Home Fee Structure Top Universities That Offer Architecture in South Africa – 2023

Top Universities That Offer Architecture in South Africa – 2023

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This article contains a list of all the top universities that offer architecture in South Africa for 2023.

To the greatest surprise and the days beyond, human life has been surrounded by architectural lifestyle and it was both practiced and done by the educated and uneducated. I’m left to wonder what the world as a whole would have looked like without architectural structure.

Defining architecture, it is both the process and the product of planning, designing, and constructing buildings or other structures.

Architectural works, in the material form of buildings, are often perceived as cultural symbols and as works of art. In other words, Architecture is a creative, scientific, and technical discipline dealing with the creation of the built environment for human habitation. Architecture is a passion, a vocation, a calling as well as a science and a business.

Top Universities That Offer Architecture in South Africa - 2020

ARCHITECTURE IN SOUTH AFRICA

Perhaps you would be contemplating if architecture in South Africa has helped the business economy.

The South African architectural industry is changing so rapidly and with such speed that current business practices will be virtually unrecognizable a decade from now.

This is according to leading architectural firm SVA International, formerly known as Stauch Vorster Architects.

The company rebranded after amalgamating with engineering practice GIBB Africa, a few years back. It is no doubt that architecture has improved the business economy of South Africa, thereby providing jobs for the common man in the country and foreigners who are in the country.

WHO IS AN ARCHITECT?

Architects are likely to spend all their lives designing at the drawing board or on the PC using a computer. In addition to time spent in the office, an architect moves around between various building sites and is in constant contact with clients and the many disciplines involved in the building process. Although architects are primarily responsible for the design of buildings and their surrounding environments, the profession is evolving to include other important forms of design, including space planning, building materials, and the integration of the built and ecological environments, among others.

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Skills such as computer literacy, site supervision and project management are essential for an architect.

BENEFITS OF BEING AN ARCHITECT

Architects in South Africa, through the SA Institute of Architects, benefit through relations with international bodies such as the International Union of Architects (UIA), the Commonwealth Association of Architects (CAA), the Africa Union of Architects (AUA) and other international organizations. These associations organize their own conferences and seminars which are open to South African architects.

Career opportunities as an Architect

  • Architecture can be practiced in a variety of professional capacities:
  • Registered Professional Architects design and manage projects with the assistance of technologists and drafts persons.
  • Lecturers at universities are often registered architects and may also be in private practice.
  • Developers often include registered architects in their in-house professional teams.
  • An architect may as well decide to be self-employed by setting up an architectural business.

Without boring you with too much history and stories, below are top universities that offer Architecture in South Africa:

1. University of Cape Town School of Architecture, Planning and Geomatics

The School of Architecture, Planning & Geomatics is uniquely situated in the context of Sub Saharan Africa Universities, as it is the only one offering such a wide variety of programmes.

The School offers a range of programmes concerned with the planning and design of the environment. The disciplines represent complement one-another and create a learning environment that is rich and diverse:

Architecture is concerned with buildings and their relationship to society’s spaces and places. Some of the programs include; Landscape Architecture which is concerned with the natural environment and its interaction with human occupation.

Urban Design is concerned with the quality of larger scale-spaces and places

Planning is concerned with the design and management of change in the built and natural environment, and Conservation is concerned with built heritage and its future existence. All the programmes represented share concerns around the quality of human settlement and the natural environment.

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

University of Cape TownThe Bachelor of Architectural Studies (BAS) programme at University of Cape Town (UCT) offers a degree which provides an entry into a professional architectural programme or postgraduate programmes in the city and regional planning, urban design and landscape architecture. The degree also allows successful graduates to explore diverse career possibilities, such as construction and property economics.

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Graduate students can also apply for professional registration as a senior architectural technician.

Bachelor of Architectural Studies:

The first year of the Bachelor of Architectural Studies programme covers familiarisation with elementary design exercises and later the design of more sophisticated places, sites, buildings and complexes. Other major study topics include building technology (construction, environmental control, structures, etc.), representation (manual and digital), communication (written and verbal) and history and theory of architecture and related disciplines.

Approximately half of student time and energy is taken up by studio programmes, and many subsidiary courses or projects are closely linked. Studios at the University of Cape Town have formal lectures, informal talks and theory of design seminars.

Each student in the Bachelor of Architectural Studies programme at UCT is granted a work station in the studio. All students are required to work in the studios during Design Studio classes and may elect to work in the studios after-hours. All students must provide their own books and drawing equipment.

