This unit of study provides an overview of a human-centred approach to the design of interactive technologies. It introduces students to design thinking and how it can be productively applied to different design situations. The theoretical concepts, methods and tools for the key stages of interaction design are covered including user research, ideation, prototyping and user evaluation. It provides students with the principles, processes and tools for working on human-centred design in studio projects. Students learn to build empathy with users, identify and reframe the problem space, develop value-driven design concepts and persuasively communicate design proposals with an emphasis on the user experience through visual storytelling.

Architectural History/Theory 1 introduces students to the discourse of architectural history and theory. It commences with a concise chronological survey of key periods of architectural history from antiquity to the mid-nineteenth century, providing an overview of the scope of the field and establishing initial points of reference. It then changes focus to investigate more closely the ways in which particular architectural themes and ideas traverse across history, coming to the fore in certain periods and receding in others. Students will interrogate these themes in small groups through intense study of a single significant building, which they will research, document and illustrate in a written report, and re-construct in a suite of finely crafted scale models. They will be introduced to fundamental principles and skills of scholarly research, including locating and evaluating sources, and constructing arguments.

Architectural Communications 1 introduces students to fundamental modes of communication that are used to comprehend, conceive, explore, articulate and document architecture. It covers the domains of sketching, technical drawing, model making, verbal and written communication, diagramming and photography. It both familiarises students with necessary technical skills and encourages their creative deployment through practical experimentation.

This unit aims to provide the student with the knowledge, skills and aptitude required to use a range of fundamental architectural sketching and drawing skills based on observation of the physical world, in particular the built world. Students will be encouraged to develop a commitment to the practice of drawing as a fundamental design skill through 13 studio classes coupled with independent study. The workshop places an emphasis on keen observation, experimental use of materials and engagement with historical frameworks used in design practice in design and architecture. Exposure in studio to the sensitivities offered by different drawing materials and techniques will give students the competency to more confidently use drawing as a communication device. Skills in perspective drawing are introduced and drawing is used to document the visible world and define structure and detail. On successful completion of this unit of study students will have demonstrated familiarity with a range of drawing media and techniques, including charcoal, graphite, pen, brush and ink, and an introduction to colour. Students will understand the importance of maintaining a sketchbook as a site to record all their visual and conceptual research, and in which to draw on a daily basis as a means to develop ideas and technical proficiency.

This unit of study introduces approaches to thinking and working in the built environment that are based on measurement, analysis and modelling. There are many aspects of the built environment that can be expressed quantitatively - but how do we measure them, how certain can we be of particular values, how can we develop an understanding of them from the data, how can this understanding be applied in modelling and simulation (potentially for use in design), and what are the practical uses (and limitations) of an empirical approach to architecture and design? Beginning with the quantification of physical features through measurement, the unit examines uncertainty in measurement, relationships between physical and psychological domains, statistical modelling techniques, and information representation including visualisation and high-resolution simulation of environments. Assessment tasks and case studies in this unit focus on problems in the built environment, such as spatial data, material properties, the effects of the environment on people, and the development of mathematical models and realistic simulations of indoor or public spaces. Students will develop skills, knowledge and understanding enabling them to work effectively with quantitative data in design and analysis of the built environment. Conceptual, mathematical and computational abilities are developed.

This unit of study will give the student an understanding of design of a small scale building in an urban context. It teaches the foundations for an interdisciplinary design process between the fields or architecture, architectural science, and urban planning. It is undertaken in a variety of analogue and digital design techniques in order to better understand architecture's qualities including typology, scale, proportion, structure, program and materiality. This unit investigates the complexities of architectural design, from concept development to aspects including programmatic, structural, material requirements in respect to spatial implications, to limitations of a particular site, and to city condition. I equips students with conceptual tools and design skills from analogue modelling and graphic representation to digital drafting, rendering and fabrication, and verbal and written communication. This enables students to develop a project for a small architectural design through interactive design variations guided by a diverse set of criteria. On the successful completion of this unit of study, students will have demonstrated: and understanding of the architectural design process; an understanding for small scale architecture project; and an ability to express concepts and designs clearly and cohesively across a range of representation media.

Architectural Technologies 1 introduces students to the roles that environmental considerations, structures and construction play in architecture. The fundamental concepts underpinning each of these key areas are presented and students demonstrate their developing knowledge of them via project-based assignments. These progressively complex tasks initiate students to the knowledge required to successfully analyse and synthesise construction and technical systems in basic buildings.

This unit of study reviews the challenges and issues involved in planning for the contemporary urban environment from an urban planning perspective, including urban design and heritage lens. The unit examines the evolution of towns and cities from the first settlements to the modern metropolis, and looks at the forces that shape the urban environment. It asks, 'why did cities evolve?', 'what purposes does the city serve?', 'who is the city for?', and 'how are decisions made about cities?' The unit explores the cultural, economic and political drivers that inform the making of the contemporary built environment as a dynamic and continually evolving 'living city'. The Unit examines planning in the modern and pre-modern eras, and the varying social, cultural and physical environments in which cities have evolved so as to demonstrate its relevance to architects, planners, urban designers and other stakeholders involved in creating the urban environment. On the successful completion of this unit of study, students will have demonstrated an understanding of the importance of planning in shaping our towns and cities through time, plus acquired a basic knowledge of planning methods and approaches used in formulating planning and urban design proposals.

