London has long been a creative centre for architecture, with countless beautiful properties to take inspiration from. Students flock to the city to study to become an architect in London, but many question marks have been raised regarding the quality of tuition they receive. Only one of the ten institutions in the capital regularly graces the global top ten for education in the field. London School of Architecture (LSA) hopes to change this though with their new approach to tuition.

The traditional formula for architecture study involves three years of undergraduate study, a two year post-graduate course and an additional two years of practical experience before you can take final exams. This method has been largely unchanged for a very long time and is being pointed at as a reason why the quality is lagging behind other countries.

The teaching method is also coming in for criticism because of the costs. With high fees per year graduates can be saddled with £40,000 or more in debt by the time they are qualified. During training it can be a struggle to find a job offering a suitable salary to support themselves too.

The LSA is piloting a new way of teaching. They will take post-graduates and deliver a two year degree that will see them gather experience at the same time as they are studying. During the first year students will spend half of their time working for one of 43 local architectural practices, gaining valuable experience that would otherwise take them two years to gather. The rest of the time will be spent studying. The second year will be primarily study so they can finish their education and get ready for the next steps in their career.

The new approach is designed to be more dynamic and better suit the needs of students. On top of this tuition will cost around £6,000 a year, delivering savings over other courses. When working at an architectural firm the students will be paid a minimum £12,000 salary which would completely cover their fees if they wish.

The LSA will be unique because it won’t be based on a campus. Instead the whole city will become the university, providing fantastic inspiration for budding architects. The idea is cutting edge and could completely transform how architectural tuition is delivered. We look forward to seeing how this leads to the development of the next exciting and innovative architect in London.