Architecture

On the Master in Architecture, you will reflect on socially sustainable values and develop your own architectural and social attitude.

This degree is run as a cooperation master’s programme with HES-SO Fribourg and HES-SO Genève. You will benefit from the different specialisations of the three partner universities and the cultural exchange between the 150 students.

Master’s thesis on the topic of “15-Minuten-Stadt-Universität Bern – Eine städtebauliche Vision” for the Länggasse district in Bern

Start your degree programme in the autumn or spring semester.

Factsheet

  • Title/Degree Master of Arts (MA) in Architecture
  • Specialisations «Regenerative architecture & wood»
    «Cooperative architecture of the open city»
  • Mode of study Full-time (4 semesters), Part-time (7 semesters)
  • Start date 17 February 2025
    15 September 2025
  • Application deadline 31 October 2024
    31 May 2025
  • ECTS credits 120 ECTS
  • Teaching language German (English, French)
    Common modules with students from Fribourg and Geneva are taught in English and French. All written work can be submitted in German, English or French.
  • Location Biel city lab, individual seminars in Fribourg and Geneva
  • School School of Architecture, Wood and Civil Engineering

Focus areas

You will gain in-depth specialist knowledge in conceptual and constructional design in the two focus areas of ‘Architecture & Wood’ and ‘Architecture & Area. You will gain an insight into applied research and innovative practice, opening up your prospects.

What you will gain from your degree

As an architect with a master’s degree, you will acquire the professional tools required for the integral implementation of complex architectural and planning tasks – from strategic planning to competitive tender projects through to actual development. You are willing to work as a project manager in Switzerland or abroad, to engage in networking activities and to assume responsibility in independent projects.

You will get plenty of opportunity and time to develop your own visions during the programme. You choose your own master’s thesis topic, profiling yourself as an architect.

The specialisations

Choose your preferred focus area and design your studies according to your interests.

Regenerative architecture & wood

Regenerative construction methods improve the indoor and urban climate and contribute to climate-friendly cities and settlements.

The Regenerative architecture & wood focus area will provide you extensive expertise in timber building culture and wood as a material. You will combine wood with other resource-conserving, bio-based building materials such as clay, natural fibres and natural stone to generate sustainable building concepts while adopting a holistic approach of ecosystems, energy and material cycles. You will learn to improve traditional Baukultur and combine it with modern planning and production methods with the aim of making resource-conserving construction sustainable and competitive.

schwerpunkt regenerative architektur

Cooperative architecture of the open city

The Cooperative architecture of the open city focus area will provide you the skills to grasp the complex social, economic, and ecological correlations pertaining to neighborhood and urban development. You will learn how to operate successfully in today’s dynamic urban and settlement development using cooperative and interdisciplinary practices. In close, creative collaboration with local actors, the population, public authorities and experts from various disciplines, you will design meaningful and sustainable development processes that improve the quality of our built environment in the long term.

schwerpunkt kooperative stadtentwicklung

Admission requirements

Bachelor’s degree in architecture and application file with portfolio

Advice + information

Do you have any questions about the degree programme? The head of programme, lecturers and students will answer your questions at our info events.

Advice

Your choice of education or continuing education programme is a major decision. We would be pleased to offer you a personal consultation to answer your questions and explain the requirements for the programme you are interested in.

Info event

Our online info events tell you all you need to know about our programme, our admission requirements and your subsequent career prospects. Our students give you their personal take on daily life on campus and share their experiences.

In addition, you can visit us at an Open Atelier day at the Biel city lab.

Next dates

The registration option and all information on the upcoming info events and Open Ateliers 2024/25 will be published here at the end of August.

Location + facilities

You will study for the Master in Architecture at the Biel city lab in the heart of the city. This is also home to the Dencity research competence area, which focuses on spatial development topics. The city lab is an initiative of the Biel professional and interest associations, the City of Biel and Bern University of Applied Sciences.

Location

The Biel city lab can be reached in around 3 minutes on foot from the railway station.

No parking spaces are available at the Biel city lab. Parking is available at the “Bahnhofparking” car park.

Biel/Bienne, Aarbergstrasse 112

Infrastructure

As a student you will get a personal workplace on the ground floor. The large window provides great views of vibrant city life. There are also a library and workspaces for lecturers and employees on the ground floor.

On the basement level, you have access to a small workshop for model construction as well as plotters and printers for your presentations.

Aarbergstrasse 112, Biel/Bienne

Bern University of Applied Sciences

School of Architecture, wood, civil engineering
Stadtlabor Biel
Aarbergstrasse 112
CH-2502 Biel/Bienne

+41 34 426 42 33

masterarchitektur.ahb@bfh.ch