Free Advanced Architectural Principles Courses
Many prestigious institutes are now offering the lectures and slide shows from courses in a wide range of topics for free access online. When trying to find college-level information on architecture, try the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
MIT
MIT's Open CourseWare (OCW) documents a huge number of courses as they were taught in the school. MIT's architectural department is split into five disciplines: architectural design, art culture and technology, building technology, computation, and history theory and criticism. MIT also offers architectural programs with specific focuses such as Islamic architecture and urban architecture. A large number of their well-developed, well-rounded architecture courses are available online, where people can be introduced to basic structural systems, architectural energy issues, and production technologies.
- Building Technology I: Materials and Construction
- Building Technology II: Building Structural Systems I
- Building Technology III: Building Structural Systems
- Ecologies of Construction
- Digital Design Fabrication
- Daylighting
- Special Problems in Architecture Studies
- Selected Topics in Architecture: Architecture from 1750 to the Present
- Contemporary Architecture and Critical Debate
- Architecture and Communication in Organizations
- Sensing Place: Photography as Inquiry
- Property Rights in Transition
- Natural Light in Design
- Analysis of Historic Structures
- Sites in Sight: Photography as Inquiry
- Inquiry into Computation and Design
- Comparative Land Use and Transportation Planning
- Thinking About Architecture: In History and at Present
- Theory and Method in the Study of Architecture and Art
Free Online Architectural Design Courses at a Glance
| Course | Program Level | Format | Assignments | Quizzes & Exams | Downloadable |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Building Technology I: Materials and Construction | Graduate | Text Lessons | No | Yes | Yes |
| Building Technologies II: Building Structural Systems I | Graduate | Text Lessons | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Building Technology III: Building Structural Systems | Graduate | Text Lessons | Yes | No | Yes |
| Ecologies of Construction | Graduate | Text Lessons | Yes | No | Yes |
| Digital Design Fabrication | Graduate | Text Lessons | Yes | No | Yes |
| Daylighting | Graduate | Text Lessons | Yes | No | Yes |
| Special Problems in Architecture Studies | Graduate | Text Lessons | No | No | Yes |
| Selected Topics in Architecture: Architecture from 1750 to the Present | Graduate | Text Lessons | Yes | No | Yes |
| Contemporary Architecture and Critical Debate | Graduate | Text Lessons | No | No | Yes |
| Architecture and Communication in Organizations | Graduate | Text Lessons | No | No | Yes |
| Sensing Place: Photography as Inquiry | Graduate | Text/Video | Yes | No | Yes |
| Property Rights in Transition | Graduate | Text Lessons | No | No | Yes |
| Natural Light in Design | Graduate | Text Lessons | No | No | Yes |
| Analysis of Historic Structures | Graduate | Text Lessons | Yes | No | Yes |
| Sites in Sight: Photography as Inquiry | Graduate | Text Lessons | Yes | No | Yes |
| Inquiry into Computation and Design | Graduate | Text Lessons | No | No | Yes |
| Comparative Land Use and Transportation Planning | Graduate | Text Lessons | Yes | No | Yes |
| Thinking About Architecture: In History and at Present | Graduate | Text Lessons | Yes | No | Yes |
| Theory and Method in the Study of Architecture and Art | Graduate | Text Lessons | Yes | No | Yes |
