Top Architecture Schools in the UK 2015

Architecture Lists, Coffee Break

Top Architecture Schools in the UK: According to QS World University Rankings, an institution which observes over 800 universities, there is a new top of architecture schools in the UK. We are presenting it and inviting you to check out their websites, while highlighting the factors which our team considers make each school unique, based on the architectural approach suggested by the teaching staff.

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What are The Top Architecture Schools in the UK?

1. The Bartlett School of Architecture | UCL

The Bartlett has become a “go to” source when trying to find new architectural styles. The famous Architecture Research Group have heavily impacted the school trend and the Bartlett is now famous for the interdisciplinary project approach, which guarantees new and unconventional mannerism in architecture. The Bartlett also hosts a multitude of workshops, which propose out-of-school activities in order to better students from various other universities as well. If you are a fan of digital research and ultra-contemporary design, the Bartlett is a sure choice for you.

Courtesy of Sara Shafiei

2. Architectural Association School of Architecture

Although not included in the formal ranking from QS World University Rankings , we rank the AA in the same category as the Barlett, much like the 2014 Domus has categorized them. The AA is one the most unique architectural schools in the world. From the basic studios, which emphasize material research, new digital approaches and unconventional themes, to the more famous studios such as the AA – DRL (Architectural Association Design Research Laboratory), which is the ultimate trend setter design speaking, the AA is for sure the best school if you want to spread your wings as an architecture student and go beyond conventional architectural paradigms. Additionally, the AA Workshops and Visiting Workshops throughout the world are definitely the best choices to learn new form finding techniques.

Courtesy of Ruohong Wu

3. Cambridge University

With a long-standing tradition in Architecture, the Cambridge University focuses on something contemporary architects tend to forget as an important factor in design: urban contextualization. Paired with emphasis on sustainable building, manual labor and digital research, the Cambridge University offers a versatile and complete methodology.

Courtesy of Isabel Perry

4. Welsh School of Architecture – Cardiff University

An university which emphasizes the importance of research and innovation, Cardiff University is a highly ambitious school which strives to constantly remain one of UK’s best universities. Dedicated to sustainable design and pushing its students to exchange schools and travel, Cardiff offers a complete experience.

Courtesy of Simon James

5. University of Salford

A school focusing on the importance of researching through hands-on techniques, this schools emphasizes the importance of studio work by making it half of the assigned work.

Courtesy of University of Salford

6. University of Sheffield

Architects are nowadays faced with the question: can you become a household name in this area if you are not a good entrepreneur? Possibly, but it is highly difficult. This is why the University of Sheffield proposes, alongside traditional architectural courses, to teach its students political, social, and business classes, which architects rarely learn early on. This offers its students obvious advantages in front of other graduates, and enables them to become self-sufficient instead of being dependent on big architecture firms to create a name for themselves.

Courtesy of Sheffield University

7. Oxford Brookes University

A school with years of tradition, the School of Architecture at Oxford Brookes University “combines poetics and materiality to achieve excellence in design”, focusing on the personal development of each student and pushing forward existing paradigms in architectural teaching.The school combines various multidisciplinary courses with studio work, in order for its student to have a wide range of activities, and also offers a multitude of spaces for manual work, owning many makerspace-type locations.

Courtesy of Chris Yah Chen Shen

8. Newcastle University

What makes Newcastle University’s approach unique? Their exclusive inside towards the built environment and the great preoccupation towards the future – their architectural ideology is to always build with the future generations in mind. While it has a healthy balance between practical and theoretical, it also heavily inclined towards social aspects.

Courtesy of John Beattie

9. The University of Nottingham

A school that combines engineering with architecture, the University of Nottingham strives to offer its students a more practical vision towards design, focusing on sustainable elements and implementing them into contemporary architecture.

Courtesy of Ben Stanforth

10. University of Bath

One of the biggest advantages the University of Bath offers is the possibility of placement in practice throughout the entire study-period. The students are also encouraged to enroll in the Erasmus program, in order to gain international experience.

Courtesy of Frances Muir, Botanica Anima

11. University of Edinburgh

Up to a certain point, the University of Edinburgh may seem like every other architecture school in the world. However, the best feature it offers consists in the tutorials – alongside the design studio and lectures, it offers tutorials, which are organized in small groups of students with individual tutors, and the students are required to have read about the subject in the tutorial before attending it.

Courtesy of Chris Lewis

12. University of Liverpool

A school with a very wide range of programmes (over 400), the University of Liverpool holds unique specialist opportunities, in fields like autonomous building systems or climate change risk mitigation. Recommend for architecture students who wish to have a more conceptual approach towards their projects.