William Jones
- Course
- Architecture BArch
- Subject area
- Architecture, Building and Civil Engineering
I was initially attracted to Loughborough University because of the well-founded and prestigious engineering School and its reputation, as well as the impressive sports facilities and the campus. Once I found out about the Architecture course and went for an open day, it felt perfect and really comfortable.
Architecture is truly like no other course. For me, it is a perfect balance of art and engineering, which I both enjoyed thoroughly in school. I was keen to satisfy my love for art and still express myself creatively, as well as my yearning to understand how things are built and the enjoyment of making things both digitally and by hand.
I find the Architecture course incredibly exciting. There is never a dull moment as we cover such a range of skills and topics. I love the sense of togetherness that the studio space facilitates as well as the depth and detail we are encouraged to go into for so many aspects of a project.
We have fantastic support from tutors with their open door policy, who are always happy to help and have an evident passion for the course in their respective fields.
The digital and analogue fabrication labs are incredibly useful, in conjunction with our studio space and the computer labs. It is great to go through every step of the design process - from desktop sketching and drawing, 3D modelling, virtual reality visualisations and final building modelling.
One of my favourite projects was during my second year, which was the ‘debatable lands’ project for a visitor centre on the Anglo-Scottish border in Carlisle. We were able to really get to grips with the building and have a great site visit to an area with interesting characteristics and a fascinating history. At the time, it was the most in-depth project at a large scale that we had worked on.
The University and the School offer their students a lot of support. For example, I can have meetings with my personal tutor as frequently as I want, where I can talk about any aspect of University life. It can be very helpful if I am ever feeling stressed or need help with something.
It is a relatively young course, which enables it to be current and refreshing. It is hugely exciting, and I am always challenging myself. It also has the infrastructure of the existing courses within the School of Architecture, Building and Civil Engineering that it is integrated with.
I am currently pursuing a placement for next year, which I am excited about. I cannot wait to get some more hands-on experience within the field, for me to then return in the 4th year with another viewpoint and lots of other useful skills. Once I graduate from the BArch (Hons) Architecture course and have done some more travelling, I aim to start my part 2 master’s degree in Architecture, possibly here at Loughborough. My undergraduate degree has given me a great foundation to build on, along with the School’s reputation, for the rest of my career.
The social atmosphere on campus is super friendly and safe. There is always something to get involved in, whatever you are into. You get to know loads of great people right away when you start your journey at Loughborough.
My favourite thing about being a Loughborough student is being part of a great university with fantastic facilities in all fields that I can always use. The proximity of everything on campus and around the town makes everything super simple.