The Bachelor of Architecture Honours programme in SETU’s Department of Architecture & Built Environment is a five-year, full-time ab-initio degree.  In 2005, WIT was the first 3rd level Institute or University outside of Dublin to establish an architectural degree programme, which went on to be accredited by the RIAI and notified in the European Directive. The Department of Architecture & Built Environment was established within the School of Engineering, which brought together the new Architecture programmes and the existing Architectural Technology programmes. with the first set of graduates completing their studies in 2009. The programme has been fully accredited by the Royal Institute of Architects of Ireland (RIAI), and before commencement, the programme successfully underwent a rigorous validation process with the Higher Education and Training Awards body in Ireland (HETAC).

We use our region as a teaching resource in a way that benefits our students and local stakeholders. Being based in a regional city gives us access to local community groups, to the local authorities and to arts and heritage resources in a very direct way. Every academic year sees the Department of Architecture & Built Environment seeking out joint ventures between our students and these local groups in a mutually beneficial way. The importance of our role in the City is captured in the publication in Irish Architecture – ‘A Warehouse of Ideas’. Our students are introduced to the importance of carefully observing and listening to those with whom they are engaging through the design process, and listening to the site itself as the primary setting for this engagement. In this way, every project combines people and the environment holistically. Developing the new Technical University in the South East will extend our laboratory for testing innovative design solutions that respond to regional and national issues.

The design of this programme enables the Department of Architecture & Built Environment to develop in key study and research areas, promoting quality architecture within the City and Region.