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Postgraduate study
Advanced Home Futures

Advanced Home Futures MSc

Developed adhering to TV architect George Clarke’s MOBIE modular building concept and advanced home construction principles, this course is designed to revolutionise the building and construction of houses and homes.

 

Course overview

Explore the innovative designs and construction of new homes, conceptualising prototypes of how we will live in the future and the exciting new materials and building techniques that are becoming available.

You develop knowledge of housing design and are introduced to the role of computer aided design, building information modelling and model making. These are all developed alongside a multidisciplinary approach to understanding the housing provision for health, wellbeing and universal needs creating a learning experience that disrupts and challenges the concept of ‘home’ as we traditionally know it.

Hosted by the School of Arts & Creative Industries, this course has academic input drawn from across the University to consider housing design, materials and technology, the role of the home in health and wellbeing and in society, and methods of effectively managing projects and leading change. You learn about concepts of sustainability, design thinking, design processes and technological innovations and you are challenged to develop new ideas and approaches to the housing and homes for the future. This course emphasises group work and collaborative learning and mixes practical and theoretical experiences.

George Clarke’s social enterprise, the Ministry of Building, Innovation, Education (MOBIE), is kickstarting a fundamental change to the building industry and our courses have been designed to adhere closely to the modular building concept and advanced home construction principles of MOBIE.

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Course details

Course structure

Core modules

Future Home Design Project

This module enables multidisciplinary teams to identify, lead and manage a large-scale, original and complex project related to innovative building and home design. The module is one year long but focuses on semester 3. The project is a substantial piece of work where you are expected to display a deep understanding of innovative building design and the critical skills necessary to identify, develop and implement solutions to real-world problems.

Assessment is through a project output (such as a digital model, physical structure, 10,000-word dissertation or equivalent) which outlines and evaluates your contribution to the multidisciplinary innovative building design project in which you are involved. The module is further assessed by a 20-minute viva, with 10 minutes for questions, where you present, discuss and defend your project, allowing you to evaluate and reflect critically on the identification, rationale, planning, implementation, sustainability and success of the project.

Future Houses

A dramatic increase in the construction of new housing is essential to meet current demand for homes. This module enables you to understand the major trends shaping future housing demand and to acquire the skills to inform the design and development of sustainable housing fit for the 21st century. This multidisciplinary module addresses how socio-demographic factors (for example, ageing populations and increasing numbers of single person households), environmental constraints (land availability, climate change) and technologies (digitisation) impact on the number and type of homes required for future housing demand in the UK.

You learn about new ways of living (for example, live/work, shared living, retirement communities) and innovative approaches to housing design (micro-houses) and construction. This includes a detailed exploration of methods of construction (such as the use of off-site manufacture and prefabrication and alternative building materials) and co-design strategies that place citizens at the centre of the design and delivery of housing. You have an opportunity to visit a manufacturing or fabrication plant and/or exemplar housing projects.

Future Thinking Technologies

You work collaboratively to investigate and research existing and emerging technologies related to networked devices, intelligent systems, the Internet of Things and other digital trends, and how these could enhance the built environment. Working with and securing opinions of local, national and international building and architectural practices to inform pioneering ideas is a key part of your learning. You work in teams to develop a visual online diary with each team member posting comments, opinions and research you have investigated. Using the rich resources developed through the online diary your team will challenge perceptions of what a digitally connected living space is, publishing your findings and future thinking through online and print media.

You are assessed through a team project where you research emerging digital technologies and consider how these could improve the end-user experience of the built environment. You compile an indexed, tagged, cross-referenced portfolio of evidence which contributes to the overall team online portfolio of research. You then use the collective portfolio and present your research findings either as a visual media-based presentation or a more traditional research paper for submission to an academic journal.

House and Home

This multidisciplinary module introduces you to the social, cultural and economic aspects of houses, living spaces and dwellings. You study the history of 20th and 21st century housing and communities including UK and international innovations in housing, spatial design and community design models and construction. You explore the cultural understanding of home, community and place. You discuss the impact of changing government policies, changing demographics, tension between rental markets and home ownership, and the influence of new technology on housing construction and provision. You also discuss the relationship between process and product and consider the changing role of the patron, user, client and designer during the industrial age. You are assessed by a journal review article and project with presentations.

