Architecture
Curricula
Architectural education at the Institute for Art and Architecture is based on five research platforms:
- GLC Geography Landscapes Cities
- HTC History Theory Criticism
- ESC Ecology Sustainability Cultural Heritage
- CMT Construction Material Technology
- ADP Analogue Digital Production
Design projects are at the center of the education, strategic approaches and positions are developed through the focus of each platform. On this base the field of architecture is taught in its practical, theoretical and scientific complexity. Theory, production and reflection, experiment and methodological critique are set in close relation. Architecture as a discipline is seen not only as functional solution for building tasks but also as the artistic and experimental competence to find answers for spatial, cultural, social, technological and political questions.
The Institute for Art and Architecture offers a three year Bachelor Program in Architecture (BArch) and a two year Master Program in Architecture (MArch).
The first semester of the Bachelor Program is an introductory phase familiarizing students with all five platforms. In the following five semesters, the fields of knowledge and potentials pertaining to the five platforms are developed and discussed in detail. The sequence of foci and platforms is one of increasing project complexity and skills serving as a solid base for the Master Program where the focus will gradually shift from learning the tools of the profession to actively using them in research. The Master Program fosters open teaching based on the platforms' research fields. After an advanced introductory phase, students are largely free to select the focus of their curriculum within the five platforms. In the course of the program,
An entrance examination serves to select students with outstanding abilities and knowledge and therefore creates an a highly qualified and motivated surrounding for the students. Education at the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna aims to foster individual qualities of the students. The pedagogic framework is based on a one-on-one basis and through team-teaching by a versatile faculty. Finally the Academy of Fine Arts as a whole, with its institutes for Fine Arts, Education in the Arts and Cultural Studies, provides an exciting interdisciplinary environment full of synergies.