The department of Architectural design and engineering was established as a result of integration of the two oldest departments of «Lviv Polytechnic» that were training the «specialists in a wide field of architecture», namely, the department of Architectural design and the department of Architectural constructions. The history of the department of Architectural design started in the year of 1730, when the specialty of architecture was introduced at Lviv University. In 1844 the architectural faculty became part of the Technical Academy and in 1877 it joined the Polytechnic School. The department of Architectural constructions was founded as a part of Civil engineering faculty. In 1971 the Faculty of architecture was established on the basis of these two departments. In 2004 the department of Architectural environment design originated from the bosom of the department of Architectural design.
In 2017 the department of «Architectural design and engineering» was organized on the basis of the departments of «Architectural design» and «Architectural constructions», hence the name. And, whereas, the two first words of the newly formed department name − «architectural design» ering», which merely means that the pedagogical staff of the department includes the teacher− everyone understands − the word «engineering» somewhat exerts or, even deters the would-be entrants from such choice. However, there is nothing fearful in the word «engine s of the former department of «Architectural constructions», who always provided and will provide in future the tuition of engineering disciplines that are compulsory for the students of all departments belonging to the Institute of Architecture and Design (ІАРД). Among these disciplines are «Architectural constructions of buildings and edifices», «Architectural and building material science», «Architectural physics», «Energy-saving architecture», «Architectural form-constructions-materials», as well as the academic disciplines at the student’s choice: «Peculiarities of large-spanned edifices designing», «Intellectual property», «Designing the objects under the difficult geological or urban planning circumstances», etc.
The union of the two departments let create the department of fundamentally new type that provides more qualitative and versatile training level of future specialists, namely, along with traditional architectural training, being practiced by other departments, it deepens students’ knowledge in building construction as well as endows students with the vision of aesthetic component of construction and engineering details. For this purpose the groups of teachers-architects, who conduct the course and diploma projecting are amplified with the consultants −
highly qualified engineers-constructors. Such education approach offers the students and graduates of the department the additional creative opportunities in search of new interesting architectural forms and, above all, gives the knowledge and skills in realization of these innovative forms in the architectural projects.
The repeated wins of students and graduates of the department of «Architectural design and engineering» in architectural competitions of a state and international level testify to a good results of this architects’ and constructors’ symbiosis. Just such graduates are appreciated and needed by the employers − different planning and designing companies in Ukraine and abroad as well. Thus, the graduates of the department of «Architectural design and engineering» have no problems with employment both after graduation from the university and during their studying as from the fourth year (in their free time).
In addition to the expanded opportunities to endow the students with the ability to fluently operate constructions the department of «Architectural design and engineering» stands out from the other departments of the Institute of Architecture and Design with some more characteristic peculiarities:
- the department provides maximum knowledge and skills to its graduates in designing the various types of dwelling since by the number of teachers of the highest qualification in this field the department of «Architectural design and engineering» hasn’t the competitors among the 30 higher schools that train the architects in Ukraine. The specialization of that kind facilitates the beneficial from a financial point of view process of employment for the department graduates as dwelling has always been and will be the most mass and requested product of the architects’ activity. Of course, apart from designing the dwelling, the students of the department also gain a necessary extent of the proficiency in designing the principle types of the public and industrial buildings as well as the engineering edifices, the basics of urban planning, the techniques of reconstruction and restoration of the architectural objects;
- since 1997 the teachers of the department have initiated the module of disciplines in designing the interiors of the housing and public buildings that appreciably promotes employment of the graduates and undergraduates in the early and the most complicated years after graduation from the University. Due to this module a lot of our graduating students found themselves exactly in the ambit of interior design and, even, established the successful project bureaus having considerable orders in Ukraine and beyond its borders as well;
- the department pays preferential attention to a practical training of students. To that end for the senior students, combining their studies with employment in a project company (in their free time), there exists an opportunity to determine the results of their work to be a course project provided the type of performed work at the company correlates with the theme of a course project. Likewise a successful performance at architectural competition also can be acknowledged as a current academic course project;
- pretty much all of the teachers of the department, including the Head of the department, constantly carry on a real design practice which envisages the cooperation with the customer, designing the object, its congruence with different instances, author monitoring the object erecting, permanent presence at the construction site and, sometimes even, the organizing the construction process. A number of part-time teachers are the actual employees of the design companies. The activity of the department’s teacher incudes designing the major architectural objects, participation and wins in numerous native and international competitions. The four teachers of the department of «Architectural design and engineering» are the laureates of State Pize in the realm of architecture. It should be noted that these achievements are more than the ones of the other 5 departments of the Institute of Architecture and Design put together.
