The UTS Master of Architecture, which combines subjects in architectural design, research and practice, made sense as a next step. A master’s degree is a requirement for professional registration as an architect, and postgraduate study can also help students further refine their future directions.
For Chad, one particular drawcard of the Master of Architecture was the degree’s studio subjects, which challenge students to develop project-based speculations in response to a research and creative design agenda.
There’s a difference between the practical realities of doing architecture and the possibilities that are available when you study.
There’s more thinking and theory and things to sink your teeth into.
Students complete four studios during the master’s degree, choosing from a vast range of topics that change from year to year. These include everything from explorations of environmental and performance-based design to urban design and activism, critical design practice, material and construction in architecture, and computation and digital design.
An international studio offering connects students to overseas architectural practices, while study tours and exchange programs are also part of the UTS Architecture DNA.
Among Chad’s studio selections was Radical Heritage, a subject led by Stuart Harrison, the director of award-winning architectural practice Harrison and White. As Chad embarked on a project to re-imagine established and heritage-listed buildings, he realised he’d found what he was looking for.
“Since that studio subject, I've realised that I want to do architecture with a heritage focus,” he says.
“I want to use existing buildings, I want to use existing materials, and I want to keep building and revitalising and reimagining Australia's architectural history in new ways.”
It’s a theme that he now pursues through all his master’s subjects. Teaching staff, including leading architects from award-winning practices like William Smart Design, Angelo Candalepas Associates, Neeson Murcutt + Neille, have helped Chad shape his assessments to incorporate his newfound interest, giving him hands-on heritage experience in a range of different architectural domains.
“The teachers are fantastic – they’re often people who are really high up in the field. They’re quite understanding of different and more progressive ways of thinking about architecture,” he says.
“They care to help students explore different ideas.”
