q about Architecture

cinnamon

I am studying Interior Architecture and would like to see the difference in this and an Architecture course. Can an Architecture student please tell me exactly what you learn in the course? Thank you very much.

The course is taught by architects.
I have just finished 1st year, and this is what we undertook for the year:

Interior Design Projects - 4 projects throughout the year
1st project - Visual Anaysis of 3 commercial buidings: an art gallery, a pub/cafe and a retail unit. 3 weeks duration and analysing the space and form of the interiors using media of our choice
2nd project - Student capsule - we had to design a house to fit between the gap of 2 buildings (1.2 m wide). The client was ourselves. (4-5 week duration)
3rd project - Architect's Atelier - we had to research an architect and design a house for them using 4 shipping containers. We also had to pick a site and do a site profile. (8 weeks duration)
4th project - Diner at the end of the galaxy. We were each given a piece of music and a shape (cube, sphere, truncated cone, cylinder) and had to design a diner based on this piece of music. We had to research all the aspects of commercial designing, ergonomics, etc. (6-8 weeks duration)

The projects required a lot of drawings

Graphic Communications - 50% technical drawing, 50% AutoCAD
Model-making
Design Theory
Cultural Studies - history of arch
Maths - maths and applied maths
Technology - Building Construction
IT - waste of time, office applications, internet, some programming

It's a really time-consuming course. We are in the studio til 10 most nights. I find my weekends are also full of project work and research.
And it's not an easy course just because it's in an IT (not DIT), there is a high drop out rate and the tutors are quite selective about who they let into 2nd year.

tba

Dman I try to check here every now and then for these type of posts sorry about the delay.

Architecture is very similar, time wise project wise, but has a greater emphasis on technical elements such as building construction and buildability getting more into that area as the course progresses.

Hop its note too late

cinnamon

hi thanks for the post. Are you an architecture student? If so and it's not too much trouble could you give me some idea of what kind of projects you do?

And also thanks for not looking down on the course.

eDIT: just read your profile and you're an architect so ignore the student question!

tba

I know quite a few interior architects who have gone on to to architecture, as I have said the core elements are very simliar.

Architecture tries to cover all the fields of building design to a degree, from Structures to interiors however with less depth put into the extremes of the specturm.

In first year graphics are often looked on as important as well as fundamentals of simple design, example projects would be to design a small space to fufill a certin role, be it study, yoga room, party room.

As the first year progesses you would find youself looking a multiple rooms and finally a simple building most likely a house.

As you can see this starts off very like your own course but takes on a different route, moving away from pure concept towards more realised ideas.

The technical aspects are always being taughtin the background but not applied untill the fundamentals are laid.

As the course progresses through the years more complex multi layered and larger buildings and spaces are expected. These required you to look at internal, external, materials, structure, planning, urban issues all to a greater degree of clarity.

I will throw out some sample projects from my years there.

First Dune dwelling, a house on a beach, this was more about the house looking like it fitted on the beach and working well interally, than about fitting in with other building (as there was none)

SecondJass club, this was a large night club in a urban setting and required us to look at seperating out public/private spaces as well as keeping the building looking proper in the city.

Third Irish embassy in Porto, this was a fun project as it was on a cliff face and required us to technically work out how it wouldn't fall down, again a complex private/public building.

Fourth A new Abbey theatre, this was a massive building and required complex designs in the auditorium to ensure the actors could be heard

Fifth is your thesis year you get to choose the project so go wild, I picked a museum.

This is just building types though, your first year in the course will be very simliar to what you have just done moving more towards the Student capsule project and getting more complex as you advance.

One thing I will say is that from your previous experience you will be in an advantage as you will be used to the system that is in place, stuido work, long hours and crits. Its a good course and very enjoyable

Good luck in your decision, I assume you are aware of the three courses, DIT, UCD and LIT? Dont discount Queens in the north if you can afford it..

jozi

tba wrote:

Dman I try to check here every now and then for these type of posts sorry about the delay.

Architecture is very similar, time wise project wise, but has a greater emphasis on technical elements such as building construction and buildability getting more into that area as the course progresses.

Hop its note too late

I'm not doing Architecture, doing Architectural Technology. I know some 1st year architects and from what ive seen they do very very basic construction related stuff, foundations, lintels, joists etc. Mostly so basic that we covered it in our course within the 1st few weeks.

Judging from the other projects ive seen them do, incl some 3rd year stuff, they mostly focus on designing building, layout and looks more so that how its going to be builth.

I'm quite technically minded and love my course however i dont think i would be suited to doing architecture. To me it seems to involve to much artistic stuff that im not terribly good at. Most, if not all, other Technology students will agree with me on that.

EDIT: OP date is kinda old and this is prob a irelevant reply at this stage with the results and course acceptance due soon...

cinnamon

jozi wrote:

I'm not doing Architecture, doing Architectural Technology. I know some 1st year architects and from what ive seen they do very very basic construction related stuff, foundations, lintels, joists etc. Mostly so basic that we covered it in our course within the 1st few weeks.

Judging from the other projects ive seen them do, incl some 3rd year stuff, they mostly focus on designing building, layout and looks more so that how its going to be builth.

I'm quite technically minded and love my course however i dont think i would be suited to doing architecture. To me it seems to involve to much artistic stuff that im not terribly good at. Most, if not all, other Technology students will agree with me on that.

EDIT: OP date is kinda old and this is prob a irelevant reply at this stage with the results and course acceptance due soon...

no, not at all - not thinking of doing architecture for a while yet - goin to finish my course first. Thanks for the reply

tba - thanks a million for all the information - you've been very helpful

Mellor

As TBA said, "Architecture tries to cover all the fields of building design to a degree, from Structures to interiors however with less depth put into the extremes of the specturm."

Probably the best i've heard discription of how architecture is taught.
Interior architecture furthers into the inside of a building.
And architectural technology goes into the construction and buildability.

They all have similar subjects, some even identical.

One large advantage DIT has over other courses is the fact that courses are taught along side each other. Gives the student a better understanding of each subject.