Building on a long tradition of innovation and ingenuity, The Bartlett School of Architecture is a community of 1700 students and 400 staff, working across architecture, design and related practices with dedication, inventiveness, intelligence and wit.
Leading in Research and Innovation
Our staff are among the most accomplished in the field and are at the forefront of international research and teaching. They are responsible for pioneering research and award-winning buildings all over the globe.
A Legacy of Excellence
Our students are recognised for their creativity, curiosity and dynamism. In the past 20 years, they have received more RIBA medals than any other school. Many have gone on to occupy leading roles in established practices worldwide and are now part of our vibrant alumni network.
#1 for Research Power
91% of research submitted deemed ‘world leading’ or ‘internationally excellent'.
REF 2021Our Vision
Our vision is to operate as a vital and creative agency in a world in which architecture, as both a method of critical thinking and creative exploration, is valued for its capacity to enhance human experience and understanding, improve global environmental conditions, and provide a constructive and adaptive legacy for future generations.
We seek to encourage big questions that address social, cultural and economic challenges; radical questions that approach history, technology and practice with an open and critical mind; and difficult questions that provoke progressive and imaginative ideas described through speculative projects in design and text.
Our Values
The culture of our school is defined by our sense of community and our commitment to praxis. As a school, we work to instil a sense of community in our members, recognising that our unique life experiences and diverse identities enrich our culture and yield designers more attuned to the nuances and complexities of the world around them. Our community focuses on the student experience and our priority is to cultivate a sense of agency, advocacy and activism in our graduates.
The school is home to some of the most inventive, hybrid and collaborative spatial practices in the world, yielding graduates who are agile, cooperative and ethical practitioners. These variegated spatial practices are the foundation of the school's radical pedagogy. We value and prioritise spatial justice and climate justice. We are dedicated to the decolonisation and decarbonisation of architectural practice and pedagogy. Our community's diversity of spatial practice aspires to a built environment that is more racially, spatially and environmentally just.
Our History
In 1841, UCL became the first British university to appoint a chair of architecture, Thomas Leverton Donaldson, a founding member of the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA). The faculty was later named after its benefactor, engineer and contractor Sir Herbert Bartlett.
Our alumni have made waves in the worlds of architecture, design, manufacturing, education and research, curating, urban planning, governance and policymaking, filmmaking and more. Originally based in the UCL Quadrangle, the school moved to its 22 Gordon Street location in 1974. The building’s refurbishment was completed in 2016 and we expanded to premises in East London in 2018.
External Engagement
Working collaboratively with a broad variety of external partners is at the heart of our external engagement and enterprise activities at The Bartlett School of Architecture. Our aim is to co-produce and collaborate with partners to turn ideas and knowledge into solutions and applied actions that make a positive difference to the world. We build important and long-lasting relationships with partners in industry, the public sector, government departments and agencies, non-governmental organisations, social enterprises, charities and architectural practices.
We use our research expertise and networks to co-produce new insights, to exchange knowledge, to answer pressing questions, to assist in policy and decision-making, to showcase cutting-edge developments in architecture and technology and to communicate with the public.
Working together with UCL Innovation and Enterprise, as well as UCL Consultants and UCL Business, we are able to advise on how best to structure and run collaborative projects. Whether you are a social enterprise seeking co-funding opportunities, or an established company wishing to fund a particular project, we can tailor partnerships and projects to suit your needs.
If you’re interested in working with us, please contact Julia Backhaus, Director of External Engagement at The Bartlett School of Architecture.
Locations and Resources
Explore The Bartlett’s locations, studios, workshops and specialist facilities that support creativity, innovation, research and teaching in the built environment.
Design Units
At The Bartlett, design is in our DNA: over the last 25 years, our unit structure has become a defining feature of studying design-led subjects at the School.