Architecture (ARB-RIBA Part 2) University of Plymouth

Overview

Through this Architecture (ARB-RIBA Part 2) programme from the University of Plymouth invites you to explore architecture as a critical, collaborative, and socially engaged practice that is rooted in care for people, place, and their geographies.

Key Features:

Our studio-based, research-led teaching fosters creative experimentation, conceptual rigour, and technical excellence. You will work closely with local communities, live clients, and interdisciplinary partners to develop your spatial and architectural practice that are inclusive, sustainable, and imaginative. The programme supports you in developing a resilient and ethically grounded theory and design praxis, embedded in the socio-cultural and ecological realities of the places you engage with.Through themes of spatial justice, community resilience, and environmental and technological innovation, you’ll reimagine architecture as a transformative force capable of shaping meaningful futures for people and planet alike.Your first year is built around a studio-led approach that combines design experimentation, critical enquiry, technical innovation, and professional engagement. A key feature of the year is a live or semi-live urban design project developed in collaboration with local partners, including city councils, social enterprises, and community organisations, allowing you to work directly with real-world constraints and opportunities.Through hands-on exploration of materials, systems, and construction techniques, you’ll investigate sustainable and climate-responsive approaches to architecture. Your work will be grounded in an understanding of contemporary professional, legal, and ethical frameworks.The year also includes the development of a dissertation, a critical and research-led inquiry that strengthens your conceptual thinking and sets the foundations for your final-year design project. The dissertation encourages you to position your practice within broader architectural, environmental, and socio-political contexts.

Accreditation

Fully validated by the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) and prescribed by the Architects Registration Board (ARB)