The Sustainable Architecture MArch (Part 2) course at Centre for Alternative Technology teaches students the core principles of sustainable architecture.

The Sustainable Architecture MArch course allows students to respond quickly to the urgent need for a greater understanding of sustainability issues in the built environment.

This course allows you to combine design-based academic study with hands-on learning, expanding your critical awareness of current architectural and environmental problems.

It will enable you to develop new insights, drawing on the skills and knowledge of in-house experts and external designers and sustainable architects.

Monthly intensive residential study weeks at CAT offer students an immersive learning experience, studying in award-winning buildings made from earth, straw, hemp and timber, all designed with environmental impact in mind.

Available full-time for 22 months or part-time over three years the course structure has been designed to accommodate students who wish to maintain a limited amount of employment or other commitments.

Full-time students spend an average of 35 hours per week on their studies, attending CAT for one week every month and supported through online study.

This course is created and delivered by CAT and is validated by the University of East London (UEL).

Successful completion of the programme leads to the award of an ARB Master of Architecture (MArch) by UEL and CAT.

School: Graduate School of the Environment, Centre for Alternative Technology (CAT)
Course: Sustainable Architecture MArch (Part 2)
Type: Postgraduate
Location: Machynlleth, Wales
Course dates: September 2026 to June 2028 (full-time) or September 2026 to August 2029 (part-time)
Application deadline: 10 June 2026

Find out more about the course and apply ›

What will I learn during this course?

– Practical application – the ability to evaluate and understand the practical aspects of implementing designs and construction in practice with particular emphasis on sustainability
– Professional practice – an understanding of the professional, legal and ethical duties of an architect in relation to their clients, the profession and to society and to the principles and procedures that are necessary for sound architectural practice
– Material literacy – knowledge of a wide selection of sustainable building systems, low-impact construction methods, sustainable materials and circular building principles
– Critical and evaluative thinking – the ability to understand the complex processes of architectural exploration and resolution, with particular emphasis on the wider environmental debate

What are the requirements?

– Undergraduate degree carrying an exemption from ARB Part I or a relevant undergraduate degree
– Participants with a relevant undergraduate degree that does not carry an exemption from ARB's Part 1 examination will be required to successfully complete the ARB's Part 1 examination before registering as an architect in the UK
– Digital portfolio of work
– IELTS 6.5 (or equivalent) is required for applicants whose first language is not English

What facilities and resources are available?

– Shared studio space where students can meet, have tutorials and review work
– Circular auditorium with seven-metre high, rammed earth walls and tiered seating
– Outdoor workshop spaces for practical hands-on building with a range of sustainable materials such as timber, straw, hemp-lime and earth
– A diverse and inspiring range of sustainable architecture projects on-site that have been built over the years by students and CAT, including the WISE Building which won the RIBA award in 2011
– Twin or double en-suite rooms that offer views across the Dulas valley and CAT's sustainably managed woodlands and gardens

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