Hi silencio
Melbourne U should be great, being highly ranked among the Aussie U's and Melbourne city should be interesting. A lot of the practising architects graduated from there including famous names like Hijjas Kasturi and the late Kington Loo.
I guess you're on scholarship. This is about the coldest period of the year, so be prepared with warm clothing.

What year of the BArch course will you be going into, 3rd/4th?

This post has been edited by tehtmc: Jul 2 2009, 06:30 PM

Optimal meaning...desirable? median?
If that is the kind of figure a full-fleged architect gets these days, it's really nothing to shout about. Professionals in other fields would get that kind of salary anyway without having to go through a rigorous 5-year course of study and heavy investment especially for those who go abroad to study on their own. The reward doesn't seem attractive at all compared to a lot of other fields/professions. Unless of course you venture out on your own by having your own firm or gets a partnership offer in a firm, which is another story.

finger waverz
While this is an interesting subject (architectural presentation)you have introduced, I don't think it belongs to this thread which is meant to be on 'education'. I suggest you start a new thread in another section of LYN and I'll be keen to participate.
At the same time, you could also open new threads on other topics on architecture if you like.

This post has been edited by tehtmc: Jul 5 2009, 11:43 AM

I suggest having a new sub-section on 'Architecture' under 'Special Interests' of LYN. Under 'Special Interests' there are the sub-sections on Arts & Design, Photography, Music, etc.
As to how to go about creating a sub-section, I think someone should make a request to the webmaster.
Azarimy, would you like to do this since this thread of yours is one of the most popular ones in LYN? The record number of replies and views is enough to justify starting a whole new section on Architecture as a spinoff from the orginal thread.

Interesting forum you have there azarimy. The forummers are mostly from ex-UTMers, are they?
Have yet to see a Malaysian forum on architecture(until now) and PAM doesn't even have one under their website (not much of a website really). A section on architecture under LYN would get better exposure and participation especially from students.

The name of your forum sounds a bit Indian don't you think?

Scroll back one or two pages. Someone mentioned it's abt RM17,000 a year only last week I think. Anyway, email to admissions@taylors.edu.my for details, you'll get a quick reply.

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Added on July 7, 2009, 11:39 amThe published rankings are not everything. Find out more abt the place.
One thing to consider, the spoken English in England is much easier to understand than Scottish English (where Dundee is) or Irish English.

This post has been edited by tehtmc: Jul 7 2009, 11:42 AM

silenceuk
I would go for Liverpool if I were you, not so much for the ranking. It's a larger city by comparison and a more happening place. For doing architecture, I would recommend the bigger and more happening cities, which would give you better exposure. As azarimy said, open studio fosters interaction among students which is healthy and beneficial to you. In architecture, you not only learn from lecturers, but also from fellow students in the studio environment as well. If you have been a loner, it's high time you come out of your shell and take advantage of the excellent opportunity for exposure and experience in overseas environment. And I prefer the English spoken in England rather than Scottish English anytime.

This post has been edited by tehtmc: Jul 11 2009, 01:17 PM

i. - You wouldn't know the facilities they provide to that level of detail until you are there would you? Unless you get them to show you pictures of the work station for each student and list down in detail all the items.

The best way to find out about is to contact the current or ex-students of the university if you can.

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Added on July 12, 2009, 9:47 amOf course there are bad lecturers in every university just as there are bad students. This is a fact of life.


This post has been edited by tehtmc: Jul 12 2009, 09:47 AM

Digital animation is just a jargon for presentation using moving images. It's great for movies, cartoons, commercials, etc but has limited use in architecture. Maybe walk-throughs for building interiors or 'fly-throughs' of building exteriors done by developers of mega projects for marketing purposes to impress prospective buyers.

I think still rather than moving images are still more effective and the preferred means of presentation by architects to clients as it takes time to study and appreciate the design and details of a building from each image.

The experience gained from working in an architectural firm is useful for work in related fields like construction, development and building products.

Just like employers in any other fields, an architecture firm would expect an employee to have the knowledge, to be productive, able to work with minimum supervision and training.

Even A-levels, an internationally recognized and supposedly very versatile pre-U qualification is not recognized by the IPTA's. What do you expect of foundation courses from the IPTS's?

Strange thing is, A-levels is recognized for applications from foreign students to the IPTA's. No, it's nothing to do with the standard of the qualification but it's matter of gomen policy.

Anyway, foudation courses are university-specific, meaning they are good only for continuing with courses in a particular university but not for switching to other universities, with few exceptions. You should have known what even before you embark on the course.

This post has been edited by tehtmc: Sep 26 2009, 11:54 AM

As a practitioner, I'd say architecture is more of arts than science, maybe in the ratio 80:20.

The science part is where you do subjects like building science, structures, environmental science but those are not the core subjects. The core subjects, are really architectural design and construction. The design process is basically an art, though in architecture, you do need to have knowledge of various other disciplines to produce a sound building. In real life, depending on the complexity of the project, there are other consultants involved in a building team - the civil & structural engineer, mechanical and electrical engineer, quantity surveyor, land surveyor, town planner, interior designer ,landscape architect, etc. who are responsible for their specialized area of work. Yes, you do need to know a bit of everything, not necessarily in great depth, to be able to lead the building team.

