DEPARTMENT OF ARCHITECTURE
Architecture is one of the oldest professions when thought in relation to the phenomenon of dwelling. The program is composed of courses in design, history-theory-criticism, building physics and technologies, media, environment-city-society tracks which also proves its interdisciplinary quality. Science and technology, art and philosophy are the main components of the architecture discipline. Architecture approaches engineering as it requires command of all scientific and technological knowledge required for the production of durable, human and environmentally friendly environments while It is close to art with its plastic / formal searches that consider aesthetic qualities. Architecture, as a discipline highly dependant on criticism also requires knowing the history and theory of architectural production in the past to speak about the present and the future. It has a close relationship with the social sciences such as sociology, psychology regarding its contextual relationship with the city and society. Within the broader domain of design, architecture focuses on building design and production in the natural and built environment. The relation of the building with the context it is located in, the user requirements that vary according to the function, the space organization and hierarchy, the plastic of the building shell form the basis of architectural thought and practice. In this context, it differs from the field of interior architecture and environmental design that provides the necessary comfort conditions depending on the function and focuses on the design of the spatial atmosphere by considering the aesthetic values within in the given building shell. Interior architects work in more detail on interior equipments, furniture design, ergonomics, lighting, materials, texture, and color matching.
It can be thought that candidates who are interested in both technical issues and art, and who have three-dimensional thinking ability, are prone to architectural education. Design studios, which form the backbone of architectural education, are the environments where the process and mutual dialogue with the instructors gain importance, and all other compulsory and elective courses contribute to this experience from different aspects (history-theory-criticism, building physics, and technologies, media, environment-city-society). Students present their projects to the jury by using architectural representation methods such as drawings and models. Projects are discussed and evaluated in a jury environment.
Architecture is not just a profession learned in a school environment. In addition to internships, participation in extracurricular activities such as workshops, student competitions, national and international technical trips/summer schools, conferences/seminars where discussions held on the theory and practice of architecture are necessary for architecture students to develop themselves intellectually. BAU Architecture Department paves the way for architecture students to grow up to be self-confident individuals influential in the national/international arena with regular extracurricular activities in collaboration with private and public sectors, international summer schools and international exchange programs.
The multidimensional nature of the architectural discipline offers the student a variety of interests in terms of job opportunities after graduation. They can work as a designer, site architect and controller at the design and construction stages in the public and private sectors; they can also start their own businesses. Graduates who develop themselves in the field of design can make a name by participating in national and international competitions. Architects who develop themselves in the field of computational design and building information modeling can find job opportunities in architecture and engineering companies in the fields of advanced visualization and R&D. The relationship of architecture with engineering, art, history, sociology, psychology, philosophy, social sciencesfacilitates interdisciplinary transitions and takes the profession to an advantageous point in the context of an academic career.
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nilay ÜNSAL GÜLMEZ
Head of Department of Architecture
