Last summer students of the Professional Diploma course constructed a stunning bird hide in CAT's Coed Gwen woodland, the project has now been entered into the Architects Journal small projects competition with the winners to be announced in January 2012. We wish them all the best- it is indeed a beautiful bird hide. For more information on the construction process check out this article on the Architect Journal blog

On Saturday 12th of November, 76 students at CAT celebrated their graduation with friends and family in the Wales Institute for Sustainable Education. The students graduated from two of CAT's flagship masters courses: Advanced Architecture and Environmental Studies and Renewable Energy and the Built Environment. At the ceremony, CAT's Head of Innovation Peter Harper paid tribute to Damien Randle who retired this year after having worked at CAT since 1982, during which time he was responsible for pioneering CAT's educational work.

2011 is proving to be an awarding year for CAT’s WISE building and it’s architects Pat Borer and David Lea. On the shelf stands a 2011 RIBA award. They were in the final 20 for the Stirling Prize and now WISE has been commended as a wining example of ‘Outstanding Earthen Architecture in Europe’.

The award has been presented by Terra Incognita, whose main objectives are to preserve, to promote and to develop earthen building in Europe. Terra Incognita is a European funded body within the framework of the European programme ‘Culture 2007-2013’ and one of their main projects is The Outstanding Earthen Architecture in Europe.

The MSc Architecture: Advanced Environmental and Energy Studies and our Professional Diploma in Architecture courses provides a holistic approach to sustainable design, architecture and building. Taught at the Centre for Alternative Technology in mid Wales, the courses are based in the award winning Wales Institute for Sustainable Education (WISE).  Watch a video about CAT's Graduate School for the Environment here.

This week a new intake of students are starting on our MSc Architecture: Advanced Environmental and Energy Studies and our Professional Diploma in Architecture. We asked some of them why they’ve started the course, what they’re hoping to learn and what they hope to do with their new knowledge.

Here are a few of their answers: