Programme content
The two parts of this Master's programme give the possibility to to explore in greater depth the ideas discussed in the Bachelor's Degree. In the first part, the classes cover the design of large-scale architectural projects, collaborative design, heritage conservation, building physics, structural design, sustainable development and urban mobility.
In the second part, you can choose between two professional focus :
- Architectural and urban engineering;
- Urban and environmental engineering.
The joint core course includes an analysis of the design process, sustainable urban design, an internship and the Final Dissertation.
The professional focus in Architectural and urban engineering includes digital simulation and building monitoring, wooden constructions, urban morphology, designing public spaces and urban environments, urban sociology and user engineering, transport issues, and environmental and planning policy.
The professional focus in Urban and environmental engineering is a multi-disciplinary specialism taught in English and open to architectural engineering students, civil engineers and geological engineers.
COMBINING ENGINEERING PRACTICE AND CREATIVE DESIGN
Combining rigour and creativity, engineering techniques and environmental challenges, functional design and aesthetic considerations, the architectural engineering course trains highly qualified professionals, capable of mastering the contemporary complexity of large architecture projects.
Furthermore, this training programme has been accredited by the French Engineering Accreditation Council (Commission des titres d'ingénieur - CTI) and has obtained the EUR-ACE label, which certifies the highest quality in engineer training in Europe.
USING THE MOST MODERN TECHNIQUES
The teaching methods used are based on a per project methodology with a specific interest in computer-aided architectural design.
Students also benefit from the expertise of the professionals, many of whom work internationally, who participate in the programme by reviewing the projects and sitting on juries. For example, during the first part of the Master's programme with the l'École des Mines d'Alès (Alès School of Mining), which consisted of designing the home of the Gard regional offices, the students' projects were reviewed by internationally-recognised experts from the AIA (Architectes Ingénieurs Associés), a very large and internationally renowned firm located in Paris.
The projects were reviewed and corrected using "Virtual Office" technology. Developed by LUCID (Lab for User Cognition and Innovative Design), it allows the acts of creation and design ideas (drawings and sketches) to be shared in real time.
THE ARCHITECT IN THE MIDST OF SOCIETY
Architectural engineers play a social role too. Therefore, the programme also includes classes in sociology, aesthetics, law, economics and management which provide a well-rounded education.
JOINT ARCHITECTURAL PROJECTS FOR STUDENTS FROM FRANCE AND LIÈGE
The collaborative digital studio
ULiège's biggest collaboration with a French institution in terms of architecture is the "Collaborative Digital Studio" (CDS), which enables architectural students from Nancy and architectural engineering students from Liège to remotely design a joint architectural project. Through this system, the participants can draw and sketch remotely together on a shared work space during project meetings conducted by video-conference.
Running for a full quarter, this original programme is led jointly with the Ecole Nationale Supérieure d'Architecture de Nancy (National School of Architecture in Nancy) and the Henri Tudor Public Research Centre in Luxembourg.
The objective is to make students aware of the cooperative dimension of an architectural project. It is also an opportunity to prepare them for the work issues arising from design activities involving several actors who are dispersed geographically, which is becoming more and more frequent in professional practice today. To carry out this project activity, they work in groups of 4-5 people with a sharing of roles.
The chosen architectural programme places environmental issues at the heart of the project design which will vary from year to year, and could be for a school, a museum space, a spa, etc.
Further information is available at:
- the Cooperative Digital Studio: www.sketsha.be
- LUCID (Lab for User Cognition and Innovative Design): www.lucid.ulg.ac.be
A building project with the Alès School of Mining
The students in the first part of the Master's programme in Architectural Engineering also collaborate with the civil engineering students at the Alès School of Mining: their architecture workshop project, developed at ULiège in the first quarter (on the composition of a school, an archive centre or a museum, for example) is pursued further by the Alès students in the second quarter. The connection between the "pre-project" and "project management" phases is supported by Studio Digital, which enables students to learn about inter-disciplinary collaboration, which is a real asset for their future profession.
Project: redesigning the industrial area in Verviers
Throughout their training, the architectural engineering students are encouraged to think about projects whose scale and complexity increases as they advance through the years of study. Therefore, this project, which comes at the end of the architectural engineering students' training, is an opportunity for them to weigh up the macro challenges (in terms of a district) and the micro challenges (in terms of a specific building).
On 15 June 2017, the 20 students in the final part of the Master's Degree in Architectural Engineering presented the results of their mixed urban project to the heads of urban planning and the Lady Mayoress, Muriel Targnion.
Immersed into a situation o fpresentation to real professionals, the students presented their proposals for redeveloping different high-profile locations in the Verviers East industrial area :
- Despa Project in Theux
- Texter Project in Pepinster
- Library 2.0 (Verviers town centre)
- Simonis Project (Verviers)
- East Port Strategy (Verviers and Dison)
- Lavoir-Carbonisage Project (Dolhain-Limbourg)
Learning outcomes
Architectural engineers rely on their creativity, scientific rigour and technical skills to design, realise and implement architectural and urban projects which meet directly or indirectly the development needs of individuals and society. They are professionals who are responsible for their natural, economic and social environment, taking account of constraints of each site into their work.
Architectural engineers trained by the University of Liège develop an integrated approach to the built environment, in both its physical and socio-cultural components. They have the technical and organisational skills to enable them to design and manage large architectural projects, including the programming phase, the ideas stage, composition, project planning, implementation, approval and management. They excel in managing complex projects and overcoming the environmental and urban factors connected with a building. These qualities are acquired throughout the programme (Bachelor's + Master's Degree), based on a gradual process of developing more in-depth and specialised skills.
At the end of the second part of the programme, ULiège's architectural engineers are capable of:
- designing a complex architectural and urban planning project, meeting users' expectations and needs as best as possible (in terms of quality the atmosphere created and the functional requirements), standards and legislation (accessibility to persons with impaired mobility, security, etc.), integrating into an existing site (whether or not already built) and minimising the environmental impact throughout the whole life cycle of the building;
- designing and calculating the dimensions of the structural elements, as well as the heating, ventilation, acoustic and lighting technologies by integrating them in a creative way into an existing built or planned system;
- taking on the project management, planning and coordination functions, both in their technical (specifications, bill of quantities, Building Information Models, etc.) and organisational (site planning, team management, etc.) aspects;
As they are often called upon to coordinate the work of different disciplines, the architectural engineers have the inter-personal and communication skills required to enable them to manage team work effectively and to present their projects in public.
Varied and complementary teaching approaches contribute to the Master's Degree programme for architectural engineers at ULiège: theoretical presentations, project workshops, individual or group work, international exchanges, conferences, site visits, competitions, etc.