Curriculum
As a student of the bachelor's degree programme in Architecture, Urbanism and Building Sciences, you work on cross-domain design projects every other quarter of your studies. You will have design guidance two half-days a week. Your weekly programme furthermore consists of lecturesand a laboratory course. During practical sessions, you carry out research assignments and write academic papers.
Study schedule
De bachelor’s degree programme takes three years (180 credit points) to complete, and consists of six semesters. Five of those have a fixed programme, and one is free of choice (the minor).
Curriculumstructure BSc Bouwkunde
The semesters are divided into two quarters. A quarter consists of two or three ‘modules’, for example one design project module and one academic skills module. This way, you are not working on ten subjects at the same time, but can focus on two or three modules per quarter.
All study components are part of one of six learning trajectories, which form basis of the programme.
- Design (6 modules of 10 credit points each)
- Technology (5 times 5 credit points)
- Fundamentals (4 times 5 credit points)
- Society, practice and process (3 times 5 credit points)
- Academic skills (3 times 5 credit points)
- Representation, visualisation and form (3 times 5 credit points).
You conclude your studies with a semester focusing on the integration of disciplines. The first quarter is about area (re)development, urban design, spatial planning and real estate. In the second quarter you design a public building with specific emphasis on architecture, building technology and sustainability. Additionally you develop a series of academic papers elaborating and underpinning the public building design project and process.
-
The learning trajectory of Design (60 ECTS) is the biggest learning trajectory, and consists of 6 design projects of 10 ECTS each. Learning is best done through plenty of practice. The assignments get more complex and challenging: from a small building to a design of a city or public space, from collective spaces to area development. The projects cover design assignments on architecture, building technology, urbanism, and landscape architecture. You present your designs, amongst others, by means of architectural drawings, scale models, and computer simulations. You will acquire the necessary skills to do so as part of the learning trajectory ‘Representation, Visualisation and Form’.
The learning trajectory ‘Design’ consists of the following 10 ECTS projects:
1. House and Settlement in the Landscape
2. Design and Engineering
3. City and Public Space
4. Dwelling and Dwelling Environment
5. Area (Re)Development
6. Building and Technology -
The learning trajectory of Technology (25 ECTS) focuses on the technical side of architecture & the built environment. You acquire basic knowledge of construction design, applied mechanics, climate design, support structures and materials.
You need this knowledge to meet the requirements regarding usability, safety, comfort, climate and sustainability of a building, its details, and its environment. You apply your acquired knowledge in small exercises of analysis and design, and (big) design projects in the learning trajectory of Design.
The learning trajectory ‘Technology’ consists of the following modules of 5 ECTS:
1. Technical scientific fundaments I
2. Materialization and construction
3. Technical scientific fundaments II
4. Construction and klimate design
5. Dwelling technology -
Why does the built environment surrounding us look the way that it does, and what are its fundamental principles of design? The learning trajectory of Fundamentals (20 ECTS) gives you a structured overview and insight regarding the history of architecture, urbanism and landscape architecture. Central to the modules are 160 canonic projects, which illustrate the principles of spatial design.
For this module, you will attend lectures, practice analysis during lab sessions and you will go on a study trip to a European metropolitan area.
The learning trajectory consists of the following modules of 5 ECTS each:
1. Programme and space: home and garden
2. Public space and the public building
3. Housing, building and surroundings
4. The European metropolis -
Architects do more than merely drawing and designing. The learning trajectory ‘Society, Practice and Process’ (15 ECTS) introduces you to the life cycle of the built environment, which is divided in the phases: initiative and programme, preparation and construction, and management and re-development. This learning trajectory commences in the second year of the studies. You learn to establish a programme of requirements, and learn about the important phases of the continuing cycle of the building process and assess the different perspectives, actors and strategies of re-development projects.
The learning trajectory ‘Society, practice and process’ consists of the following modules of 5 ECTS:
1. Planning and programme
2. Design and construction management
3. Management, planning and (re)development -
The learning trajectory (15 ECTS) focuses on the ins and outs of architecture and the built environment as a scientific discipline. You will address questions such as:
- What is knowledge and what is science?
- What kind of scientific discipline is architecture and the built environment?
- What is architectural design?
- What is architectural research?
- What is an architectural (project) analysis?
- How do we encounter this in the degree programme’s different design modules?
The first year offers training in basic academic skills, such as academic writing, argumentation, conducting a literature review, debating, doing research, evaluation, and reflection. You will also gain a better understanding of the methods and techniques of architectural design and research. This helps you evaluate the design and design processes of the Design learning trajectory. In the second year, you will focus on empirical research and statistics. You will conclude the Bachelor's degree programme by writing a series of academic papers reflecting on the design project Building and Technology.
The learning trajectory ‘Academic skills’ consists of the following 5 ECTS modules:
1. Architecture and the built environment as scientific discipline
2. Empirical research project
3. Design reflection -
As an architect, you must be able to explain your plans to other stakeholders well. This learning trajectory (15 ECTS) teaches you how to do so on both a 2D and 3D level. You make hand drawings and technical drawings, engage with form studies, and create scale models, digital models and simulations.
The learning trajectory ‘Representation, visualisation and form’ consists of the following 5 ECTS modules:
1. Space and form
2. Structure and detail
3. Performative design computation
In the first year, you develop a scientific work attitude and way of thinking. You are introduced to architecture and the built environment as a scientific discipline. Amongst others, you learn the basic principles of: technology, mechanics, construction and supporting structures, climate design, history and fundamental concepts of architecture and the built environment. You learn to design and make hand drawings, scale models, and digital drawings. The design projects are focused on the scale of the building and its environment: House and Settlement in the Landscape and Design and Engineering.
In the second year, the built environment as a broader entity is emphasised. You notice that the design projects and the Fundamentals modules touch upon more spatial levels and become more complex: the design project City and Public Space focuses on the scale of streets, parks, squares and their interconnectivity. The design project Dwelling and Dwelling Environment focuses on the transformation of existing residential areas.
The modules Society, Process and Practice 1 and 2 concern construction management and the construction process. The modules Technology 4 and 5 focus on the integration of different technical aspects. In the module Academic Skills 2, you examine residents’ preferences through empirical research. The learning trajectory Representation, Visualisation and Form 3 prepares students to design and evaluate design decisions in a digital 3D environment.
The third year starts with a self-composed minor, which can be filled with electives from the same or another degree programme. Central to the final semester of the bachelor’s degree programme is the integration of the different fields of study. The first quarter focuses on area development, spatial planning and real estate management. Through role play, you develop a common vision and strategy regarding an urban redevelopment task. In the second quarter, you design a complex public building, such as a museum, and you pay extra attention to the interconnectivity of architecture, construction engineering and sustainability. Simultaneously you’ll have the module Academic Skills 3 Design Reflection, in which you explain, evaluate and position your design choices in Design 6.
The Faculty of Architecture and the Built Environment offers a variety of minors: Archineering, Neighbourhood of the Future - Green Blue Cities, House of the Future, Heritage & Design, Under the Sky - Experiencing Landscape Architecture, Spaces of Display; Retail and Exhibition Design, Spatial Computing in Architectural Design and Architecture Presentation - 'Visions Reviewed'.
Binding recommendation
TU Delft employs the BSA system: the binding recommendation on the continuation of studies. This means that you must obtain at least 75 per cent of your credits (i.e. 45 of the 60 ECTS) in your first year in order to continue your programme. If you receive a negative binding recommendation on the continuation of studies, you will not be permitted to enroll in this programme again in the next 4 years.