Dean's Message

The Faculty of the Built Environment (FoBE) at the University of Technology, Jamaica is a unique academic unit in the Anglophone Caribbean.  It brings together architecture, land surveying, geographic information sciences, urban and regional planning, land economy and valuation surveying, quantity surveying, structural engineering, construction engineering, construction management, and Mines & Quarry Management.  This is the place to be for those who desire to build a professional career in any of these profession-oriented fields.  FoBE graduates are highly regarded, highly placed and sought after throughout the Caribbean and beyond. 

No one in these modern times can fathom an existence without the built environment.  In fact, the built environment is the human conceptualised, created and maintained spaces in which we live, work and recreate.  Without these built environment professionals, the achievement of sustainable development is a fantasy.  The Faculty of the Built Environment has experts in all these fields who are ready to engage students, professionals, governments, private entities and others in higher learning and research activities of the highest level and competencies.  

We offer an exciting array of profession-oriented undergraduate and graduate courses within the two schools of the faculty: The Caribbean School of Architecture (CSA) and The School of Building and Land Management (SBLM).   We are happy to entertain any questions about our current course offerings and stand ready to customise courses to support local and regional industries. 

Quality is central to all we do in the FoBE.  Hence, our courses have either earned accreditation or are at an advanced stage in achieving this status from the internationally recognised University Council of Jamaica.  Additionally, the CSA’s courses are validated by the Commonwealth Association of Architects.   Moreover, our faculty has forged close linkages with professional organisations that continue to offer solid support through service on our very active Course Advisory Committees, service as external examiners, provision of scholarships, bursaries and grants, provision of opportunities and supervision for cooperative education, among other areas of collaboration and service.   

The application of built environment knowledge by FoBE staff and students is evident in research work and consultancies throughout Jamaica and the Caribbean.   The faculty embraces these kinds of engagements as central to knowledge growth in areas that are closely aligned to sustainable national and regional developments.    This is evident in several projects that the faculty has undertaken, such as the Papine Redevelopment Plan, Building Code Training, Rose Town Development, Participatory Slum Upgrading Programme, Caribbean Energy Efficiency Training Project, and Safe Cities Project, to name a few.  In the short term, the faculty plans to actively engage government, private and non-governmental organisations in pursuing research and consultancies to find solutions to built environment problems.  Also, we are actively involved in intellectual property registration for some of the innovations coming out of the faculty.   Publications from staff and students are growing as the expertise within the faculty continues to receive greater exposure. 

Join us at the Faculty of the Built Environment, and be a part of an academic programme that is committed to providing you with an experience that guarantees your future in the development of a sustainable and global community.  Our students are prepared to become change agents and leaders in a changing environment.   We are eager to hear from you so that, together we can explore the best options for your higher education and career development. 

Check our Facebook Page @ https://www.facebook.com/fobe.utech.5

Dr. Garfield Young

Dean & Associate Professor
Faculty of The Built Environment