Architectural Students’ Year-out Experience in Practice

This paper describes a study at the University of Huddersfield into the learning experiences of year out architectural students. The focus was on those working in practices after RIBA Stage I study completed within the university. The research investigated how the learning process encountered during the year out in the architectural offices is different from formal learning in the university. The method used to gain insights was by interviewing architecture students and analyzing their reflections on the learning experience. As a result it is argued that apart from gaining more in-depth design skills and methods of approaching design compared to the architectural theories studied in the university, that the professional knowledge and competencies developed in the architecture office are unique to that place. The different natures of knowledge learnt in the university and architectural offices can enhance each other and enable a student to become a more effective architect if they are designed to be complementary. The outcomes of the research have significance for potential future changes to the structure of teaching architecture in the UK through better integration of practice in the later years of the course.