i wanna be an architect!!!

hi, im 19 and currently doing sixth form
i really want to be an architect, and by that i mean, designing buildings kind of architect.
so my questions are:
how do i become a professional architect?
what courses should i take in university next year?
how long will it take?
what am i gonna face?
how do i prepare for it?
and what other things you'll be dealing with beside drawing, sketching, ideas, maths, ...?

thanks a lot

Reply 1

Oromis263

Original post by homayoun

You'll want to get as much work experience as you can, email/send letters to local architects, do some research, build a portfolio (done properly, find the suitable software, don't skimp on costs if you can, look for sites that sell it cheap, software4students.co.uk is a good place to look)

Art is something that a lot of universities like to see at some level, whether it's foundation or A-level.

Typical courses are long. 6-7 years, as you require a Masters to practise Architecture.

Apply for Architecture at University, you have to, no two ways about it as far as I know.

Other than that, yeah, keep sketching, you'll want to look into knowing a bit of physics too.

Reply 2

Claire888

Are you in year 12 now? If you are you seriously need to look up this information, look on the RIBA website as a starting point.

Basically you will need to apply for a BA/BSc in architecture it's course code is K100. It has to be on an RIBA accredited course for you to be able to become qualified. To become an accredited architect you will need to do the 3 year bachelors degree, then have a year out in practice, then 2 years back in university (full time) for a masters and then another year out in practice and then take your final exams to pass. There are 3 stages, part 1 is the degree and first year out, part 2 is the masters and part 3 is the last year and accreditation exams. It is a long haul and to be allowed to call yourself an architect you HAVE to do all of these stages, otherwise you will only ever reach technician level. On the plus side the years out are paid, but you will have to pay for the 5 years in university.

Because it is a long course and is known for being VERY hard work you will need to be prepared to work really hard, but it will be worth it in the end if it is what you want. As the person above said you will most likely need a portfolio for it which will need a variety of pieces in it, but these will depend on the universities you apply to. Work experience isn't compulsory but will help you decide if it is right for you and will look good in your personal statement as you can explain what you learnt. For most of the best UK architecture schools you will need AAA A-levels or equivalent, however this isn't always the case. Look up league tables by subject for an overview on this (however they can be biased).

Reply 3

msas1

first of all you need to enroll in a preparatory course (either extracurricular, or a foundation course after sixth form) you will need to present a wide range of skills, drawing, sculpting, model making. you can also paint, it's not obligatory, but it helps a lot. normally life drawings should form the basis of your portfolio, for which you really should take classes, without supervision it is really difficult to improve. also, you need to sketch a lot. you can draw buildings, spaces or simple croquis drawings. at the preparatory course you should have some simple architectural tasks, so that you can learn what planes, spaces, dimension, colours and lights mean, and how you can use them.
i am not from the uk, so i am not exactly sure where you can start your preparation, but the best schools in the uk are: ucl bartlett, cambridge, aa school of architecture, central saint martins, glasgow school of art and bath i think. they are really different in their approach, so you should check which fits you the best.

Reply 4

homayoun

Original post by Claire888

thanks for you reply but i have already chosen the courses on ucas for next year.
i have applied for this courses:

1-Bradford College: An Associate College of Leeds Metropolitan University (B60)
Construction (002K)

2-The University of Huddersfield (H60)
Architectural Technology (GK41)

3-Hull College (H73)
Interior Architectural Design (W252)

4-Leeds Metropolitan University (L27)
Architectural Technology (K130)

5-Leeds College of Art (L28)
Art and Design (Interdisciplinary) (WW12)

these are some pics prom my final piece (which is not finished yet ) if you care to have a look:

http://img838.imageshack.us/img838/662/imag0247u.jpg

http://img807.imageshack.us/img807/5114/imag0245h.jpg

http://img684.imageshack.us/img684/7206/imag0271a.jpg

im actually in year 13, and unfortunately i have only been in uk for less than three years so i dont speak english that well, so what do you suggest i should do??

thanks a lot

Reply 5

Claire888

Original post by homayoun

Well as I said before unless you do the architecture bachelors you CAN'T become a qualified architect. You will be able to design things but you won't have the qualification to design a whole building. Obviously you have applied to lots of different courses, all of which you will be trained to do different things to do with design, but usually on a smaller scale than architects.

If you do actually want to become an architect you will have to get on the K100 course, possibly through UCAS extra or clearing (after results).

Reply 6

homayoun

Original post by Claire888

thanks a lot mate
one more question, which course exactly should i apply for? because i have searched the code k100 on ucas and it came up with many different results and universities!!

Reply 7

Claire888

Original post by homayoun

thanks a lot mate
one more question, which course exactly should i apply for? because i have searched the code k100 on ucas and it came up with many different results and universities!!