Study Architecture

Architectural Education in Australia

  Professor Michael Keniger  University of Queensland

Australia has been described as a young nation in an old continent. It offers extraordinary and unique landscapes, often on a vast scale, and  cities that are amongst some of the youngest on the planet. It's rainforests, coastal landscapes and beaches, the hinterland of the bush and the Great Barrier Reef offer unforgettable experiences.  

It is an outward-looking nation and it's very remoteness fosters a respect and regard for the world beyond and it's many cultures. The strength of it's economy and the stability of Australian society make it an attractive, exotic and rewarding place for study and travel.

Australians are renowned for their welcoming nature and for their informality. The Olympic games hosted in Sydney in 2000 provided a showcase for Australia's achievements in architecture, urban planning and design, and have provided the catalyst for further commercial and cultural growth. It's very youth as a nation ensures that it thrives on vitality optimism and on the potential of the future. Architecture here is an exciting art as the vigour of the culture resonates in the designing and making of buildings and places that respond both to the needs of a rapidly growing population and to the special qualities of it's urban and rural settings. 

The need to settle a vast continent in a relatively short span of time generated interest and expertise in the efficient use of construction materials and systems. The Australian architect works in a society that expects to build and young architects often have accumulated extensive experience of designing and documenting new building relatively early in their careers. These factors combine to ensure that the education of architects in Australia prepares them fully to take advantage of the opportunities to produce buildings governed by ideas, that respond to the special possibilities of climate, context and place. These ideas are applicable to the making of architecture in all contexts, and Australian-educated architects have made their mark as practice leaders and key designers around the world. There are sixteen schools of architecture in Australia, each offering courses with different emphasis. Some are largely design focused, some lean more towards a sociological position, whilst others are more technical. 

All schools are reviewed by the profession to determine that they satisfy the accreditation criteria of the professional bodies. Recognition by the Royal Australian Institute of Architects also ensures recognition by the commonwealth Association of Architects, which provides the international status of Australian degrees in architecture. In order to achieve recognition, the schools must satisfy the education policy of the profession. The courses are typically five years long, with a further year of practical experience required by some schools between the third and the fourth years in their courses. Some schools offer the possibility of undertaking study on a part-time basis. 

The differences between the courses offered by the separate schools are due, in part, to the nature of their different locations. These range from the tropical heat of Darwin to the benign sub-tropics of Brisbane, down to the more temperate climates of Sydney, Melbourne, Perth and Adelaide, and the cooler climate of Tasmania. Typically, the courses are taught using project-based learning that addresses architectural issues and problems through design.

The subject of design intergrates the principles and skills gained from other subject streams, such as architectural technology, environmental studies, and history and theory. The close relationship between the schools and the profession enables new areas of study to be embraced as need arises. Most recently, this has included computer-aided design, and the Australian Universities value their links with universities overseas, and most posses active exchange arrangements with sister institutions in other countries.

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