Paris-Malaquais School of Architecture defines itself as an international school open to all, taking in students with a variety of profiles. The school offers a broader vision of architectural culture and practices, not confined to building projects but rather encompassing land management and planning, urban regeneration, the design of public spaces, the rehabilitation of buildings, the circular economy, research and programming.

The school’s orientations underscore the intellectual, artistic and technical nature of architectural education and professional practice. The school defends educational methods centred on architectural design while at the same time covering the necessary common ground with its theoretical courses.

The school sets out to be a place for developing knowledge of architecture, towns and the environment, combining experimentation, research and teaching. Lastly it seeks to be a place for debate and dialogue at Parisian, national, European and international level.

The school calls on external figures to ensure regular confrontation with external criticism. Convinced of the need to overcome the gaps between research and practice or theoretical knowledge and professional skills, the school is committed to an active and inclusive pedagogy thus promoting a complex and innovative vision of architecture and the territory. Each year, the school’s team of around 80 teacher-researchers is supplemented, depending on the teaching, by more than 150 external professional speakers.

School teachers

The idea of forming groups of teachers from various disciplines sharing the same point of view of architecture was brought to fruition at Paris-Malaquais School of Architecture in the form of departments. The disciplines imposed by statutory texts (see below) are not organized by department but shared by all the departments according to the issues that bring the teachers together in departments.

Accordingly, these departments transcend the division between disciplines or narrow visions of specialization. The departments define the course content offered to master’s students, on the understanding that students can follow courses offered by several departments. Year after year the departments develop their courses to ensure they are in tune with evolving reality, that of our built-up environments and related technologies.

The 6 departments at Paris-Malaquais School of Architecture :

• Art Architecture Policy (AAP)
• Architectural Practices, Situations and Strategies (PASS)
• Digital Matters (DM)
• Theory, History, Project (THP)
• Mutations
• Transitions

The disciplinary fields of the teaching of architecture :

→ ATR – Arts and representational techniques : plastic and visual arts ; representations of architecture → HCA – Architectural history and cultures : histories and theories of architecture and urban forms ; history of cultures, arts and techniques
→ SHSA – Sciences of man and society for architecture : human and social sciences ; economic and legal sciences
→ STA – Sciences and techniques for architecture : construction, engineering, mastery of moods ; mathematical and computing tools
→ TPCAU – Theory and practice of architectural and urban design
→ VT – City and territories : urban planning and projects ; geography and landscapes

With its diversified teaching program, Paris-Malaquais School of Architecture trains architects capable of tackling the numerous needs of a changing world. It is a place for debate and experimentation. Among other things it teaches architecture projects in a studio, the theory and history of architecture, the methods and digital tools needed for computer aided design and manufacturing (CAD/CAM), multimedia, construction, environmental ecology and draftsmanship. The school strives to push the boundaries of architecture as a discipline by eliciting contributions from other fields.

The school endeavors to construct its teaching by strengthening the links between training and research and developing and adding value to research activities and ensuring continuity between bachelor’s degree (BA), master’s degree (MA) and doctorate (PhD).

It also encourages collaboration with professionals and in its courses it regularly schedules readings by theorists, practitioners and builders. Training architects involves not just traditional instructional teaching (readings, project studios, practicals) but also other forms of instruction that Paris-Malaquais School of Architecture has focused on : intensive sessions, workshops, public adjudicating panels open to external personalities, educational trips, public conferences, international symposia, in-house and external exhibitions, academic, cultural and industrial partnerships, etc.

Throughout their studies, students actively create their personal course and pathway, selecting from a range of courses where it is accepted that one cannot teach or learn everything. The permanent construction of personal pathways and their significance results in a chart of the interests and concerns of a generation of students. That provides the potential for constant development of the courses’ content.

Students have more and more freedom of choice as their course of study progresses.

In accordance with the European harmonization of higher education, architecture studies are structured in three cycles: bachelor’s degree, master’s degree and PhD in architecture. After the master’s degree course, students can choose to do a one-year architect project manager accreditation course (HMONP in French), which allows them to become members of the Architects Association (Ordre des architectes in French).

BACHELOR’S DEGREE

The first cycle of six semesters (S1 to S6) leads to a diploma of studies in architecture conferring the degree of license. The first year builds the student’s view of the design of the city and architecture. The second year presents the tools, methods and themes of the architectural project. The third year develops specific approaches to the design and construction of the architectural project, such as those of high environmental quality.
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MASTER’S DEGREE

The second four-semester cycle leads to a state-registered master’s degree in architecture. The first three semesters revolve around the architectural project, a research seminar, developments and one internship. Through such choices, students personalize this common core syllabus that ends with the writing of a dissertation. The fourth semester is devoted to the final year project.
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PHD

This three-year course leads to a PhD in architecture. Paris-Malaquais School of Architecture’s ACS, GSA and LIAT laboratories are authorized to issue the architecture PhD by their parent doctoral schools preparing students for an architecture PhD.
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PERSONAL QUALIFICATION AS AN ARCHITECT PROJECT MANAGER (HMONP IN FRENCH)

To practice in their own name, architects having a state-recognized qualification must complete a one-year course, further to which the HMONP is awarded to them. This course includes 150 hours of coursework and lectures at Paris-Malaquais School of Architecture and an intership of at least 6 months.
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EXPERIMENTAL EDUCATION

→ Intensive sessions
These short one-week sessions immerse students in a specific technique or subject. 2nd-year digital sessions let students discover digital design software. 3rd-year digital sessions focus on the fabrication of digitally-designed objects.

→ Intercycle intensive sessions
Between semesters, students in a year must choose one of roughly twenty projects ranging from theatre to site works offered by external specialists in their field sponsored by the school’s teachers.

→ Workshops
Often offered within the framework of academic or professional partnerships, these one-week workshops enable students to meet students from other schools or international students around a shared subject.

INTRODUCTION TO RESEARCH

Paris-Malaquais School of Architecture attach great value to research in its educational grid. Introduction to research starts in the 1st cycle, in the 3rd year (bachelor’s degree). It continues and intensifies significantly in the 2nd cycle, master’s degree (research seminar over three semesters).

It is during the master’s seminars that the link between departments and research teams manifests itself best, as the departments must necessarily play host to research lecturers accredited to lead research work in order to be constituted and to propose the research mention for the final year project.