BA and MArch Technical Studies

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YEAR ONE, TWO, THREE, FOUR AND FIVE

Tutors: Pete Silver, Will McLean, Scott Batty, Chris Leung, Alison McLellan & Andrew Whiting

Scott Batty is a sole practitioner architect, teaches technical studies across degree and MArch, and coordinates the second-year degree Technical Studies programme – including The Site Diary, Environmental Design Study and Technical Design Study assignments. 

Chris Leung is an architect and associate professor at The Bartlett (UCL). Chris tutors environmental design and fabrication strategy for final year degree and MArch students. 

Will McLean writes and publishes about the technology of architecture. He is a co-editor of Construction History: International Journal of the Construction History Society and, with Pete Silver,  he has recently co-authored Environmental Design Sourcebook: Innovative design ideas for a sustainable built environment (RIBA Publishing). McLean teaches Technical Studies to BA, MArch and PhD, and organises the visiting lecture programme. 

Alison McLellan established Form_art architects in 2004 having worked for over a decade in London and Berlin, with architects Stirling Wilford & Associates (Michael Wilford & Partners) and Stanton Williams. She provides technical tutorial support for second and third year students. 

Pete Silver is a practising architect, and former building contractor. Pete has taught at the Architectural Association, The Bartlett (UCL) and the Royal College of Art and he has co-authored five books with Will McLean. The 3rd edition of Introduction to Architectural Technology, has just been published by Laurence King. 

Andrew Whiting is the director of HÛT Architecture, and has a particular interest in education and practice. He teaches at Degree and MArch level, providing technical tutorial and mentoring support. He is also a RIBA Awards judge, and RIBA Part III Professional examiner. 

Technical Studies

The technical studies teaching in the School of Architecture + Cities at the University of Westminster has been designed as a linear progression from first year Undergraduate through to final year MArch. For each year of study a lecture series underpins the structure of the teaching. In first year undergraduate, a fourteen week lecture series is delivered by Pete Silver that sets out an approach to the structure, form, material and environmental principles that constitute the ‘technologies’ of the built environment. In second year undergraduate. Scott Batty runs the unique Site Diary assignment that affords students their first experience of a construction site. During the first semester Will McLean organises the Thursday evening ‘open’ lecture series, which highlights new technological developments in the fields of architecture, engineering and environmental design. 

To see the map of Site Diary projects over the years, please follow the link below:

https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/viewer?ll=51.52118680080609%2C-0.1398499552192778&z=13&mid=103EpezG-SIuIxWu3LHam6uFo7Tw

And here is the compilation of some of the best projects from 2020-2021:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1DPVDpRaJRuBxv65wV52znjJ8RUsJx_ZB/view

We have embedded different types of teaching input and feedback in the BA and MArch courses, which include lectures, seminars, tutorials and the Friday afternoon consultant sessions, where visiting specialists provide technical expertise for our final year BA Architecture and MArch students (online this year). This specialist input (as in practice) helps to focus the work of the student in regards to structural clarity, visual comprehension and environmental sustainability. This year we have embedded the UoW Sustainability design principles in years two and three of the Degree and we have completely renewed the Undergraduate lecture series to reflect the environmental design focus, emphasis on embodied energy and online delivery due to Covid-19. 

Guest Lecturers and Visiting Consultants:

Kristofer Adelaide (KA-A), Jan Balbaligo (Natural Builder), Paul Bavister (Flanagan Lawrence), Henry Burling (Morph Structures), Marc Exley (Morph Structures), Fotis Grammatikopoulos, Tim Greater (Tim Greatrex Architects), Cath Hassell (ech2o), Dave Heeley (Morph Structures), Thomas Hesslenberg (Elliot Wood), Sophie Hicks (Sophie Hicks Architects), Ollie Houchell (UCL), Who Ito (UoW), Thom Kilvert (Hopkins Architects), Aleksandra Kravchenko (TAK Architecture/Design), Martin Liepman (SOM), Greg Lomas (Foster Lomas Architects), Balveer Manika (UoW), Nick Newman (Studio Bark), Laura Nice (UoW), Mick Pearce (Mick Pearce Architects), Ben Pollock (UoW), David Rayment (Morph Structures), Ehab Said (Biohm), Eleana Savvidi (Morph Structures), Ian Seabrook (Laing O’Rourke), Andrew Waugh (Waugh Thistleton), Chris Williamson (Weston Williamson + Partners), Christopher Wollaston (SOM), Jingxian Ye (EPFL Lausanne)

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