Managing Innovation

You are introduced to the principles, skills and processes involved in leading and managing multidisciplinary teams, developing business models for housing projects, and fostering approaches to stakeholder engagement. You focus on developing communication, negotiation and advocacy skills. This module incorporates leadership diagnostic tools to aid self-assessment and develop personal action plans to enhance your effectiveness and leadership capability.

You deliver an individual 15-minute presentation to a panel of industry experts. The presentation focuses on addressing one of the key issues within the UK housing industry discussed throughout the course of the module. You are able to choose your own presentation format for the assessment, agreed with the module leader at the start of the module. The presentation is supported by an individual written action plan (1,500 words minimum) drawing on your engagement with the diagnostic tool and the experiential learning gained from the module.

 

Modules offered may vary.

 

How you learn

You learn through immersive learning with students working closely together as an integrated learning community engaged in a wide range of individual and group-based learning activities. Informal lecture sessions are used to deliver theoretical content and concepts, practical demonstrations or interactive whole-cohort exercises. In addition to this there are enquiry based active learning, research and discussion based sessions.

Practical sessions are used to apply theoretical knowledge in a practical context, or to support other activities such as group work or client-facing/industry related activities, discussion and critique.

Workshops and studio sessions are used primarily to develop design thinking and design communication skills and to support the acquisition of digital and physical construction skills.

Core modules

  • House and Home
  • Future Thinking Technologies
  • Future Houses
  • Managing Innovation
  • Future Home Design Project


How you are assessed

You are assessed within each module through a variety of methods including writing reports, creating artefacts and presentations. Each focuses on assessment methods which embed the culture of multidisciplinarity into the course.

 

Entry requirements

You are expected to be qualified to at least a 2.2 honours degree. Relevant professional experience is also considered.

For general information please see our overview of entry requirements

International applicants can find out what qualifications they need by visiting Your Country

 

Employability

Career opportunities

You are challenged to develop new ideas and approaches to housing and homes for the future. Graduate career opportunities exist primarily in the home design and construction industry, but also in town and social housing planning and management.

 

Information for international applicants

Qualifications

International applicants - find out what qualifications you need by selecting your country below.

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Useful information

Visit our international pages for useful information for non-UK students and applicants.

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Full-time

2024/25 entry

Fee for UK applicants
£7,365 a year

More details about our fees

Fee for international applicants
£17,000 a year

More details about our fees for international applicants

  • Length: September enrolment: 1 year. January enrolment: 16 months.
  • Start date: September or January
  • Semester dates

Apply now (full-time)

 

Part-time

2024/25 entry

Fee for UK applicants
£820 for each 20 credits

More details about our fees

  • Length: September enrolment: 2 years. January enrolment: 28 months.
  • Attendance: Typically one day a week
  • Start date: September or January
  • Semester dates

Apply now (part-time)

Apply now (part-time)

 

Choose Teesside

  • In pictures
     
  • On video

    MSc Advanced Home Futures

    Students Darragh O’Keeffe and Emma Bidgood on why you should study George Clarke’s unique postgraduate course here at Teesside University.

     
  • Student and graduate profiles
    Emma Bidgood

    Emma Bidgood

    MSc Advanced Home Futures

    Teesside University is warm, welcoming and full of lots of incredible people, you'll be surprised how comfortable you feel here.

    Meet Emma

     
  • News

    Some of the work on display at the MSc Advanced Home Futures degree show.. Link to View the pictures. First MOBIE cohort showcase ground-breaking home designs
    Ground-breaking developments in architecture and design have been showcased at Teesside University’s first ever MOBIE degree show.

    Read the full story

     
 
 

Get in touch

UK students

Email: saci-admissions@tees.ac.uk

Telephone: 01642 738801


Online chat (general enquiries)

International students

Email: internationalenquiries@tees.ac.uk

Telephone: +44 (0) 1642 738900


More international contacts

 

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