Architecture
Cambridge's beautiful buildings showcase the work of great architects including Sir Christopher Wren, Sir James Stirling, Edward Cullinan and Sir Michael Hopkins. The teaching is ranked among the best in the country, and there's an outstanding record of graduate achievement. Teaching for the academic course is carried out through lectures and supervisions (small group classes in which you can discuss your work in depth with teaching staff on a weekly basis). Architecture combines the intellectual challenge of a Cambridge degree with the opportunity for creative design. The course in Architecture differs from other subjects in two respects. First, there is a design component, which carries a weighting of sixty per cent of the grade. The design component requires competence in organising space and in constructional issues, good judgement and powers of interpretation. Secondly, the written portion of the course (which accounts for forty per cent of the grade and is assessed by coursework and examinations) bridges the gap between the sciences and the humanities, with a group of papers on the technical aspects of architecture and a group on history and theory. Additionally, there is a dissertation written in the third year (of about thirty pages in length) whose subject is chosen by the student. The College is therefore looking for candidates who will be comfortable working in this broad range of disciplines. Successful completion of the Cambridge undergraduate course in architecture also signifies the award of RIBA/ARB Part 1, your first stage in qualifying as an architect.
Architecture at Caius
Caius usually admits one, two or three students to study Architecture each year. This provides students with a high level of individual attention and support, and forges a close relationship between students studying the subject in first, second and third year. It also offers the opportunity of living and working in a very interdisciplinary environment. Dr Nicholas Simcek Arese is the Director of Studies in Architecture at Caius.
Teaching Fellows
Admissions
The Department of Architecture assumes that incoming students have little, if any, background in the subject, and the teaching includes sessions on basic skills as well as on topics for examination. There is no A-Level course in Architecture and students are welcomed with backgrounds in the sciences and the humanities. The ability to draw and an interest in the history of art and architecture are essential, as is a knowledge of mathematics to at least a good AS level standard. Please note that Art tends to provide a better preparation for our course than subjects such as Design and Technology. What is of greatest use for a student of architecture is the capacity to use their skills for the purposes of interpretation and judgement in a three–dimensional milieu endowed with cultural content. To a certain extent this is an aptitude or a talent, and to a certain extent it is something that can be cultivated through instruction while at University. However, because it is fundamental to success in the course, it is one of the key areas of assessment for any candidate.
All candidates should submit 6 A4 pages of their own work soon after making their application. This should be in PDF format, and no more than 15MB in size. The selection of images should, in part, reflect material you might bring to interview as part of your portfolio. The College would then expect interviewed candidates to bring a portfolio of recent work (a rough guideline is about 30 A4 sheets) to interview. Candidates taking A-level Art or Design should also bring examples of their A-level work. The portfolio should be kept over a period of months as a useful vehicle for recording observations and studies. This is not necessarily expected to be work of an architectural nature (e.g. plans, sections etc). Since architecture or gardens occur virtually everywhere, the subject–matter is limitless: the back of a pub or a jetty or a barn are potentially as revealing of human habitation as a street, a square, a domestic interior or a cathedral. Views of buildings as isolated objects should be avoided: the interest should rather tend towards settings, whether indoors or out. Similarly, editing, adapting or inventing analogous settings are all possibilities. The main criterion is that the candidate’s drawings exhibit an understanding (which is not the same as archaeological accuracy) of their subject–matter. The question to ask is, “what makes this setting the way it is, what are its essential attributes?” Some aspects are quantifiable, others are more ephemeral and depend on light, materials, the nature of the activities, etc. For this reason the expected views might be supplemented with plans, details, collages, diagrams and so forth — whatever is appropriate. No particular style or medium is laid down in advance — again it is a question of fitting the mode of representation to the content of the space. It is useful to look at other representations of settings (paintings, drawings, film, stagesets, etc.), and some sources of inspiration (postcards, photographs, xeroxes, cutouts, etc.) ought to be included in the portfolio. Ultimately, this portfolio or collection of studies should be regarded as an opportunity to play to one’s strengths and interests — preliminary fragments towards the development of one’s visual culture.
Candidates should normally expect one 45-minute interview with members of the department. This interview will take as a point of departure the interests displayed in your portfolio. Applicants for Architecture take the Architecture Admissions Assessment at interview, which consists of a 30 minute drawing exercise and a 30 minute essay test. Applicants should bring their own drawing materials to the interview, including A4 paper.
If you have any queries about Admissions, please contact the Admissions Tutor at admissions@cai.cam.ac.uk.
