional award of RIBA Part II & III.

The architects are educated, trained, and registered professionals who plan, design, and review the construction of buildings for a client. They use their skills and knowledge to offer creative problem solving and strategic advice related to various types of building, arts, and construction projects. This includes developing building designs taking into account a range of complex issues such as structural integrity, the character and location of a site, methods of construction, value for money, design quality, impact on the environment, as well as the legal responsibilities for life safety and statutory consents.

Architects work responsibly to deliver the interests of their clients and the core requirements of cost, time, and quality for the end user.

Duration

This course is 3 years, plus 1 term part time. Apprentices usually attend university one day per week for the 15 week first semester, and one day per week for the 15 week second semester. The day in at LSBU will be communicated well in advance to enable apprentices to plan their working week in practice, and does not vary from week to week.

The full apprenticeship standard and assessment plan can be found on the Institute for Apprenticeships.

Apprenticeship Employment Guidelines
Apprenticeship Evidence Pack Guidance

NB: applicants to this course should be advised that:

• the University is in the process of seeking prescription for the level 7 apprenticeship qualifications; this will sit within the apprenticeship framework from the ARB
• prescription of this course and qualifications is based on a series of standard requirements being met and maintained
• prescription of courses and qualifications by the ARB is subject to periodic review
• the title ‘Architect’ is legally protected for those who are on the UK register of architects

Why Architecture at LSBU?

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No.1 London modern university for research intensity in Architecture (Complete University Guide 2019).

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Professional accreditation – the course is fully validated by the Royal Institute of British Architects.

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Experience - with roots in London Council School of Building (1904) and Brixton School of Building (1940), LSBU has been offering architectural education for over 100 years.

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No.2 for satisfaction with teaching in London (Guardian League Tables 2020).

Entry Level Requirements

Careers

Employability Service

Postgraduate apprenticeship as an Architect is a cost and time effective means to the second and third stages of the three stages of professional qualification. The course is for those already working in practice, and leads to the university award of Master of Architecture/Postgraduate Diploma in Professional Practice and the professional award of RIBA part 2&3; apprenticeships in architecture build on the already close relationship between schools of architecture and the professional workplace of the architect.

The MArch Architecture aims to develop apprentices’ understanding – and practical application – of the following issues:

• architects are involved globally in creating a range of buildings and spaces, which not only house people and facilitate their activities but reflect the shared beliefs and values of their societies
• the scope of architecture involves the conception, elaboration, and production of those spaces, buildings, cities, and landscapes forming the built environment
• design as the central focus of the LSBU architecture programme where this is understood primarily as a critical, reflective, and analytical cultural practice.  Design has a reciprocal relationship with areas of specialist knowledge including histories and theories of architecture, constructional and environmental technologies, and professional skills
• the value of a creative and focused education, and rigorous programme of study for apprentices from diverse backgrounds already working in practice and who wish to become professionally qualified architects
• the intellectual capacity required to think critically, and the practical skills to develop and communicate design ideas through processes of thinking, making, and designing students engage with the material, social, and environmental issues of the contemporary world, drawing inspiration from that world and the world of imagination

London South Bank University has a long established history of part time professional courses, and enjoys excellent links with all disciplines within the construction industry.  Our courses in architecture are fully validated by the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA). We have excellent studios, workshops, and AV facilities on site (including advanced digital fabrication equipment), and an architecture team who are committed to every apprentice realising their ambitions.

Learning outcomes are mapped against the requirements of the apprenticeship standard published by the Institute for Apprenticeships, which in turn reflect the 11 points of the EU Directive for Architects used for RIBA validation.  In each case, the apprentice will have knowledge and understanding of a key area, and specific skills.  There is thus an exceptionally strong professional basis for all aspects of the LSBU Architect apprenticeship.

The course is unconditionally validated by RIBA and offers the professional award of RIBA part 2 on successful completion. The regular validation cycle ensures that your work is carefully sampled by peer reviewers to ensure course content and outputs retain close relevance to professional practice.

The professional membership body, the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA), champions better buildings, communities, and the environment through architecture.

Guest lecturers

Recent guest lecturers include:

• Roz Barr (principal of Roz Barr Architects, and recipient of the 2012 AJ Retrofit Award)
• Professor David Gloster (RIBA Director of Education)
• Michael Pawlyn (project architect for the Eden Project)
• Professor Peter Salter (architect of the acclaimed Walmer Road housing scheme, and professor of architecture at the Welsh School of Architecture)
• Alex de Rijke, founding partner of dRMM, former Dean of the Royal College of Art
• Carolyn Steel (author of The Hungry City)
• Carl Turner (RIBA Manser award winner for the Slip House, Brixton)
• Mike Weinstock (Director of Research at the Architectural Association, and Director of the Emergent Technology Master of Architecture programme)