City School of Architecture 32 Years of Excellence in Architectural Education
The City School of Architecture (CSA) with a history of over 32 years offers a path in architectural education towards a career in the building industry with a broadbased teaching and learning process, rooted in the real world of practice. CSA is an accredited School of the Sri Lanka Institute of Architects (SLIA). It also received The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) full accreditation for its Parts I and II Courses in January 2011 and was unconditionally re-accredited in March 2016 for the next five years.
Speaking to the Education Times, Senior Lecturer and Deputy Head Part I Architect. Nandika Denipitiya and Senior Lecturer and Deputy Head PART II Architect. Surangi Gunawardena shared their thoughts about the courses and experiences offered by CSA.
Q: Tell us more about the courses offered.
The School offers two courses of study leading to the professional qualifications in Architecture.
The three-year full time Part I leads to the CSA Diploma in Architectural Studies and gives the option of a Bachelor of Architecture (Hons) Architecture degree from the University of the West of England (UWE) Bristol, UK.
The three-year Part II course has a Part Time work and study component built into it and leads to the CSA Higher Diploma in Architecture with the option of a Master of Architecture and Environmental Design Degree from the UWE Bristol, UK.
Q: What makes CSA the best educational environment for a student to study Architecture?
CSA advocates equal opportunities policy and encourages participation of male and female students. The diversity in age, cultural and social backgrounds in every batch of students, broadens students’ views and brings together diverse personalities to create a wholesome environment for higher learning.
Design is the core focus of the course and is conducted as interactive studios. An atmosphere of critical debate, innovative design thinking and a quest for creative design is encouraged through the faculty, tutors, critiques and resource persons drawn from the practice and academia, giving balanced teaching inputs. Peer interaction and reviews are also encouraged.
Theory subjects, site and field visits, local and international visits experiencing Architecture, joint study programmes with foreign universities, participation in local and foreign student conventions, apprenticing in a trainer practice – all offer the CSA students the necessary peripheral inputs to reinforce their design thinking and design skills to enrich them to become ‘Tomorrows Architects’.
Q: What are the minimum qualifications that are required to enrol for the course?
For Part I, students need to have three passes in Advanced Level (A/ Ls) in one and the same sitting and they have to have a minimum credit pass for English and Mathematics in their Ordinary Level (O/Ls), and also pass the Aptitude Test and Interview conducted by CSA.
Q: Tell us about the student culture within CSA.
There’s an interactive student culture within CSA. Apart from the studies we encourage student to excel their talents in performing arts, sports, student social activities, Jamborees, and International exposure through Student Conventions, International Study tours, summer schools and Design Competitions, workshops etc. Our students have won numerous prestigious academic awards locally and Internationally.
Q: How about the cost factor? Are there any scholarships?
The course fee is quite competitive. There are many private and International schools for the secondary Education in Sri Lanka, they may have to go abroad to do their higher studies. So there’s a major cost difference between those who study Architecture locally when compared to study abroad. We have partnered with the University of West of England (UWE) Bristol, UK since 2011 therefore, the students get an opportunity to get a UK Degree qualification, but this is optional. In addition to that, both CSA Diploma courses are accredited by the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) London, UK and Sri Lanka Institute of Architects (SLIA) Therefore, students who successfully complete CSA Diplomas get exemptions from SLIA and RIBA, PART I and PART II Courses. CSA offers an alternative path to become a professional qualified Charted Architect with worldwide recognition for the students who cannot enter in to the state university or foreign Universities.
The City School of Architecture offers a scholarship to the student achieving the Overall Best Performance (highest aggregate marks in Design & Theory Subjects) at the CSA Diploma in Architectural Studies.
The scholarship student would have his/her course fees waived for the CSA–Part II years of study (Years 5,6 & 7). Two other partial scholarships – one on academic merit and the other on academic merit and financial need is offered through to students depending on their performance at the CSA Diploma in Architectural Studies.
Also now scholarships are available for Part I exceptionally talented students in the 2nd and 3rd Years. And there are other numerous awards and cash prices for PART I and PART II students depending on their academic performances.
Q: How is the interest among the younger generation to study Architecture?
Nowadays it is progressing and many students are interested in Architecture.
Q: How well is Sri Lanka equipped to accommodate Architects?
All of our students are employed in Sri Lanka and abroad. Most of our students are involved with new mega projects coming up in the city.
Q: Architecture is a prestigious profession. What message do you have for parents?
Architecture Is a challenging and interesting profession. If you have the passion and the commitment, he / she will excel. After completing CSA Part I & Part II courses, it will lead students to do Part III professional Practice Examination at the Sri Lanka Institute of Architects (SLIA) to become a qualified Charted Architect in Sri Lanka.
By Kamanthi Wickramasinghe