BSc Architectural Technology Year 1 BSc Architecture

TUTORS: Sam Sam Hui (year lead) & Waj Dadabhoy

Beginning from observation to integration, Year 1 of Architectural Technology inspires students to think critically about all elements of design, and to question how we engage with and build upon the landscape.

The Wildlife Trust is a charity dedicated to the protection of wildlife, an urgent issue that is too often overlooked. As human activity continues to dominate and reshape natural environments, biodiversity and habitats are increasingly under threat.

As part of this project, students visited the Centre for Wildlife Gardening in south London. The visit offered valuable insights into wildlife gardening and encouraged students, at an early stage of their architectural education, to move beyond a purely human-centred approach. Instead, they were invited to consider the environment and the needs of wildlife as fundamental drivers of design.

Students were asked to design a small two-bedroom accommodation unit within the wildlife centre. In line with the ethos of the course, the project required close engagement with the site, responding to its character both aesthetically and technically. Through careful observation, students developed proposals that integrate wildlife, sustainability and environmental responsibility.

The academic year began with fundamental architectural training, including measured drawings of the students own homes and analytical drawing studies of buildings with strong cultural relevance to the students themselves. These early exercises established a foundation in architectural thinking, observation and representation that informed later design work.