Architecture Degrees Online

Chalmers leads research in applied architecture and collaborates with a large network of stakeholders in society. The school of Architecture has a tradition of initiatives in pedagogical development in the design education, relying on well-founded experience and integrated research distinguished by:
a humanistic view of architecture
study projects based on real tasks and problems in society
contacts with users in briefing and designing
an open atmosphere between teachers and students characterised by the absence of prestige.

Programme
Through a project formula, real situations and problems are studied. This provides rich opportunities for practice in sketching, where design gradually develops more and more to address the complexity of the whole of an architectural problem. The structure is a series of courses and design projects. After an introduction you can specialise in:

Matter, space, structure
Focus on architecture “from within” as a field of knowledge with relative autonomy. Architecture is matter formed into space, where all three factors – matter, form/structure and space – are indispensable. Materials and constructions and their architectural possibilities, as well as spaces and their relations, are seen as the basic elements of architecture.

Space for Healthcare, Housing and Work
The main focus in this programme will be applied projects for buildings for healthcare, housing and work space in collaboration with real users. The work will range from an analysis of specific sites to projects aimed at architectural solutions, both new design and re-designing within the built environment. It is the only architectural programme in Sweden with a healthcare building profile.
Urban design and development

Consider how spatial organisation and design exert an influence and can be used in the development of quality and function of urban life, especially in public space. The students’ studio work is carried out in close co-operation with players in both urban regeneration and new development projects.

Chalmers is continuously developing crosslinks through collaboration between the different scientific areas and cultures that make up the university. One cross-link that is growing rapidly is between architectural design and engineering. A sustainable society in the future requires solutions and design that can only be created and improved through close co-operation between these two fields. The Master’s programme Architecture and Engineering acts as a central element and a driving force in this interchange
between disciplines and professions.

Programme
The Master’s programme consists of a common base, with architectural design projects where the search for design concepts and solutions takes place using the know-how and expertise of top researchers from different scientific environments at Chalmers. In parallel with this, advanced computational tools for simulation, modelling and visualisation are trained. Through a composition of elective courses either an architectural or engineering specialisation can be created.

Architectural tracks
Matter, space, structure
Here architecture is studied as matter formed into space and where all three factors – matter, form/structure and space – are indispensable. Materials and constructions and their architectural possibilities, as well as spaces and their relationships, are seen as the basic elements of architecture.

Sustainable building
Provide skills and methods for change situations in which design approaches are required. Students will be trained to find solutions that support sustainable development in different contexts and on different scales.

Engineering tracks
Structural design
Focus on the design of structural systems with an application to different materials. Use is made of advanced structural modelling tools based on the finite-element method. This track offers courses directed at both structural engineering and structural mechanics.

Building performance design
Involves the engineering design of indoor climate and the design and analysis of building components and building service systems in terms of performance criteria and wishes regarding architectural design.

Acoustic design
Focuses on the link between theory and practical application. This is achieved through work in small groups guided by experienced teachers and with access to purpose-designed experimental facilities.

ARCH 513 Technology I (Statics and Strength of Materials)
Three Hours: 3 Credits
This course is devoted to the development and application of the principles of static mechanics and strength of materials as they relate to the analysis of building structures. Prerequisites of physics and mathematics through college algebra are required. Prerequisite: Admission to program.

ARCH 520 Architectural Design Studio II
Twelve Hours: 6 Credits
The architecture students are introduced to a familiar environmental package of the home and adjacent landscape. The intention of the course is to teach students to design residences and communities based on an understanding of the form and structures of urban home and community prototypes. Emphasis will be placed on developing design criteria through the analysis of conditions, needs, aspirations and resources of the resident’s-environment. Attention will be given to the role of the residential neighborhoods in the city by understanding the elements that produce the satisfying urban home and residential community. Prerequisite: ARCH 510.

ARCH 521 Built Environment History II
Three Hours: 3 Credits
Building on the concepts of ARCH 511 Built Environment History I, this course is an introduction to architectural and urban design history from 1500 to 1900, with an emphasis on world architecture and the significance of multicultural architectural traditions. The development of specific built form topologies is studied, including patron residential, religious, civic structures, and urban space. Emphasis will be placed on two specific areas. The first is to identify significant architects, their theories and buildings; the second is to look at how cities evolved, adapting to new uses and styles of habitation. Prerequisite: ARCH 511.

ARCH 522 Architectural Technology II (Building Systems-Structures)
Three Hours: 3 Credits
The purposes of this course are (1) to develop the student’s skills and techniques in the design of basic elements of various wood and steel structural systems; (2) to expand their understanding of the principles and characteristics of various structural materials; and (3) to enhance his/her ability to resolve structural problems of cost, durability, space, legal restrictions, time and aesthetics. Prerequisite: ARCH 513.

