There are more to architecture than just drawing, as most people don't realise. Having good drawing skills doesn't necessarily make you a good architect. There are many elements which have to be taken into account before a design can be produced. This includes ample knowledge on history, science of construction, concepts and environmental issues. There are also the legal and professional aspects to which an architect has to be aware of in order to carry out his/her responsibility as the creator of the capitol.
Why?
On a personal testimony, no other course gives me the kind of satisfaction Architecture does. Which couse would give you the opportunity to do live drawings, field trips to construction yards, build models, turning imagination into reality just with a pen and paper, etc. Architecture is one of the very few subjects that uses both sides of the brain. The use of art assimilated into the applications of science. Just like being a medieval man, having the ability to do everything. Photographic and computing skills are also gained as added bonuses.
What?
Architecture (building), the practice of building design and its resulting products; customary usage refers only to those designs and structures that are culturally significant. Architecture is to building as literature is to the printed word. Vitruvius, a 1st-century bc Roman, wrote encyclopedically about architecture, and the English poet Sir Henry Wotton was quoting him in his charmingly phrased dictum: "Well building hath three conditions: Commoditie, Firmenes, and Delight." More prosaically, one would say today that architecture must satisfy its intended uses, must be technically sound, and must convey aesthetic meaning. But the best buildings are often so well constructed that they outlast their original use. They then survive not only as beautiful objects, but as documents of the history of cultures, achievements in architecture that testify to the nature of the society that produced them. These achievements are never wholly the work of individuals. Architecture is a social art.
Architectural form is inevitably influenced by the technologies applied, but building technology is conservative and knowledge about it is cumulative. Precast concrete, for instance, has not rendered brick obsolete. Although design and construction have become highly sophisticated and are often computer directed, this complex apparatus rests on preindustrial traditions inherited from millennia during which most structures were lived in by the people who erected them. The technical demands on building remain the elemental ones—to exclude enemies, to circumvent gravity, and to avoid discomforts caused by an excess of heat or cold or by the intrusion of rain, wind, or vermin. This is no trivial assignment even with the best modern technology.
The Program
The Architecture program in the University of Melbourne consists of five years of full-time study and a year of practical work experience in the architecture field. Students initially enrol in the three-year full-time Bachelor of Planning and Design (Architecture). (It is the pre-professional degree leading to entry into the Bachelor of Architecture. Upon completing the Bachelor of Planning and Design (Architecture)), students who wish to pursue a career in architecture are required to undertake a minimum of 26 weeks of approved work experience before enrolling in the two-year full-time Bachelor of Architecture course.
The course is taught through design workshops, lectures, tutorials and seminars. For example, students have an opportunity to work on real–life problems related to designing buildings proposed by a local council or a developer, such as designing a fire station or a community sports centre. In design workshops, students are taught by professionals who currently work in the industry. Students create models and drawings of buildings that are displayed for assessment.
Architectural Design and Practice is a studio–based program that deals with the principles, methods and the process of design and involves model–making and graphic communication skills.
Communications and computer studies concentrate on oral, written, graphical and computing techniques which include the use of CAD (Computer Aided Design).
Construction Technology is the study of building structures and construction with an emphasis on the technical understanding of construction practices, structural design and building materials.
Environment–related subjects involve site visits, and studio and laboratory work to study the environmental impact of architecture and urban design.
Students who undertake the Bachelor of Planning and Design (Architecture) complete studies in a range of architectural history subjects such as Australian architecture, Asian architecture, European architecture and modern architecture. They can also take electives in landscape architecture, urban planning, and property and construction.
Bachelor of Planning and Design (Architecture)
The Bachelor of Planning and Design (Architecture) is a pre-professional course which provides the academic basis for entry into the Bachelor of Architecture. This degree is design-oriented with emphasis also on architectural history, construction technology and architectural practice.
First Year
Semester 1
702-101 Architecture Design 1A
I suck in this. They introduce design concepts like surface, box and field spaces (they are not what they mean). We had to make models to explore all these concepts every week with a final presentation on each space at the end of the 4th week. It's fun to make models, but not when you have to make them every week. This is also the subject that requires you to go out into the city and waste lots of money on films and developing it. No other way to be a photographer. I got 62 (P) in this subject.
702-120 Design Communications 1A
My best and favourite subject. Although Gerald acts a little gay, he's a fantastic tutor. I aced in almost all my drawings. There are some technical skills involved when using instruments like the T-square and set-square. Lots of care have to be taken to produce clean drawings which can boost your grade. There are live drawing sessions where we draw nude men and women with charcoal. The idea was that since we are designing buildings for human beings, we have to be able to capture the proportions of the human body right. There are also computer sessions which deals with using graphic applications such as Photoshop to present a design. It was a little expected that I obtained 82 (H1) for this.
702-137 Construction Techonology 1A
The science of the art. This is just like Physics and Specialist Maths put together. Most of which was taught in this subject I had learnt during my days in Trinity. There's a Materials component where we studied the properties and uses of different kinds of materials in construction. We have to build either a clothes horse or planter as assessment. I must've done just fairly in the test with only 71 (H2B).
702-102 City In History
Can't escape from memorizing the books here. It's History. We delved on the history of a city, building, differentiating genres of design and building elements. It's boring. That's what History is. Since the lectures were always after lunch, I had to fight the urge to fall asleep in the theater. The only thing that kept me awake were the anecdotes from the lecturer. I knew I screwed up the test, so 63 (P) isn't that bad.
Semester 2
702-103 Architecture Design 1B
My tutor is hot! Just a bit old for me. lol. I know for sure that I won't fall asleep in this class. She liked my work so far and even put a note in my diary, commenting that I used it as a good design tool. I was hoping that it was her contact number....anyway, I was glad I got 80 (H1) for this subject.
702-121 Design Communications 1B
It's still my favourite subject, although I admit I slacked a lot this sem. A bit surprised that I managed 80 (H1) for this.
702-138 Construction Techonology 1B
What a headache. Too much work. The drawings, the site visits, the site diary, the model, the written exam. All for just 74 (H2B). A little disappointing
702-131 Europeon Architecture A
Miles Lewis is gay. Speaks like a machine gun and wears a red bowtie in class. Plus, he deducts marks for wrong answers in the visual exam. Dick! Did really badly. 58 (P). Worse that last sem.
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