ABOUT
AkiVAL is a student-curated exhibition that showcases selected projects spanning from the 3-year BA (Arch) course to the 2-year M (Arch) programme, as well as other programmes offered by the Department of Architecture. This display not only reflects the teaching methods of the Department of Architecture but also serves as a joyful celebration of students’ creative endeavors. In addition to the showcase, the event incorporates interactive programmes and workshops related to architecture and sustainability, encouraging active engagement from the public and potential students. AkiVAL serves as a platform where participants, including students, educators, industry professionals, and the public, can engage in meaningful conversations about our progress, achievements, and ambitions as aspiring architects.
SPECULATIVE TERRAINS:
How do we live when the ground itself is shifting, eroded by water, mined for resources, and mapped by data? Speculative Terrains begins from this instability, asking what forms of architecture might arise when permanence gives way to adaptation and care. The works gathered here trace fragile ecologies already in motion: small rehearsals for coexistence between material, climate, and technology
RESPONSIVE ECOLOGIES
EXHIBITION DETAILS
GRAND OPENING | BY INVITE ONLY
FRIDAY, 3RD JULY 2026 | 7PM - 9:15PM
EXHIBITION RUN
FRIDAY, 3RD JULY 2026 - FRIDAY, 24TH JULY 2026
ARCHITECTURE DIALOGUE | OPEN TO PUBLIC
SUSTAINABILITY & TECHNOLOGY
SATURDAY, 11TH JULY 2026 | 2PM - 4:30PM
EXHIBITION DETAILS
VENUE
SDE3 LEVEL 1, NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF SINGAPORE
4 ARCHITECTURE DRIVE, SINGAPORE 117566
OPENING HOURS
10AM - 5PM
The themes for the first year of BA (Arch) programme allude towards the foundation of architectural education. The modules provided serve to introduce basic methods of visual communication, spatial design theory and discussion, equipping students with requisite grounding to develop visual language.
In these two semesters, students learn through analysing and emulating existing architecture. They embark on a guided exploration of architecture through the investigation of ordering principles, materiality and engagement with the contextual environment.
Semester 1 | Seeing, Thinking, Making
Semester 2 | Scale, Precedent, Context
YEAR 1
The themes for the first half of the second year of BA (Arch) programme introduces students to the more tangible aspects of architecture. In the field, it exists as structural elements of architecture, programmatic responses, and reactions to its site.
Following the first semester, students then learn how their designs not only play a vital role in manipulating climate within a space, but also how its envelope can react to different climatic conditions.
Semester 1 | Aggregation, Structure, Space
Semester 2 | Environment, Climate, Envelope
YEAR 2
The themes for the third year of BA (Arch) programme investigate the demand of architecture in an urban context and introduce to students notions of urbanism which govern the cities that our societies reside in today.
Students would explore dynamics between man and architecture of urban environments and push boundaries of their integration through innovative technologies. In this final year of the programme, design projects demand a holistic awareness of architecture in relation to social relationships and surrounding environmental context.
Semester 1 | Density, Urbanism, Publicness
Semester 2 | Systems, Comprehensiveness, Integration
YEAR 3
The two option studios for M (Arch) 1 AY25/26 programme establish the foundation for master level creative research and design.
The students are provided an opportunity to select a variety of studio topics that allows them to explore themes that align with their individual interests and intellectual drive. Students would explore thematic questions pertaining architectural design research and navigate these themes through empirical and visual methods. The research are then translated into architectural approaches, techniques and strategies that takes into account its impact on the social, urban and natural environments.
Semester 1 & 2 | Preliminary Option & Elective Studios
YEAR 4
The NUS Master of Architecture M (Arch) stands as a premier design and research program in Asia. It places a strong emphasis on architectural design expertise, recognizing architecture as a cultural endeavor involving both speculative thought and practical implementation. The program fosters students’ acquisition of knowledge and development of critical perspectives crucial for their future creative endeavors. Spanning four semesters, these studios, including the Design Options Studios and the Graduate Level Design Thesis Programme, delve into various issues through research-oriented design approaches. Students are encouraged to think critically and engage in iterative design processes, enhancing their architectural design skills through complex and practical exercises.
Semester 1 | Advanced Design Studio
Semester 2 | Independent Thesis Project
YEAR 5
The four-year Bachelor of Landscape Architecture and the two-year Master of Landscape Architecture Programmes imbue students with a deep understanding of the dual nature of design as both a process and a product.
Landscape design is prioritized to not just be creative but one that is grounded in socio-cultural sensitivities, ecological knowledge and grasp of conventional and emergent technologies and techniques. The programme is a distinctively Asian and pantropical in its geographic attention and urban in its emphasis. The design education the students receive are sensitive to the myriad of challenges that are faced by Asian cities and the opportunities provided by the sheer richness of heritage, cultural and socio-economic and socioeconomic prospects of the ecological elements if the region.
BACHELOR & MASTER
LANDSCAPE
MUP: Master of Urban Planning
The program focuses on leveraging Asian cities’ experiences for urban planning, emphasizing highdensity living, ecological sensitivity, and social equity. Graduates are prepared for roles as urban planning professionals in rapidly urbanizing areas.
MaUD: Master of Urban Design
The program offers a unique learning experience in design innovation, aiming to equip graduates with advanced knowledge and entrepreneurial skills to advance urban design in a rapidly urbanizing world.
MAArC: Master of Arts in Architectural Conservation
The program provides comprehensive training in historic building conservation, offering a unique perspective on Asian cultures and preparing students for careers in conservation.
MSc ISD: Master of Integrated Sustainable Design
The program addresses global sustainability challenges at both building and urban scales, integrating knowledge from various disciplines. It focuses on Asian urbanization and welcomes students from diverse backgrounds.
MASTERS