Bachelor of Architectural Studies Courses include

First Year:

  • Technology I
  • History &Theory of Architecture I
  • History &Theory of Architecture II
  • Academic Development Class
  • Design &Theory Studio I
  • Representation I

Second Year:

  • History &Theory of Architecture III
  • History &Theory of Architecture IV
  • Theory of Structures III
  • Theory of Structures IV
  • Technology II
  • Design &Theory Studio II
  • Representation III
  • Environment &Services II
  • Work Experience

Third Year:

  • History & Theory of Architecture V
  • History &Theory of Architecture VI
  • Theory of Structures V
  • Theory of Structures VI
  • Technology III
  • Design &Theory Studio III
  • Management Practice Law III
  • Independent Research
  • Environment &Services III

ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS

To be considered for admission to the University of Cape Town, applicants must qualify for a matriculation exemption from the Matriculation Board and must meet certain minimum faculty entry requirements. The entry requirements vary depending on which area of study the student wishes to enter.

However, candidates are asked to present a written motivation and a small prescribed portfolio (plus any other work the candidate may consider relevant).

Post Graduate Entry Requirements:

Entry to the BAS (Hons) programme is restricted to students with a Bachelor of Architectural Studies (or equivalent) degree. The minimum duration of the Bachelor of Architectural Studies (Honours) is one year of full-time study. Except with the permission of the Senate, students who register for the Bachelor of Architectural Studies (Honours) degree must register for the full years of study. The qualification introduces an honours degree within a succession of qualifications leading to a professional qualification in architecture. It is a prerequisite qualification for admission into the Master of Architecture.

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2. University of Johannesburg Faculty of Art, Design and Architecture

Recognized as the country’s second strongest brand, UJ offers world-class, internationally recognized academic programmes based on curricula informed by cutting-edge developments in both undergraduate and postgraduate education, and that are designed to prepare students for the world of work.

FADA houses all the creative disciplines under one roof and with this, we maintain a strong focus on sustainability and relevance and engage actively with the dynamism, creativity and diversity of Johannesburg and the rest of the world. With the eight creative disciplines at FADA, Architecture, Interior Design, Industrial Design, Multimedia Design, Fashion Design, Graphic Design, Visual Art and Jewelery Design.

3. University Of Kwazulu Natal Discipline Of Architecture, Planning &Housing

The Information Services Division (ISD) of UKZN libraries strives to provide proactive information and research support services to all students, staff and members of the broader University community.

4. University Of Witwatersrand School Of Architecture And Planning

The Bachelor of Architectural Studies (BAS) programme is a three-year, full-time course of study offering a gateway to a potentially diverse field of professional career paths, both within the architectural discipline and beyond.

Due to the integration of courses and emphasis on coordinated application of skills, part-time studies are not available, although in exceptional circumstances it may be possible to spread some years of study over more than one year, with appropriate planning and approval by the degree convenor.

The BAS degree, followed by a minimum of 12 months experience in practice, may open eligibility for the one-year Bachelor of Architectural Studies with Honours degree, which itself may open eligibility for the 1-year Master of Architecture professional (MArch [Prof]) degree.

The complete suite of professional degrees in architecture (BAS, BAS [Hons], MArch [Prof]) are validated nationally by the South African Council for the Architectural Profession (SACAP), and internationally by the Commonwealth Association of Architects.

5. University Of Nelson Mandela

The Nelson Mandela University Department of Architecture critically engages with the making of humane architecture. The Departments M Arch (Professional) graduates are able to register as full professional Architects and have a history of high achievement in the architectural profession nationally and internationally.

6. University Of Pretoria

Through internationally accredited programmes and a commitment to innovation, the school promotes a sustainable and prospering South African society. In the Department of Architecture, research and teaching in the postgraduate programmes are narrowed to these Research Fields:

  • Environmental Potential
    • The balance between human development needs and the environmental potential to serve or provide for these needs.
  • Heritage And Cultural Landscapes
    •  Understanding and analysis of the ecology of the cultural environment with application in the design of the built environment. Solutions focus on appropriate building form and space referenced to the legal heritage frameworks and current best practice.
  • Human Settlements And Urbanism
    • An investigation into the current socio-spatial conditions of urban environments that are influenced by economic migration, political redress and environmental distress. Engagement with communities of interest contributes to a participatory research process.

Planning to study architecture in South Africa? With any of the schools in this article, you’re covered.

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