HNC Computer Aided Architectural Design and Technology is a one-year design-led architecture course that helps students prepare a portfolio of architectural design projects to prepare for access to Architecture School or direct employment as a technician.
To mark the tenth anniversary of the course we have been proudly welcoming back alumni to share their experiences of how the HNC course at City of Glasgow College helped them progress to study and thrive at Scottish architecture schools to become Architects, including the Mackintosh School of Architecture and University of Strathclyde, and to share their exciting experiences of international study at The Bauhaus and the University of Singapore.
Abbie Wilson, HNC Computer Aided Architectural Design and Technology Class of 2026
“My time at City of Glasgow College has been not only incredibly beneficial but so enjoyable. I knew from my Advanced Higher Art studies that I was interested in architecture, but I felt I didn’t have enough understanding to commit to a 4-year university course. So, for me, the HNC has been amazing at building my confidence and skills."
Ewan MacLennan, HNC Computer Aided Architectural Design and Technology Alumni 2023
“As I come to the end of my third year at the University of Strathclyde studying architecture and spend my second semester abroad at the Bauhaus University in Weimar, I’ve found myself thinking a lot about my time at college. I look back on it really fondly. It’s where I built my understanding of architecture, and the skills I learned here have stayed with me throughout my studies."
Since the Herald newspaper article “taking the college route into architecture” was written by BDP architects about the course, soon after its launch, we have welcomed 50+ guest speakers and have enjoyed growing and evolving the course by reflecting on student, alumni and industry feedback to ensure the students are given the best start in their exciting journey into the profession.
Highlights from this decade of the HNC have included awarding the Scotland & Venice, Venice Architecture Biennale PDP Fellowship to a student, collaborating to enter The Davidson Prize “Somewhere to call home”, featuring student written articles on Glasgow architecture in the Herald Newspaper and the Alexander Thomson Journal and exhibiting student work at the “Imagine Glasgow” New Glasgow Society bi-annual exhibitions including at the COP26 edition, and an HNC student winning “Best Project Voted by the Public” for his “People’s Pad” project tackling homelessness in Glasgow at the 2025 exhibition.
Lecturer
Lee Ciarsolo
was invited on the “Accelerate to Zero” podcast with BE-ST to celebrate the 10th year of the course at the college, talk about the highlights from this decade and how she has embedded carbon literacy and sustainability in the curriculum.
Follow the HNC course @architecturaldesigncogc on Instagram.
The course is placed on the Scottish Credit Qualifications Framework at Level 7.