• Offered for Year: 2024/25

• Module Leader(s): Dr John Kamara
• Lecturer: Mr Peter Churchill

• Owning School: Architecture, Planning & Landscape
• Teaching Location: Newcastle City Campus

Semesters

Your programme is made up of credits, the total differs on programme to programme.

Aims

•To develop a greater understanding of professionalism, the ethics of being a professional, and the architect’s obligation to the wider world, to society, clients, and the profession, in relation to the procurement of buildings, environmental sustainability and climate change, and fire and life safety design.
•To increase students' knowledge and understanding of the procurement of buildings within the legal framework and processes that underpin such activities.
•To develop an awareness of the responsibilities and liabilities of the architect which arise in administering building contracts and other situations during the exercise of their professional duties and judgement.
•To develop an understanding of regulations, codes, procedures and documentation required in the proper performance of an architect's duties.
•To develop the professional skills and competencies necessary to undertake all the duties and obligations of an architect

Outline Of Syllabus

This module covers Section PC1 (Professionalism), Section PC3 (Legal framework and processes), and Section PC5 (Building procurement) of the ARB (Architects Registration Board) syllabus; relevant aspects of ARB Guidance on Environmental Sustainability and Fire and Life Safety Design; and relevant aspects of the RIBA (Royal Institute of British Architects) Themes and Values for Education at Part 3 (e.g., Architecture for Social Purpose, Sustainable Architecture; Health, safety, and wellbeing; Legal, regulatory, and statutory compliance; Inclusive environments; Building conservation and heritage; Procurement and contracts; Design, construction, and technology).

Teaching Methods

Teaching Activities

Teaching Rationale And Relationship

All students taking this module (as part of the Pg Diploma in Architectural Practice and Management – 3360P) work in industry and much of their learning (employer-based learning) takes place within that context. Scheduled learning activities will be organised mostly as block teaching over two days in February and one day in April/May, except for the drop-in/surgeries which will be scheduled over the course of the Semester to suit the individual needs of students. Delivery of scheduled learning activities will primarily be in person. However, since all students are working in practice and much of the teaching is delivered by external staff, a combination of in-person (PIP) and synchronous online delivery will be considered. But all PIP activities could easily be switched to synchronous online delivery should this become necessary.

All structured activities (learning and teaching and guided learning) are designed to introduce and update students about the concepts and issues covered in the syllabus (small group teaching), and scaffold their learning both before and after lectures (lecture materials). The workshop activities are designed to assist students to contextualise their learning in simulated real-life scenarios, and these will be supplemented by structured non-synchronous discusses (to encourage peer-to-peer learning) and the drop-in sessions, which will be organised individually and in groups. The guided independent study activities will allow students to frame and reflect on their workplace learning in line with the learning outcomes for the module.

Assessment Methods

The format of resits will be determined by the Board of Examiners

Exams

Other Assessment

Assessment Rationale And Relationship

The oral group presentations will allow students to practice (online) group (collaborative) working skills and explore an aspect of the learning outcomes of the module (e.g., developing proposals for the delivery of a project in response to a specific brief from a client, researching specific aspects of the learning outcomes and presenting to others, etc.) that will help them acquire and apply knowledge to real-life practical problems. It will also allow students, who are otherwise dispersed in different offices and locations within and outside Newcastle, to better connect with each other, and develop a basis for better peer support and learning. Where students are prevented from participating in group work due to unforeseen circumstances, an alternative and comparable form of assessment (e.g., individual presentation or written submission) will be used to assess this aspect of the learning outcomes.

The 3500-word report will be prepared in response to a scenario that reflects the realities of architectural practice. The scenario will be set (and the reports assessed) by professional examiners and will be issued to students at least four weeks before submission. It will require students to respond to the range of issues as would be typical in the procurement of buildings and the legal framework and processes under which architects operate. This will therefore be a good opportunity to test students’ understanding, knowledge and ability to apply theoretical knowledge to the practice of architecture, as well as assess their communication, business and critical thinking skills. THIS COMPONENT OF THE MODULE MUST BE PASSED TO PASS THE WHOLE MODULE.

Reading Lists

• ARC7069's Reading List

Timetable

• Timetable Website: www.ncl.ac.uk/timetable/
• ARC7069's Timetable