Want to be an architect?

 I am a 10th grade CBSE (Indian Central Board of Secondary Education) student. I am interested in doing architecture. I would like to know the scope for architecture in the UAE. Which countries are the best to obtain a B.Arch degree from? Can you please name some universities in the UK, USA, India, the UAE and Australia that provide this course?- Aisha Durrani

I am a 12th grade student studying in an American system school in Abu Dhabi. Could you suggest top American universities for architecture? Thank you very much. - Hareth Al Hashemi

Architecture is a social art that touches all human beings at all levels of their existence everywhere and every day. This is the only discipline that encompasses the four major fields of human endeavour, which include the humanities, science, arts and technology.

Architecture is the matrix of human civilisation — an authentic measure of social evolution. It tells us about the ethos of an era. The demands on the profession over the years have become much more complex in nature and much wider in scope.

What does architecture call for?

• Originality
• Creativity
• Conceptualisation
• Perception
• Aesthetic values
• A holistic judgment of people, places, objects and events

Job responsibilities of an architect

• Taking client instructions and the preparation of a design brief.
• Site evaluation and analysis of the impact of existing and/or proposed development on its immediate environs.
• Design and site development.
• Structural design.
• Sanitary, plumbing, drainage, water supply and sewerage design.
• Electrical, electronic, communication systems design.
• Heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) and other mechanical systems design. - Layout of elevators, escalators, etc.
• Fire detection, fire protection and security systems etc.
• Periodic inspection and evaluation of construction.
   

What subjects in school will help you?

Since architecture primarily involves lots of drawing, it will be helpful if you can do engineering drawing while you’re in the 11th/12th year of schooling. It will give you a basic idea of varying views (like orthogonal view, isotropic view, top view etc) and conventions (like first angle method, third angle method etc).

Most architectural aptitude exams test students in physics and maths only.

A few international colleges offering architecture

The UAE

1. Abu Dhabi University: Bachelor of Science in Landscape Architecture
2. Ajman University of Science and Technology: Bachelor of Science in Architectural Engineering and Masters in Architecture and Urban Studies
3. ALHOSN University: Bachelor’s in Architectural Engineering
4. American University in Dubai: Bachelor of Architecture
5. American University of Sharjah: Bachelor of Architecture and Bachelor of Science in Architectural Studies
6. Canadian University of Dubai: Bachelor of Science in Architectural Studies
7. University of Sharjah: Bachelor of Architectural Engineering

USA

1. Princeton University: www.princeton.edu/
2. Columbia University: www.columbia.edu/
3. Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art: www.cooper.edu/
4. Yale University: www.yale.edu/
5. University of California, Los Angeles: www.ucla.edu/
6. Harvard University: www.hbs.edu/
7. University of Pennsylvania: www.upenn.edu/
8. Massachusetts Institute of Technology: web.mit.edu/
9. Rice University: www.rice.edu/
10. University of Notre Dame: www.rice.edu/

India

1. Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur: www.iitkgp.ernet.in/
2. Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee: www.iitr.ernet.in/
3. National Institute of Technology, Calicut: www.nitc.ac.in/nitc/
4. National Institute of Technology, Trichy: www.nitt.edu/
5. Sir J.J. College of Architecture, Mumbai: www.sirjjarchitecture.org/web/index.php

The UK

1. University of Cambridge: www.cam.ac.uk/
2. University of Bath: www.bath.ac.uk/
3. University of Westminster: www.wmin.ac.uk/
4. Edinburgh College of Art: www.eca.ac.uk/
5. University College London: www.ucl.ac.uk/

Australia

1. University of Queensland: www.uq.edu.au/
2. University of Melbourne: www.unimelb.edu.au/
3. RMIT University: www.rmit.edu.au/
4. University of New South Wales: www.unsw.edu.au/
5. University of Western Australia: www.uwa.edu.au/

- The writer is the director of Meccademia, a UAE-based educational institute catering to students in the 14-17 age group. For more information visit www.meccademia.com or email subramanian.krishnamoorthy@gmail.com