Architecture A levels & Requirements/Aptitude?

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I’m posting this on behalf of dd2 currently in year 10. And I’m generally looking for advice from anyone with experience or knowledge. She’s expected to do well in her GCSEs and attends a very academic school. Good at Art and Maths and has always been highly creative and interested in design from a very young age. Also very astute and I suspect would be very good in business.
She’s not sure what she wants to do and her school is very much into professional jobs based on Maths and Sciences. I’ve been thinking about Architecture for her but know absolutely nothing about it. Would she be the right sort of person for a career in this?

Material other than glass and steel would be welcome too..

God yes!

Kernob: thanks for your support! ;DH says architects do the cartoons and the engineer does the hard work to make the building stand up! However the architects we know are talented but not at structural engineering!

I notice a number of universities are combining architecture and environmental engineering and that might be of interest to your DD but you would need to look at course outcomes and entry qualifications required. Biology might put this in reach though.

As for Physics GCSE: good news: neither Sheffield, Manchester or Nottingham require it. Just keep looking and you will find Architecture Departments are quite flexible about what they want. Some ask for specific GCSEs (Maths English and sciences) and some are fairly clear about A levels and combinations they don’t like! What she is proposing to study sounds fine to me!

One relative is a structural engineer and an architect. I’ve not met another though!

Dd starts an architecture degree in sept. She had 5 unconditional offers.

She did product design, biology and geography for her A levels. She got an A in her physics gcse iirc, maybe a B. She got a C in her Art gcse, 6 in maths and an A in graphic design.

She loves creative projects. Her art is mediocre but she is/was excellent st at graphic design/product design.

As before mum of Architecture student just about to finish BA and start journey of Part 1 architecture

A levels English Lit .....helps him write projects, schemes, be literate!
Geography.....obviously helps understand built environment topography etc etc
Product Design....helps with building models, spacial awareness, developing a project from initial idea to eventual design

( you obviously need the ability to draw as well..but he didn't do Art gcse or A level) He also didn't have Physics as a sepeate subject at gcse think he did the science combined gcse (bilogy physics chemistry in one gcse...he got an A)

As Bubbles says Architects design the building to the clients requirements etc and then it's up to the far more scientifically and mathematical structural engineers to try to make it stand up!!

Universities are looking for creativity and sometimes off the wall ideas in the portfolio rather than any interest in science per say.
They are looking for someone who can envisage the space and how people will use the space......Architecture is about people and place and how the building interacts with the current environment whiilst showing innovation.

Its a very hard course as your ideas are constantly being challenged and critiqued and in the end you are more than likely only going to be designing your new local Asda

Creativity is the key Art or Product design are the key.....biology if she really likes but it won't be at all relevant in her application I'm afraid
But from attending open days they really don't care what GCSE or A levels you have but portfolio is important and any work experience and we also went to London and did some of their day courses at RIBA

Yes the portfolio is the major thing. Dd had to have interviews for every uni and take her portfolio. I think also any extra curricular stuff which demonstrates a passion. Dd attends a Sorrell foundation art club every week, has done for years. So was able to talk about that in her PS and interviews.

Whether or not you need History of Art and Physics depends rather on whether your goal as an architect is to design your local car park or supermarket or to work on more elevated projects. A lot of «architecture» is really just buildings.

UCL have a track record in the UK for leading on interdisciplinary programmes. They do have a qualification that appears to combine engineering and architectural design from their schools of architecture and engineering. Not any information though on what qualification this leads to.

www.ucl.ac.uk/bartlett/environmental-design/programmes/engineering-and-architectural-design-meng

MariaNovella trainee architects could have the goal of working on more elevated projects but my impression that as this is a fiercely competitve area that ambition is equivalent to a drama student saying they want to be a film star.

Sure, sendsummer, but some drama students go to RADA and some go their local former poly and, as we all know, relevant preparation for the course and career you are aiming towards is, while no guarantee of a brilliant career, a pretty good idea

There does seem to be a lot of competition in architecture - I meet loads of architects in my work.

