This course helps prepare Third Year students for the 12-month period of practical experience they typically undertake after completion of RIBA Part 1. Very few students have experienced working in an office before this point; therefore, the course introduces a wide range of subjects delivered by practitioners, after which debate is encouraged. This provides students with an insight into practice and enables them to develop critical awareness of the architectural profession and the associated skills needed to work within it.

Seminar themes include professionalism, ethical practice, the regulatory framework and practice management. One seminar focuses on collaboration, as it is important for students to acknowledge and respect the experience and contribution of others during the design process. To explore the different forms that architectural businesses can take, speakers describe their practice ethos and culture as well as their design processes and approaches to managing client relations. They also recount their experience of first entering practice, describe their subsequent career decisions and outline their visions for the future of practice. 

Throughout the programme, we consider the potential value that architects can contribute to society, and speakers expand on this theme with examples from their own professional experience. Term 1 concludes with a group tutorial in which we debate questions raised within the seminars and review draft submissions. Two seminars in Term 2 on fire and life safety are delivered by experts in their field.

In recent years, the climate emergency, the Grenfell disaster, the Covid-19 pandemic and Brexit, among other local and international events, have changed the way we practice and will continue to inform the ways in which architects work in the future. We encourage students to consider the influence of these important issues and help them to develop the skills they need for their year in practice and their future career.