3. First cycle : Bachelor’s degree

First cycle : Bachelor’s degree

The aim of the Bachelor’s in Architecture is to prepare students for the Master’s course, with the Bachelor’s degree being the condition of access.

From the first year, students are immersed in the chosen option of the field of their studies: Architecture.

The main specific feature of the architecture courses is the Architecture Project, which incorporates social and cultural values, eliciting an emotional response from its users, while also meeting the functional, structural and aesthetic needs of different programmes. The learning outcomes are consistent with the “Paysage” decree (decree of 7th November 2013 defining the structure of higher education and the academic organisation of studies) and the competency framework which formulate the general objectives of the curriculum.

The different learning outcomes to be achieved are directly linked to the professional skills required for a career in architecture. This is why the course focuses on building knowledge and developing skills through various learning activities, ranging from technical to aesthetic to sociological activities.

Learning about architecture involves solving various targeted exercises and working on projects of increasing complexity throughout the “Architectural Design and Urban Planning” course in the first cycle. The learning objectives are defined to cover the different fields of the practice of architecture, both in its conceptual dimension and material reality.

The Bachelor’s in Architecture (180 credits) is based on a common core curriculum dedicated to the study of habitats and the concept of living. The exercises of the Architecture Project are designed to help the students develop a project and interpret a programme and its constraints (physical environment, orientation, functional and dimensional requirements, technical requirements, and aesthetic choices), as well as develop an architectural culture and learn the fundamental concepts of architecture necessary for creativity and personal style. Students also have to integrate the theoretical knowledge acquired in their various courses, demonstrating their ability to synthesise information. They will learn how to ask questions and develop graphical and referential research skills. This process is supported by the search for a balance between an intuitive and rational approach in order to sharpen their critical thinking through argumentation, as well as self-criticism, which is necessary in a reflexive approach. The synthesis exercises in all three blocks (end-of-year projects) are presented orally and assessed by the board (faculty members and professionals in the discipline).

The cycle is common to all students and is broken down as follows:

Targeted exercises on the spatial creation of living spaces. These exercises are central to block 1 and teach students the basic notions of architecture: spatial representation techniques, reference study and analysis, and experimentation in existing spaces. This learning involves mastering the various graphic tools specific to the discipline (conventions and 2D-3D representation methods), mastering instruments, using study models and sketches as experimentation tools for space research, and the integration of parameters related to the dimensional requirements of the human body. These exercises also cover the foundations of metalanguage acquisition specific to the discipline (e.g.symmetry, asymmetry, balance, contrast, span, frame, axis, etc.). This course finishes at the end of the year with a creative and personal project on the theme of designing a small home on a given site.

Team:

  • Dominique Cazzaro – Architect – Associate Professor – Workshop Coordinator
  • Etienne Godimus – Architect – Associate Professor
  • Giuseppe Bonasera – Architect – Teaching Collaborator
  • Chaimaa Seddiki – Architect – Assistant Under Mandate – PhD student
  • Thomas Van Holm – Architect – Teaching Collaborator
  • Thierry Derumier – Architect – Teaching Collaborator
  • Mohamed-Anis Gallas – Architect – Associate Professor – Contributor

Architectural projects related to single-family housing (residential house with a professional space, apartments for artists with showrooms and workshops, grouped dwellings, etc.), on an open or urban site. These exercises cover concepts such as limits, open/closed spaces, pathways, balance, harmony, and rhythm, among others, and are supplemented by a personal research project and an analysis of references. The aim of the exercises in block 2 is to consolidate the knowledge acquired in block 1, particularly regarding spatial research, the development of architectural discourse, and digital drawing. These exercises are characterised by increasingly complex projects, so that the students can adapt to real urban contexts, understand spaces and contexts, and master the tools and scales.

Team:

  • Isabelle Bourguignon – Architect – Senior Research and Teaching Associate – Workshop Coordinator
  • Michel Duquaine – Architect – Teaching Collaborator
  • Roberto Capoccia – Architect – Senior Research and Teaching Associate
  • Isabelle De Smet – Architect – Assistant Under Mandate – PhD student
  • Fabrice Sobczak – Architect – Teaching Collaborator
  • Nathalie Abrassart – Architect – Senior Research and Teaching Associate

Architectural projects related to the themes of grouped and/or collective housing (public or private housing) and their variations (student residences, hotels, youth hostels, etc.) in open sites or urban sites. The aim of these exercises is to consolidate all knowledge acquired in the previous blocks and to provoke reflection on the relevance of new urban, suburban and rural models. As such, current issues of density, socio-economic components, management of common spaces, accessibility, mobility, economy of resources and soil, and the relationship between public and private spaces when creating shared spaces affording a good quality of life and privacy are all considered. These exercises will help students to understand the concept of territory from a landscape point of view, and the necessary relationships between the sociological and cultural contexts of the environment studied with the initiated project. To this end, a cross-disciplinary and interdisciplinary approach is adopted, throughout the “Urban Planning III”, “History and Landscape Theory” and “Habitat Sociology” courses, in preparation for the final year dissertation. Students will be able to reflect on, and demonstrate, that all components of architecture are interactive and inseparable when accomplishing a project.

Team:

  • Dominique Gluck – Architect – Associate Professor – Workshop Coordinator
  • Frank Verspeelt – Architect – Senior Research and Teaching Associate
  • Pascal Petit – Architect – Senior Research and Teaching Associate
  • Henri Henin – Architect – Teaching Collaborator
  • Lydia Bollen – Architect – Associate Professor