I find the engineers have a more interesting job - the future really is reality modelling and photogrammetry, but it’s very maths based I’d say.

Where are you based - maybe try to get along to a workshop or seminar on the subject and see what it’s all about? I know of some coming up in June/July around the UK (may be very technical but interesting nonetheless).

The UCL course is, at the moment not accredited by anyone. They are seeking RIBA, and IStructE plus several others. 4 years covering architecture and structural engineering would be a stretch so I would think the institutions would want to make sure there is enough of both! Obviously this situation will change but it appears to be MEng so I would imagine Maths and Physics would be needed. Their web site is down regarding qualifications but they are pushing this degree as a very demanding course.

DH did Civil and Structural Engineering at university - so car parks included in civil engineering!

The comments about aiming high are rather stupid really. There are lots of factors that determine where you work and what projects interest you. DH has made a great deal of money by owning a consultancy business. He’s never worked on a major project but has had a very productive company and made way more money than most employed engineers or architects, even in the major consultancies. You never know what the future holds and where your interests and connections will take you. He doesn’t have a great degree classification but skills in other areas are important for success. He aimed high in his terms - making his own decisions, being the architect of his own destiny and making loads of money!

The comments about aiming high I guess are really warning against assuming that you will be creating amazing buildings rather than designing car parks (which I do find interesting) and walls! I guess it’s like student actors hoping to play James Bind but ending up doing kids theatre in local libraries.

As we said at college ‘you leave thinking you are going to conquer the world but end up on local newspapers laying out the obits’.

All absolutely necessary stuff but it’s always best to know the scope of jobs in any occupation.

New courses that combine architecture and engineering are, as I said upthread, the direction of travel internationally. That’s why, if one has the luxury of thinking ahead, it is a good idea to cover all bases.

If the oPs DD is struggling with Physics, Structural Engineering will not be possible and who cares about what other countries do?! Most people work here or work abroad but with UK qualifications. What evidence is there a multi disciplinary degrees being world leading? Who has them?

Remember the Italian bridge that collapsed recently. Designed by an architect who thought he was also a structural engineer. Look what happened. A total disaster. It’s not a way forward. If anything, combining disciplines should not be acceptable. It’s sheer arrogance and an attempt at cost saving but could have dire consequences.

As I said, the UCL course is MEng and that tells you all you need to know. It’s really Engineering!

Who cares about what other countries do?

Professions do not exist in a vacuum (despite what Brexiters would fondly believe).

The projects I come across at work have people and companies working there from all over the world. Relatives of mine travel internationally to work of projects.

If she wants to be an architect then be an architect.

And the bridge in Italy - I’d look carefully at the contractors who built it and the materials specifies Vs the materials used. Cutting corners is a recipe for disaster.

The chances of working on more interesting projects improve very considerably if you are well qualified by international standards. Architecture and engineering are highly mobile professions offering lots of opportunity.

Sorry to be negative here but architecture is a tough profession. Jobs are scarce and not very well paid as margins in the industry are slim. It is totally at the risk of a recession.

I must admit, that makes me nervous. Job prospects.

Part of me thinks she should have done graphic design.

God no not that!

The building industry is always going to be very turbulent at times of economic uncertainty. It always has been. Lots of projects get put on hold and architects and those associated suffer.

I didn’t mean GB stayed as an island and didn’t embrace others. Not remotely that or that our qualified people could not work abroad, but we Charter a lot of overseas engineers here and are qualifications are top class. We don’t need to dilute them to follow trends that might not be the best professional route. It would certainly mean architects needed maths and physics to be successful and that just won’t happen.

As for the bridge - I think you will find other bridges designed by this Architect also have faults. They are not all in Italy. It will be a design fault exacerbated by poor materials (Mafia controlled) and lack of maintenance. But definitely a design fault.

Maybe someone who wasn’t specialised tried their hand at doing the bridge. I know my dad specialised in specific types of structures.