The mixture of arts and sciences is also what makes the study of architecture interesting though it can also be very demanding for those who are inclined towards the arts.

As for maths, unlike in engineering, the level involved in architecture study is not high at all - Form 5 level should suffice.

This post has been edited by tehtmc: Nov 3 2009, 09:15 PM

Design is an art in the sense that it is all about coming up with ideas, using your intuition and creativity as opposed to a methodical approach as in the field of science and engineering.

A can of coke? That's product design, which is also an art especially to do with the packaging of the product, though there is not much about the shape of a can that you can play with. If you are talking about the materials that the can is made of, the production method etc, then it is engineering.

I know of many people who started off with the KTAR diploma and continued to do the QS degree in UK (mostly in Scotland) for a couple more years. This should be a more economical option than going through Taylors. Taylors' programme is very new, yet to be proven though their architecture course has been going on for a few years. The KTAR diploma graduate can also find employment quite easily in the job market.

With the strong Aussie dollar and high tuition fees, studying in Aussie is no longer cheaper than studying in UK these days. I'd say UK is a better place to do QSing.

I was talking about those who did a normal (not advanced diploma/degree) diploma or certificate course in KTAR and continue for two years in UK to do the degree. Rather than to spend full 4 years overseas to do the degree which the course can be prohibitive.

Yes, I have also heard of other KTAR/UTAR grads who do a 3-month course in UK (Sheffield Hallam is another) and came back with another degree. I'm not surprised at all that such degrees are not accredited.

I agree that QSing is a good alternative if you want to go into building line other than architecture. While the course is not as demanding as architecture, it can be very routine dealing with figures, quantities, estimating, measurement all the time.

Just go for whichever stream you think you can do better in. It's the grades that matter in competing for a place in one of the IPTA's. For UM/UTM architecture degree, the requirements are ridiculously high. I understand you need to get a string of A's to get into architecture course for a non-bumi.

Certain architecture schools overseas do require you to take some science/maths subjects.

Did you copy those definitions about 'spatial ability' from somewhere?

This post has been edited by tehtmc: Nov 13 2009, 04:28 PM

Aren't there definite guideslines as to the subject combination required for entry into the architecture course in UM or others (USM, UPM, UKM, UIA, etc)?

What are the grades like for the recent batches of non-bumi students who have gained entry into UTM and UM?

Students who do not have a good foundation in maths and science would have problem in certain subjects in certain architectural course like structures and environmental science, depending on how much emphasis the uni places on the sciences.

Almost all of the architects I know are from the science background. But, you do have to be an all rounder to be a good architect - you have to be good at drawing, documentation - making the design work i.e. the practical aspects, communication, management, people skills. You have to be an artist, salesperson, a realist (design must be practical and practicable), a manager (to manage and lead a project) all rolled into one. This may sound daunting, but in real life, very, very few people possess all those qualities.

The top architects are invariably good salespeople and artists. You can have all the great ideas but they are worthless if you can't sell them or can't persuade people to buy them or nobody notices them.

This post has been edited by tehtmc: Nov 14 2009, 12:01 PM

That sounds too good to be true. If the other private U's which have been around for a number of years have not got their accreditation, do you think this KLIUC, a much newer U, would have got it?

'Equivalent' is ambiguous, it does not necessarily mean 'accredited'. Very clever use to word to lure prospective students. Which reminds me of the same word used in writing building specifications.... Brand XXX or equivalent. That 'equivalent' is so subjective.

This post has been edited by tehtmc: Nov 23 2009, 10:07 PM

Don't mean to be pessimistic but with the increasing number of new architecture schools both IPTA and IPTS, I wouldn' t be surprised that very soon it will be tough for fresh graduates to get jobs. Considering what it takes to be qualified as an architect, I wouldn't say, in general, the returns are that attractive and the prospect that great. Architecture used to be a highly regarded profession and architects used to be the top-earners but that was during the heydays of the 80's and 90's when there were not many architects around. The good times for architects are long gone. You don't take up architecture for the returns or you'll be sorely disappointed. You need to have some talent and a lot of passion to be successful.

The demand for architects is very sensitive to the vissicitudes of the economy. The property/building industry is the first to get hit in a recession and hence the demand for architects. The last recession was in 1997 (probably the time your uncle graduated) and even up till today, the building industry hasn't really fully recovered. Other professions like accountants, lawyers, etc are not as badly affected as architects in time of recession. Related professions like civil engineers, QS, etc are similarly affected.

Architecture degrees from Canada or the US are not recognized by the Board of Architects for registration to practise in this country. Graduates have to sit for extra exams (Part I & 2) before they are considered to be on par with graduates from recognized schools. This could be the reason (and the recession of '97 mentioned earlier) your uncle opted to change to another line. But then there are also graduates from American schools who have gone through the process and are doing very well in the profession. Veritas is one of them. Their website : http://www.veritas.com.my/

azarimy

50% - are you sure?
I'm very sceptical about the figure from what I've heard about the number of non-bumi's who get into the IPTA's each year.
The entry requirement wouldn't have been that high if it's 50% for non-bumi's.
Anyone has any figures about the student composition?
Bishop & afif89 - how many of non-bumi's are there in your year?

This post has been edited by tehtmc: Dec 5 2009, 08:03 AM