Architects Training | Architectural Design in Practice
Our ten meticulously designed lessons delve deep into the heart of architectural practice. This isn't just any of the standard Architecture courses; it is an expedition into real-world challenges and opportunities. We'll guide you on how to navigate the complexities that arise when working with commercial clients.
- 4+ hours of premium content
- 11 step-by-step video lessons
- Future updates included
About this course
One of the core aspects we focus on is Architectural drafting. The importance of drafting in communicating your vision cannot be overstressed. A well-drafted design not only aids in ensuring clarity among teams but also acts as a blueprint for bringing your vision to life. We aim to nurture the skill of turning constraints into the project's defining features.
This comprehensive architectural design course develops your expertise in navigating real-world practice challenges through the Kempston Street project, teaching you to transform site constraints into compelling architectural features. You'll learn systematic approaches to contextual analysis, planning policy interpretation, and community engagement that inform sophisticated design responses to complex urban sites.
The curriculum emphasizes practical application of commercial project development, from initial space planning through final design refinement using visualization tools. You'll develop skills in balancing design ambition with practical constraints including budgets, regulations, and market demands while maintaining architectural quality and design integrity.
Advanced design development techniques include precedent research, iterative massing studies, and comprehensive design testing using real-time rendering tools. The course covers facade design strategies, interior space optimization, and presentation techniques that communicate design intent effectively to clients and planning committees.
These practical skills position you to excel in contemporary architectural practice where contextual sensitivity and commercial viability must coexist. The techniques learned apply directly to mixed-use developments, urban infill projects, and complex building types where sophisticated design responses to challenging constraints can determine project success and client satisfaction.
What will you learn?
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This course will turn you into:
A strategic design thinker
Learn to approach architectural projects systematically, from site analysis through design development, using proven methodologies that ensure thorough and thoughtful design solutions.
A context-responsive designer
Develop skills in analyzing and responding to site conditions, urban context, and environmental factors to create architecture that enhances its surroundings.
A process-driven architect
Master the structured design process used in professional practice, from initial brief analysis through final presentation, ensuring consistency and quality in your architectural work.
Syllabus
A brief introduction to the course, followed by an explanation of what to look for when analysing the site and it's context to inform the design process.
Before jumping into the design, you need to check local planning guidelines, in addition to any vision documents that set further aspirations for new buildings in the area.
With the context, analysis and guidelines in mind, we move into basic space planning of apartments, commercial units, lift & stair cores, and associated ancillary spaces at ground floor such as plant rooms, sprinkler tanks, bin & bike stores.
Initial massing of your layouts is crucial in establishing whether or not the design is headed in the right direction. This lesson shows how to find efficiencies in your design, to add detail more quickly later down the line and teaches how to self-critique before looking for precedents and adding detail.
Prior to breaking down the mass established in lesson 4, we must find at least 2 precedents to give us some inspiration and direction. We land on a primary and secondary precedent at the conclusion of this lesson, informing the more detailed elements of the proposal.
Now the fun begins! We have our project targets, analysis and a driving precedent so it's time to add detail to the elevations and break down the mass of the proposal to establish an overall design aesthetic.
At this point we introduce a rendering software, Twinmotion, to realise our initial ideas and give us the perfect platform to assess where the design is at and establish what's needed to maximise its potential.
This lesson lifts the detailing within the facades of the building by adding horizontal banding, deep window reveals, a more characterful window design and more to create a sense of depth and layering, avoiding the potential of a boring brick box!
To avoid any silly mistakes like beds pushed up against windows and kitchen ends being seen from outside, in addition to testing the size and feel of interior spaces, we move inside the building and quickly mock up a few spaces.
The course is rounded off by producing a series of interesting renders, using different lighting setups, to give the design one final round of 'tests' to see if there's any room for further improvement, finished with some closing remarks and advice.
Meet your instructor
Adam Morgan
Architectural Director
ThreeForm Architects
Hi, I'm Adam. I am the founder and director of ThreeForm Architects, a team of architects and artists in Liverpool, UK. The office is experienced in a wide range of building types and procurement routes, successfully winning projects with contract values of up to £20 million. We work for a broad spectrum of public and private sector clients across the country.
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