Our Philosophy
Welcome to the uniquely joint Department of Architecture and Civil Engineering. We are at the forefront of teaching, research and consultancy in the field of the modern built environment. Whether you are looking for architecture and civil engineering education in our renowned Department, research opportunities in the built environment or merely a glimpse into our philosophy, we hope your visit to our webpages is successful.
The Department of Architecture and Civil Engineering can trace its uniquely joint nature back to 1965, when Ken Panter and Howard Hufford introduced the ethos that if architects and civil engineers are to work together, they should be educated together. In 1976, when Sir Ted Happold moved to Bath to set up Buro Happold, he became Professor of Building Engineering in the Department, and with the new Professor of Architecture, Michael Brawne, the Department embarked on its provision of internationally-leading teaching and research in the built environment. Since those early days, the Department has seen extraordinary growth in student and staff numbers. The Department now has nearly 600 undergraduate students, over 120 MSc students, more than 40 research students, 8 research staff, and over 45 teaching and research academics to lead all activity.
The Department draws on various strengths in achieving its educational aims, namely being part of the research-intensive University of Bath, its location in a World Heritage City, its exceptional links with industry and its reputation for producing holistically-thinking graduates who are able to lead projects. Sustainability within the built environment is core to our teaching and research, and this is reflected strongly across our Degree Programmes and Research Centres. We are immensely proud of our reputation and our enthusiasm for holistic design of infrastructure is encapsulated in everything we represent.