The Environmental and Technical Studies (ETS) programme enables students at all stages of their architectural education to materialise the ideas, concepts and ambitions that develop in the work of the school’s units and provides them with the knowledge necessary to make reasoned and informed design decisions. ETS invites creative collaboration with the material demands of individual design studio and unit agendas, and centres on a series of detailed discussions with experts in the fields of architecture and engineering. These lectures engage a wide range of disciplines and cultivate a substantial base of knowledge, which students go on to develop through case studies of contemporary fabrication processes, constructed artefacts and building processes. These case studies encourage critical reflection and invite experimentation with different ideas and techniques. Students acquire practical knowledge and develop a set of principles through which they can negotiate the technical requirements of construction in unforeseen futures and unpredictable contexts.

Second Year focuses on case studies, analyses and material experimentation alongside a selection of required courses that ensure each student explores a range of different structures, materials and environments. These courses prepare students for the Third Year, when they synthesise the knowledge they have gained through lecture coursework and workshops to develop a detailed technical Design Project. Students conduct design research to explore and resolve the technical issues of the main project of their design unit, with the guidance of ETS tutors, enabling them to make informed decisions through problem-solving and experimentation. The aim of the Design Project is to integrate work with that of the design unit, supporting this with specialised information through seminars, lectures and research trips. ETS aims to reinforce the plurality and variety of the Intermediate Programme by adapting the requirements of the Design Project to each individual unit agenda.

Environment and Materials
Compulsory Course: Term 1
Tutors: Giles Bruce, Dalia Frontini, Joana Gonçalves, Danae Poliviou, Tom Raymont, Camila Rock de Luigi, Amadeo Scofone, Chiara Tuffanelli
This course explores the influence of material and environmental factors in the design process. Through lectures and practical workshops, students will examine how design can respond intelligently to both climate and material context, balancing performance with user experience. In line with the CinnovatE pan-European education initiative, this course places strong emphasis on circular design and innovation. Students will engage with a range of methodologies, applying their learning to create design solutions that are environmentally and materially informed.

Structural Typologies and Design
Compulsory Course: Term 2
Tutors: Matteo Attanasio, Katherine Chimenes, Ellie Clark, Joseph Eyles, Cíaran Malik, Anna Mestre
This course develops students’ knowledge of the broad range of structural elements available to architects, exploring how they work and how they can be combined to create architectural structures. In the first part of the course, the key principles of different structural elements and forces are introduced, and students will work independently to research, photograph and explain these. A series of building and testing exercises will follow, after which students design, build and test two structures that combine different structural elements.