Such orientation on a practical design lets efficiently bring to the students the most actual information concerning their future professional activity. Moreover, students often undergo practical training and have the opportunity of further employment in the design workshops under the guidance of their teachers or in the other architectural design firms.
- The collective of the department of «Architectural design and engineering» is a true forge of highly skilled personnel in the realm of architectural education and management: the Director, the Deans, the Heads of the departments of the Institute of Architecture and Design are the former professors of our department. Current chief architect of the city, as well as his forerunner, are the graduates and in future the teachers of our department;
- the department of «Architectural design and engineering» contains the two scientific and design laboratories in which teachers and senior students carry on research and practicable project works including the ones necessary for the University (projects of the dormitories, the interiors of teaching buildings, the recreation objects, etc.). The scientific directions of research carrying out by the teaching staff are determined according to the actual architectural tasks. The major field of scientific interest of the teachers, post-graduate students, the candidates to the Ph.D. degree and students of the department embraces the investigation in the sphere of dwelling, public buildings and edifices, searching the innovative structural systems. The teachers of the department participate in the International conferences, cooperate with various international organizations in the realm of architecture, improve the qualifications through different forms of training, in particular abroad (Poland, Austria, Germany).
As of 2023 the staff of the department of «Architectural design and engineering» consists of 30 teachers (it is the most numerous of the 5 profile producing departments of the Institute of Architecture and Design) among them the doctor of architecture, professor I. Hnes, the Head of the department, 19 associate professors, 4 experienced architects of many year service, concerning projecting activity in the design firms who combine their design activity with pedagogical work at the department. The department of «Architectural design and engineering» is a profiling department at the Institute of Architecture and Design and trains the architects in accordance with the educational and qualification levels:
- Bacalors in specialization «Architecture and Urban Planning»;
- Masters in specialization «Architecture of buildings and edifices».
The qualification projects of the Bachelors often are fulfilled on the basis of the actual orders on the specific objects. The themes of Master Qualification papers are attributable to the urgent requirements of the perspective scientific investigations in the sphere of dwelling, public buildings and edifices.
As for the Master students of distance form of studying the themes of the diploma works are often result from the subjects of their current professional activity, available experience of practical work or in accordance with their aspirations conditioned by the plans for further professional activity.
The Master students with the tendency to research work are offered to take a Post graduate course, to work on the candidate dissertation followed by the perspective of teaching activity at the department.
Annually the students of ІІІ-V years of studying have the opportunity to perfect their level of professional training at the foreign Universities of Austria, Germany, Poland and oter countriesb of Europe. They participate in various workshops of Ukraine and abroad. Teachers, students and graduates of the department of «Architectural design and engineering» constantly and successfully take part in the prestige Aii-Ukrainian and foreign professional architectural competitions.
The graduates of the department could be met in any sphere of architectural and building activity, but mostly they design the housing, public, industrial and engineering buildings and work in the realm of interior design as well. A lot of graduates successfully work according to their specialization not only in Ukraine but in Poland, Austria, Czech Republic, Israel, Canada. This fact testifies to the high level of professional training providing by the department of «Architectural design and engineering» of the Institute of Architecture and Design.