Department of Architecture

This group aims at providing students' with design concepts and developing their creativities and skills in the design of building projects with various site context and degrees of scale and complexity through the four progressive levels of design sequence.

From the design projects, students can develop, consolidate and apply various knowledge and skills from all domains, including their critical design thinking through researches, group discussions and criticisms from lecturers and guest critics. Other than the normal teaching hours in the Architectural Design courses, students can further seek advices from lecturers or from other guest tutors in the "Studio Hours".

The four level progressive design courses gradually develops students' abilities to integrate the knowledge and skills from all other domains, and students are required to demonstrate that they have such abilities within their design project in "Integrated Architectural Design" at the final year.

While most of the design courses focus on the development of individual students' design ability, joint-year projects are introduced in Year 2 & 3. Such "Joint-Year Vertical Workshop" emphasizes on collaboration, exchange of ideas and experience sharing among different levels of students. Students can apply their interpersonal and time management skills through the group projects or through international competitions. In addition, various teaching modes and activities, such as forums, site visits and guest lectures etc., are introduced into the courses.

To facilitate seamless transitions from classroom studies to real practice, technical and professional issues, such as detailing, technical documentations, statutory control and submissions, are integrated into the design training. This will indeed strengthen students' competitiveness in the rapidly changing construction environment.

Students are required to complete at least 38 credits from this subject group. The elective courses in this subject group provide students the opportunity to enhance their design knowledge and skills.

Courses in this subject group equip our students with concepts and theories of building structures and to provide in-depth knowledge on traditional and contemporary approaches on construction method, technology, building materials and other building sciences.

With the increasing awareness regarding sustainable architectural design and its effects on the society and the people, issues on sustainability and environmental issues are also emphasized in this group, from which students can acquire knowledge in areas such as the environmental control design concepts.

The Computer Aided Architectural Design (CAAD) courses allow our students to explore various computer tools in assisting the design process and in presenting their projects in an efficient and effective way.

After taking the courses in this subject group, the students are expected to be technically competent as a professional, which is highly demanded in architectural practice nowadays.

Courses in this subject group equip students with the knowledge of architecture history and theory, from ancient to contemporary and from local to overseas. Through the precedent studies, students can effectively apply their knowledge in their design processes by understanding design cases in the past and analysing design problems in the future.

In order to strengthen students' understanding of the social context and cultural significance of architecture, history of art and philosophy as well as vernacular architecture is also covered in this subject group. Besides, students are also introduced with the wider context of architectural practice, and have an appreciation of planning and landscape as associated professional disciplines.

Through lectures, researches and visits, students are expected to develop their critical thinking skills and ability of engaging in self-directed study and research, which are beneficial in the design process and their subsequent professional study as well as career development.

The courses in the Professional Practice subject group provide knowledge on the real construction practice, such as building ordinance, project management, contract administration, cost estimation, and etc. In particular, the importance of professional conduct and ethics is emphasized to nurture our students with high regard for social responsibility and professionalism. These courses are designed with reference to the requirements of the Hong Kong Institute of Architects (HKIA), and they are highly relevant to the real practice of the ever-changing construction industries of Hong Kong and other regions.

Due to the increasing career opportunities in China after the signing of CEPA and the future mutual-recognition of registered architects with China, an Elective Course (EC), which covers the fundamental knowledge of China's building practice is provided. In order to allow students to gain experience in the real practice, summer internship is provided as an elective course. The internship scheme allow students to obtain practical working experience, from which fundamental understanding of the office organization, project administration process, roles and responsibilities of architects and other associated disciplines as well as the importance of documentations can be acquired.