Course units
The increasing complexity of socio-economic, cultural and environmental issues requires architects to develop a broad skill set. This may be described as context-led – seeking solutions which address local issues arising from global agendas. Architects must move beyond traditional disciplinary boundaries to find emergent and live sustaining design possibilities. There is a growing need for contemporary design which focuses not only on hard infrastructure but also on social networks, organisational systems, green infrastructures and human and non-human relationships.
MArch: Architecture consists of six units, three of which are core design units as well as a dedicated construction unit and a collaborative unit which will allow you to sample the art and design school setting by collaborating with another post graduate course from within CSM. These are combined with an industry-embedded placement giving you valuable industry experience. You will also be supported to plan, develop and complete a self-led major project, which will explore strong social, political and environmental engagement with the world. This may be facilitated through external partnerships and multidisciplinary collaboration.
Unit 1: Situated Modes of Engagement
This unit will encourage you to experiment with multidisciplinary research and design approaches. You will develop situated research methodologies to expand and challenge the conventional role of the architect. The unit enables you to articulate your individual methods of working while situating your emerging practice in the extended field of Spatial Practices, focusing on the entanglement between our three thematic clusters: Identity and Equity, Climate and Ecology and Commons and Publics. You will test and refine these approaches through critically engaged design propositions, a media project and a climate journal.
Unit 2: The Collaborative Unit
This unit addresses the theme of collaboration through co-operation with other postgraduate courses within the University. By working co-operatively with fellow students from parallel and contrasting courses, you will experience at first hand the value of cross-disciplinary thinking and problem-solving that is so central to the course.
Unit 3: Regenerative Construction
This unit will explore technical aspects of making and construction in close detail, understand regenerative design principles and construction methods to achieve zero carbon and nature positive standards. This unit embeds climate literacy and climate innovation within your learning journey. You will engage with the conditions and constraints of structural, constructional and material systems through a constructional prototyping project. Unit 3 will involve research and testing, collaborative teamwork and constructional implementation as well as life safety.
Unit 4: Professional Spatial Practice (Industry Placement)
In this unit, you will define your own direction for your major project. The unit is centred around an industry placement giving you the opportunity to step out of the college context and extend your community of practice to external stakeholders. With your advisor, you will work with a selected organisation that will provide insights into contemporary forms of spatial practice. You will assess the nature of their practice and understand ethical implications of fieldwork and within contemporary architectural practice. The contextual study component of the unit will help you establish research agenda and brief for your own self-directed major project, while the Climate Journal will continue your critical reflections on your climate entanglements.
Unit 5: Design for Planetary Care
This unit asks you to develop a self-led major project that explores planetary care through design as an iterative and critical process. Building on previous units, you will synthesise insights from your critical contextual studies (thesis), the industry placement experience, and the climate journals developed throughout the course into a clear brief and proposition. Unit 5’s technology component will build on the work of unit 3 and will centre regenerative design approaches within the major project via dedicated material and technology focused workshops. The Critical and Contextual studies strand culminates in the Compendium, a written explanation and exploration of the themes, research and positionality underpinning your major project.
Unit 6: Situated Architectural Practice
Unit 6 is the culmination of the major project and the course, focusing on refining and presenting the design project and its key ideas to a wide and diverse audience at the end-of-year College showcase.
The unit will conclude with a speculation on future career ambitions and pathways by asking students to propose new forms of architectural practice in relation to their design propositions and outlining pathways into practice rooted in the extensive professional and peer networks created across the two years of the course. The professional practice component will explore the frameworks and tools necessary for the realisation and implementation of the work, including planning, building control, health and life safety, cost, contract, and construction documentation. Unit 6 prepares students to enter professional life beyond Central Saint Martins.
The working week
Central Saint Martins the S-School and the Spatial Practices programme, of which the course is part of, offer a vibrant and engaging learning environment. The teaching and learning methods on MArch are designed to make best use of the art school setting with hands on workshops using Central Saint Martin's facility being an integral part of the experience. You will move fluently between one-to-one tutorials, group work in smaller learning clusters or with the entire year cohort. Regular peer reviews and site-based collaborations with local stakeholders. A culture of curiosity and experimentation shapes the learning process throughout the week. You should expect to spend 30 hours per week on your learning.
Important note concerning academic progression through your course:
If you are required to retake a unit you will need to cease further study on the course until you have passed the unit concerned. Once you have successfully passed this unit, you will be able to proceed onto the next unit. Retaking a unit might require you to take time out of study, which could affect other things such as student loans or the visa status for international students.
CSM Academic Support is delivered by a team of academics and practitioners working alongside your course to help you progress and achieve your maximum potential as a student. Academic Support can help you to develop your skills in different areas, including critical thinking, research and writing, time management, presentations and working independently and collaboratively. These may be offered as part of your timetabled classes or as bookable tutorials and workshops.
Mode of study
The course is offered in extended full-time mode which runs for 80 weeks over two academic years. You will be expected to commit 30 hours per week to study, which includes teaching time and independent study.
The course has been designed in this way to enable you to pursue studies, while also undertaking part-time employment, internships or care responsibilities.
Credit and award requirements
The course is credit-rated at 240 credits.
On successfully completing the course, you will gain a Master of Architecture (MArch degree).
Under the Framework for Higher Education Qualifications, an MArch is Level 7. All units must be passed in order to achieve the MArch but the classification of the award is derived from the marks for the fourth, fifth and sixth units.
If you are unable to continue on the course, a Postgraduate Certificate (PG Cert) will normally be offered following the successful completion of 60 credits, or a Postgraduate Diploma (PG Dip) following the successful completion of 120 credits.
Professional Statutory and Regulatory Bodies
MArch Architecture is professionally validated by the RIBA. Successful completion of the course provides RIBA Part 2 qualification, the first of three stages of RIBA professional registration.
