Course description
MA / PGDip / PGCert
The beginning of the 21st century is witness to a variety of cultural and environmental developments that require urgent responses from those involved in the regeneration and sustainable development of the inherited built environment of the world. The combined processes of globalisation, environmental change, population growth and technological development have resulted in an increasingly dynamic and inter-related world in which concerns about the loss of cultural heritage and identity, the depletion of natural resources and the impacts of climate change continue to grow. Amid calls for the design of culturally and environmentally sustainable architecture, the challenge for professionals involved in the rehabilitation, regeneration and sustainable development of inherited built environments around the world is to respond to this ever-changing context in a critical, dynamic and creative way.
The MA in International Architectural Regeneration and Development has been established in the belief that the regeneration and development of the inherited built environment, including vernacular architecture, is an essential component of sustainable development. Promoting an interdisciplinary approach that combines critical thinking and analysis with creative design, the programme draws on two established areas of expertise at Oxford Brookes University: international vernacular architecture studies and architecture in regeneration.
Course content
The course is offered at three levels: as a postgraduate certificate, a postgraduate diploma and a master's degree. Normally candidates enrol for the master's degree, but it is possible to enrol directly on the PGCert or PGDip, either on recommendation from the admissions tutor or as an exit point from the MA.
In total, 180 credits are required to complete the MA in International Architectural Regeneration and Development. These are divided into two parts: 120 credits must be successfully completed to qualify for the postgraduate diploma. Research methods seminars and the dissertation itself account for a further 60 credits required to achieve the MA. During Semesters 1 and 2 all MA students take the core modules amounting to 90 credits and choose options amounting to 30 credits.
For the PGCert 60 credits are needed.
Core modules:
Vernacular Architecture, Culture and Environment This module provides an introduction to the anthropology of architecture and the field of international vernacular architecture studies. Drawing upon examples of vernacular building traditions from around the world, it seeks to analyse the dynamic interaction between architecture, social structure, cultural behaviour and the natural environment.
Applications in Regeneration A lecture and seminar programme that introduces students to the principles that underlie sustainable regeneration and the key players involved in the process, from planning and management through to evaluation. Applications of regeneration will be examined through practical case studies and interdisciplinary participatory projects.
Regeneration and Development Project A studio-based module developing design and project management skills to solve problems in adapting the inherited built environment to new and viable uses, including designing new interventions within a historic or vernacular context.
Globalisation, Environment and Development This module provides a critical examination of globalisation processes, global environmental problems and their relationship with the development process. Issues around global systems theory, industrialisation, trade, debt, aid, transport, communications, food, agriculture and the environment are reviewed.
Optional Modules:
Development and Urbanisation This module is concerned with the problems of development and of cities and inter-urban issues. The module provides the theoretical and analytical base for the specialisation and introduces themes, policy issues and processes which will be further examined in more detail and in different contexts in other modules of the specialisation.
Vernacular Architecture, Sustainability and Development Exploring the inter-relation of cultural processes and building traditions, this module examines how contemporary phenomena such as globalisation, tourism, resources depletion, conservation, population displacement and technology transfer have an impact on the nature and transmission of vernacular building traditions. Conversely, it discusses how vernacular knowledge may actively contribute to the development of sustainable built environments.
Urban Design Theory I and II These are lecture- and seminar-based modules in which students are introduced to the theoretical concepts underpinning current urban design practice approaches. The module includes the history and theory of urban design, the introduction of design approaches such as responsive environments, and urban morphology. Students are made aware of how urban form is produced and consumed and of the political and economic context of development.
Tourism Interpretation This module examines the role of interpretation and the interpretative process as a tool in managing the visitor experience in tourist places. The module explores the origins of interpretation, its application in different settings, moral and philosophical arguments, popular misunderstandings as well as the mechanics of interpretation, standards of presentation and design, and electronic media.
Independent study Candidates with research experience or with substantial practice and field experience may select a predominantly research or practice-oriented route to the MA through the Independent Study option. Independent study could include literature reviews in preparation for dissertation work, reflecting on the outcomes and successes of already implemented projects, or work in progress.
Sustainable Design in Context Through multicultural and interdisciplinary team-based learning, this module addresses the variety of cultural, social, technical and environmental factors that bear on the practice of architecture in context. The module deals with the concept of reconciling regional identity and tradition with contemporary needs in building design and performance, relating to the impact of technological change and social transformation arising from globalisation, climate change and other factors.
Other compulsory modules for the MA are:
Research Methods This module encourages students to develop the skills needed in the research of environmental problems, including the formulation of research problems and methodology, data collection and analysis.
Dissertation/Design Project A dissertation or a major design project, supported by a project report, is a compulsory element of the MA programme. This component provides students with the opportunity to develop and apply research and design skills in a specific area of regeneration or development. The course is international in focus and throughout the course references and visits to international contexts are made. A field trip is organised each year to look at international examples of regeneration or development projects. The international body of students on the course are encouraged to reflect on and present experiences from their countries. The MA course culminates in the dissertation,/design project, giving students the opportunity to develop and apply research skills in a specific area of architectural regeneration and development.
Teaching, learning and assessment
The aim of the course is to provide students with the knowledge and tools that will enable them to recognise the potential of, and contribute creatively to, the appropriate and sustainable regeneration and development of the inherited built environment, including vernacular architecture. The course will help you develop a critical awareness of the cultural embodiment of the inherited built environment and associated regeneration and development processes, and will give the design ideas, skills and tools that are necessary to propose and implement innovative yet culturally sensitive and environmentally sustainable interventions.
Teaching methods include a combination of lectures and seminars, design studios, workshops and group discussions, field study and master classes. You will be assessed on your project work and presentation, other seminar presentations, written assignments and coursework. MA students are also assessed on a subject presentation, literature review and thesis.
Quality
In the last national Research Assessment Exercise built environment subjects at Oxford Brookes scored 4 out of 5*.
Teaching staff on the course include Dr Aylin Orbasli, Dr Marcel Vellinga, Professor Paul Oliver MBE (winner of the Sir Bannister Fletcher Award and the IASTE Lifetime Achievement Award), Dr Rod Burgess and Geoffrey Randell. The programme tutors all have established reputations in their respective fields of interest (architectural conservation and regeneration, vernacular architecture, development practice) and have considerable international experience in practice and as visiting lecturers at educational institutions around the world. They bring this experience into the programme by means of their teaching and links with a variety of key agencies and development organisations, both locally and internationally. The programme tutors are all closely associated with the International Vernacular Architecture Unit and the Cities Unit of the Oxford Institute for Sustainable Development.
In addition to the course tutors, visiting scholars with established international academic reputations will provide master classes on related subject areas.
