Postgraduate Courses in Built Environment
"The Built Environment is rather a bland term but its scope is breathtakingly wide and has a profound impact on the life of people and communities" The study of the Built Environment, which we experience continually in our daily lives, combines the disciplines of architecture, construction and project management, environmental design and planning. The vast range of postgraduate courses in these disciplines is concerned with the future fabric of our cities and the architectural, constructional and urban issues involved. Many postgraduate courses in Built Environment are designed to address professional, industrial and consultancy activities in an international job market of growing size and importance. Read on to discover how a postgraduate course in Built Environment can benefit you.
Buildings and cities can be seen as 'patterns' of space ranging from the individual dwelling to entire cities and studies can be undertaken into the relationship between these patterns and the individuals, communities and organisations that inhabit them. For example, it is important to understand the factors and forces that are the drivers of change in the design, construction and management of the housing stock and other courses respond to changes taking place in society and explore their impact on the historic environment and its sustainability. Increasingly computation is bringing a revolution in how architecture and construction is approached, not simply as a mechanical tool for its representation, but in how it may be used to improve the design and use of buildings and structures.
The construction process is a complex one and is developed within a cross-disciplinary environment. Potential students need to develop their skills in economics and finance as applied to construction and be exposed to advanced contemporary thinking regarding the management of complex projects and enterprises together with a sound appreciation of the way that projects should best be defined, developed and delivered.
Some courses focus on the effective planning, design, management, maintenance and adaptation of building stock to serve human and organisational needs more appropriately and efficiently. In particular current critical issues of CO 2 emissions and pollution from the fossil fuel consumed by buildings and the subsequent impact on occupant health and the environment or the design of daylighting and electric lighting as an integrated part of a sustainable architecture.
Planning or related professions are an important career route either focussing on UK planning or taking an international perspective. Such courses draw theories and methodologies from social science and design disciplines and aim to develop a capacity for creative problem-solving in the planning process.
Other courses specialise in building and urban design in developing countries or European property development or urban and economic regeneration studies in the context of upgrading, regenerating, revitalising and conserving our towns, cities and habitats both here and abroad. Increasingly new architecture is characterised by a high level of invention and creativity, being directly networked into innumerable territories of art, science, technology and computing and this is best experienced as a postgraduate design-based studio course. Students may also elect to undertake higher level research degrees in subject areas such as architectural studies, building and construction management, development planning, environmental design and planning (town, country and transport).
Postgraduate courses in Built Environment encourage cross-disciplinary interaction and debate, broadening, sharing and extending your experience and allowing you to work with professionals from other industries and sectors. Some graduates go on to become innovators and leading figures in their national construction industries. Many students move into, or continue, in a building related profession such as architecture, low-energy design or building services engineering consultancy. Some are engaged in various professional activities from local and national government, consultancy firms and national and international NGOs to United Nations programmes and international aid agencies the world over. Others pursue an academic career, either through doctoral studies or through teaching and research in universities. All of them are enthused in working in an area which has such an impact on peoples’ lives. Don't delay, apply now for a postgraduate course in Built Environment and imporve your chances of having an interesting and dynamic career.
Author: Kevin Mansfield, The Bartlett School of Graduate Studies, UCL
http://www.bartlett.ucl.ac.uk/
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