About Birmingham School of Architecture
A brief history
The Birmingham School of Architecture originated in classes held at the College of Art in Margaret Street arranged by Birmingham Architectural Association towards the end of the C19th. In 1908 the School became a Department of the College.
Recognition by the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) of the (Intermediate) Part 1 Examination was granted in 1923, and of the (Final) Part 2 and (Professional Practice) Part 3 Examinations in 1930.
The principle Colleges of Higher Education in Birmingham were amalgamated in 1970 to form Birmingham Polytechnic with a Faculty Structure that grouped Architecture with Construction & Surveying, Planning, Landscape and Housing in the Faculty of the Built Environment.
University Status was granted in 1992 when the Polytechnic became the University of Central England in Birmingham (UCE). In 2001 the School of Architecture & Landscape was formed within the Faculty.
In June 2005 The Birmingham School of Architecture moved to the Birmingham Institute of Art and Design at the Gosta Green campus in the city centre. In 2007 the University changed its name to Birmingham City University. In 2008 the School celebrated its Centenary year and also announced plans to move to a new £57 million building at Eastside which it will move into in September 2013.
An introduction
The Birmingham School of Architecture is the only RIBA accredited School of Architecture in the West Midlands, and is therefore a key factor in the region. It reflects the character of the UK’s Second City, the wider West Midlands Region and its population.
The School is a mirror of the rich diversity of the region and as well as attracting students from the locale we are joined by students from all across the UK, Europe, and indeed the World. Unlike most other Schools of Architecture we also provide students already employed in practice with the opportunity to study part time, an attractive proposition that encourages students to commute to us on a one day a week basis from places as far a field as Manchester, Wales, London, and the South West. Our desire to increase opportunities for students is continued on our M.Arch programme where we have an amazing track record of transforming under-performing undergraduates into highly successful and employable Master's students.
We are renowned for our graduates being employable and despite the recession our current employability rate is 90 per cent. This success is partly due to the close links with have with numerous practices, principally locally but also further afield. We even have some of the regions top architectural practices working as Teaching Practices where students visit architectural offices for some of their tutorials.
The School is a wonderfully welcoming place, combining the seriousness of academic study with the excitement and energy of students chasing their ambitions.
Concerns …..
Philosophy
Any system of belief, values, or tenets
The School is defined by the relationship between Architecture and Landscape and ‘Urbanism” in between.
Over 50 per cent of the World’s 6 billion people are urban; by 2050 this will have passed 80 per cent. The school’s programmes explore innovative approaches to design and intervention in the urbanised field which will shape life in the 21st Century.
The School a collaborative and pro-active conduit between research and practice, driving innovative and exciting teaching agendas, resulting in an Ideas Factory of Architecture, Landscape and Urbanism. We engage in design through the scales, from Urban Design to Landscape to Architecture and beyond.
We frame our core activity of teaching by explicitly linking with a considerable number research and practice agendas. The School enjoys close relationships with RIBA West Midlands, MADE (the Midlands Architecture Centre), and Birmingham City Council, relationships that allow us to have an influence on the contemporary cultural environment of the Region.
Ethos
The distinctive character, spirit, and attitudes of a people, culture, era etc.
The School is exercised by concerns. These concerns are normally contemporary - social, cultural, geographical, political, environmental, artistic, professional, technological, and always contextual - and often informed by historical precedent.
These concerns are incredibly diverse and whether they are centred on the everyday, critical theory, or current affairs, they are real issues, albeit in hypothetical scenarios, but nevertheless, real, inspiring students to face the challenges of the world we live in.
Modus Operandi
Procedure, method of operating
We expect students to make responses to the issues they are dealing with and to construct an attitude, a position from which to address the complex but necessary synergy of social and physical context, design, and technology that should influence any design proposal. This journey of discovery takes students through identification to investigation, to response and proposition. This process is fundamental to our way of thinking.
Kevin W Singh RIBA FFB FRSA
Head of School