Education

World’s first Master in Business for Architecture and Design launched

IE School of Architecture and Design in Spain becomes the first higher education institution in the world to offer a Master in Business for Architecture and Design

by Andrew McCorkell 19 May 2020 Future Projects

UNStudio and UNSense are to collaborate with IE School of Architecture and Design as they launch the world's first MBArch, it has been announced.

IE University’s Master in Business for Architecture and Design is a leading global program that trains professionals with the skills and knowledge they need in management, entrepreneurship and innovation.

IE School of Architecture and Design is the first higher education institution in the world to offer a Master in Business for Architecture and Design (MBArch).

The program encompasses the experience accumulated through the school’s more than a decade of educational leadership at the intersection of design and management. 

Martha Thorne, dean of IE School of Architecture and Design: “I can’t think of any other firm as forward-thinking and ideal for this collaboration.

"UNStudio and UNSense are exemplary in reorienting the profession to make real, positive impacts in our communities and cities.”

One of the main objectives of the school is to educate architects and designers to acquire knowledge and understanding of other fields in order to be effective across industries.

It also includes facing complex global challenges, higher education needs to empower architects and designers to fulfill new and expanded roles.

Jerónimo van Schendel, director of the new program: “Today, our impact as professionals increasingly depends on action, collaboration and multidisciplinarity.”

Believing that professionals in the field can make a unique and substantial contribution to academia and together enhance and explore new roles related to the built environment, MBArch has established a design-entrepreneurship collaboration agreement with UNStudio and its sister company UNSense, an innovative start-up enterprise that combines architecture and technology.

Through this collaborative agreement, both parties will benefit in the areas of design entrepreneurship, teaching and research.

Ben van Berkel, founder of UNStudio and UNSense: “We believe that the key to ‘future-proofing the future’ is knowledge.

"For the last decade, we have focused on expanding our understanding of trends and practice in architecture and beyond.”

UNStudio and UNSense will actively participate in the development of IE’s Venture Discovery Workshops, along with teaching activities.

The Venture Lab, a fundamental component of the program, is a real-world entrepreneurship exercise that allows students to develop a start-up business within the classroom and pitch this to “business angels” as they would in their professional lives.

Ren Yee, head of innovation strategy and forecasting at UNStudio and head of design/strategy at UNSense said: “Design is taking a more crucial role in efforts to understand and tackle 21st-century challenges. It should be understood that design isn’t only limited to designers.”

The MBArch 2020 started on 10 February, with students from more than 15 nations.

The new master blends online sessions, face-to-face periods in Madrid and Amsterdam, as well as a professional post-graduation trip to London to meet with industry leaders.

UNStudio UNSense
Spain
Sector Education

Want to submit your project to World Architecture News?

Contact The Team