At Lancaster School of Architecture we don’t require any specific A level / BTEC subject. Any combination of subjects will work for architecture – often a mix of more creative subjects and science subjects work quite well for architecture.
Find out what A-levels you need if you want to study Architecture at Lancaster University - you may be surprised!
Discover how each A level subject is related to architecture and how they can inform your UCAS statement and portfolio. Follow your passion and get inspired by architecture.
What is so great about studying art is that you will already have some experience at expressing your creative side. Architecture, above all, is about finding innovative and novel solutions to sometimes quite tricky real-world problems. Architecture sits between art and technology combining the best of both these worlds.
If you’re studying engineering, you’ll know how to apply your knowledge in a variety of engineering contexts through project-based study and architecture is a great example of this! Famous architects working between architecture and engineering include Buckminster Fuller, inventor of the geodesic dome, and Calatrava, the designer of amazing bridges!
Physics is at the heart of architecture because every architect needs to understand how their building works at many different levels. Knowledge of the properties of different building materials and how they behave under different conditions (under tension/pressure/different temperatures) is important, particularly when you’re trying to design energy efficient buildings.
Many architects studied maths because it’s so useful. Maths helps when calculating the forces on a beam or the thermal properties of a wall but it’s also valuable in some unexpected ways - maths is central to aesthetics, how ideas of proportion, scale and hierarchy combine to create beautiful forms.
If you’ve studied Drama, you may have experience of lighting, sound or set design, which is ideal for architecture, since architects have to think about how spaces create specific moods or tell a story. Equally, contributing to a performance, you’ll know about team-working and meeting deadlines in a creative context!
History is an extremely useful subject for architecture, you’ll not only learn the history of architecture from the Greeks/Romans onwards but whenever an architect designs a building, they need to understand its historic and cultural context. This can involve archival research and occasionally results in finding, and incorporating, historic remains!
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