ARCH 523 Architectural Technology Ill (Environmental Controls)
Three Hours: 3 Credits
The purposes of this course are to expand the students’ understanding of the nature and characteristics of various environmental systems as well as to develop their ability to make choices between systems that best resolve the problems of cost, social accommodation, operating efficiency, durability, scheduling, safety, and aesthetics. Prerequisite: ARCH 510.

ARCH 530 Architectural Design Studio III
Twelve Hours: 6 Credits
As a continuing study of an urban neighborhood, students will be introduced to commercial and/or institutional forms and their contexts. Students will explore various issues related to the programming, planning and designing of various types of commercial and institutional establishments. Emphasis will be placed on the requirements, analyzing various environmental concerns, planning considerations and jointly developing design solutions that address architectural and landscape architectural requirements. The course will be organized into a sequence of design problems. Prerequisite: ARCH 520.

ARCH 531 Built Environment History Ill
Three Hours: 3 Credits
This course covers the philosophy of modem architecture since 1910, the building styles and works by masters of modern architecture after World War II, and introduces the graduate student to divergent architectural theories that began with post-modem architecture. Emphasis is placed on individual research projects and presentations by students on a particular theory of architecture or by a particular architect during the contemporary era. Prerequisite: ARCH 521.

ARCH 532 Architectural Technology IV (Building Systems-Structures)
Three Hours: 3 Credits
This course is a continuation of Architectural Technology Ill and is designed to (1) develop students’ skills and techniques in the, design of basic elements of various concrete structural systems; (2) expand their understanding of the principles and characteristics of various structural materials; and (3) enhance their ability to resolve structural problems of cost, durability, space, legal restrictions, time and aesthetics. Prerequisite: ARCH 522.

ARCH 533 Architectural Technology V (Building Materials)
Three Hours: 3 Credits
In this course, students learn to evaluate selected sets of building materials. Additionally, students will be required to apply their analytical skills to the selections of materials for a selected project. Emphasis will be given to the relationship between design and construction. Although the analytical process to be taught can be universally applied in material selections, the focus will be on those materials and techniques commonly used in the Central Atlantic Region of the United States. The principles of specification writing and existing CSI standards are introduced and applied on specific assignments. Prerequisite: ARCH 523.

ARCH 540 Architectural Design Studio IV
Twelve Hours: 6 Credits
The intent of this studio is to explore design approaches to multi-use public facilities. Assignments and design problems will require the students to use their experiences in data collection and analysis in developing design approaches for multi-use facilities. Problem statements will be developed in concert with current needs of selected municipalities. Specific emphasis will be placed on having the students develop extensive sets of presentation documents outlining structural, environmental and spatial character of the built form(s) they create. Prerequisite: ARCH 530.

ARCH 541 Architectural Technology IV (Production Techniques)
Three Hours: 3 Credits
The main thrusts of this course are intended to acquaint the students with the principles of communicating building construction. The course will focus on an overview of how the major components of a building fit together, the rationales behind their construction, and the methods of graphically describing these concepts. Further, the course work, lectures, and laboratory experiences are intended to present as clearly as possible the implications of the choice of a particular communication tool. Specification writing is applied on assigned segments. Prerequisite: ARCH 533.

ARCH 550 Architectural Design Studio V
Twelve Hours: 6 Credits
This studio will deal with larger-scale development in the Baltimore metropolitan region. The projects will address the many facets of urban residential development, including financial, social and environmental concerns. Proposed criteria for development, land use, programming and physical built form will be dealt with on a site-specific basis. It is the intention that the site and the context of the problem force the designer to consider mixed, residential and commercial uses. The quality and standard of physical design synthesis will playa major role in determining the ultimate viability for future development. Prerequisite: ARCH 540. Co-requisite or prerequisite: ARCH 531.

ARCH 561 Architectural Practices, Law and Management
Three Hours: 3 Credits
The objective of this course is to explore the roles, relationships, and legal responsibilities of an architect. The architect’s professional interaction with consultants, owners, contractors and the various governmental authorities that regulate the building industry will be discussed. The fundamentals of professional practice and ethics, as well as various management tools will also be explored. Prerequisite: ARCH 540.

ARCH 771 Terminal Project Seminar
Three Hours: 3 Credits
The seminar will include discussions of trends in contemporary professional design. The primary intent of this effort is to assist the student’s selection of a direction for the final semester terminal thesis. A secondary objective is to compel the student to develop a design program, based on research and evaluation, for his/her terminal design in the final semester. Prerequisite: ARCH 531 and 540.

ARCH 772 Architectural Design Studio VI-Terminal Project
Twelve Hours: 6 Credits
Prerequisite: ARCH 550; Prerequisite or co-requisite ARCH 541 Tech VI.

This studio involves the conception, development and design of a comprehensive thesis project programmed in ARCH 799.185. Lectures, seminars and outside assignments as required.

ARCH 797 Thesis Guidance
Two Hours: 2 Credits

ARCH 799 Thesis Seminar
Three Hours: 3 Credits