This unit builds on the content of Living Cities and introduces students to the modern formal domains of planning, urban design and heritage conservation. The focus will be on two main areas of debate, namely, city form and structure, and secondly, the planning and development processes on which the formal planned city is made. The unit will establish the context in which the role of planners, architects and urban designers in the process of building the 'incremental' city is understood, from the site to precinct, neighbourhood and city wide levels. Elements of city form and structure are analysed, as well as mobility, transport, land use, infrastructure and current policy responses at a metropolitan and local level in meeting urban growth needs. The unit will also overview the development process including the framework in which architects, planners and property developers must work. Using a contemporary planning framework, the nature of development assessment, strategic planning and the community's role within this framework are explored. Criticisms and reform agendas around frameworks will be examined. Informal urbanism is also introduced in this unit to address development that occurs outside the domain of formal western regulated planning and design systems

This unit of study develops a working understanding of light and sound from physical and sensory perspectives, and of the ways that buildings and building elements affect these. These are examined in terms of their sources, transmission, digital representation, and sensation. Theories that allow students to develop practical designs and predictions are introduced. Theoretical learning is reinforced by computational data processing and analysis. Standards, regulations and recommendations concerning light and sound in the built environment are introduced. Consideration is given to their roles in human communication, and how architectural environments can contribute to these.

Design Integration Lab: Materials introduces students to the role of materials as a proponent of architectural form. The objective of this unit is to equip students with an ability to think critically about the transformation, evaluation and creative application of different materials in terms of environmental, structural and aesthetic performance. In-class lectures and assignments provide students with an opportunity to explore fundamental concepts about material propensity, material performance and material scale as a conceptual and practical basis for architectural design. To this end, students will also be exposed to local industry partners who share the Faculty's interest in developing innovative and sustainable practices with the use and reuse of materials in the built environment. Further study of nanomaterials, biomimicry and structural design will be offered. To facilitate the dialog between material and form in architecture, students will engage in a progressively complex semester-long design project employing a limited material palate. Upon successful completion of this unit students will be provided with the necessary skills for thinking with materials as a determinant of architectural form.

This design and lab-based studio will focus on the ways that buildings respond effectively to people's environmental needs, while minimising net energy use in small-scale settings. Students will learn how to integrate and design the thermal, luminous and acoustic environment of a small- scale building. Particular emphasis will be place on the basics of heat, thermal performance and natural ventilation strategies. in learning how to assess environmental performance, students will be equipped with the required knowledge to design convenient, quick and robust solutions that improve the experience and service of the building. An Introduction to sustainable building practices, including net-zero and green building, will provide a basis for further investigation of the critical needs faced by occupants of the built environment. Particular emphasis will be placed on lab-based experiments and case studies in the Sydney area, with questions raised about the Australian context more broadly. The main learning outcomes include an understanding of fundamental principles of integrated strategies and solutions, principles of passive low-energy design techniques (including heat, sound, light and wind), the ability to critically and synthetically analyse environmental design issues, the ways to efficaciously implement and communicate technical information during the design process.

Architectural Technologies 2 explores the roles that environmental considerations, structures and construction play in moderately complex medium-scale buildings. Emphasis is placed on developing in students an active awareness of the impact that technical and constructional decisions have on architectural Architectural Technologies 2 explores the role that environmental, structural and constructional considerations play in moderately complex small-scale buildings. Attention is paid to the impact that choices of materials, detailing, structural systems and energy systems, whether passive or active, have on architectural design. Through project-based learning, students develop an active awareness of the important role that appropriate technical and constructional decisions, including architectural details, play in terms of fulfilling conceptual ambitions in tangible works of architecture. Students develop and demonstrate their developing appreciation of these issues via case study analysis, a group project, individual technical drawings and a final examination. Students develop and demonstrate their awareness of these issues via the analysis of case studies, a large project-based assignment, and a final exam.

Architectural Technologies 3 develops in students an advanced understanding of moderately complex building systems. It addresses the technical design of buildings in their entirety and in their details, through the three interrelated perspectives of environment, structures and construction. As in Architectural Technologies 1 and 2, primary emphasis is placed on developing an understanding that appropriate formal architectural solutions can be the outcome of technological considerations and that, reciprocally, technical solutions can not only support but inform conceptual ambitions. A major project-based assignment, a case study analysis, individual technical drawings and a final examination are used as the vehicles for students to demonstrate the knowledge that they have gained in analyzing and synthesizing the various considerations that are to be addressed in the design of a building system that appropriately responds to, and integrates, the three key technical considerations of environment, structures and construction.

The aim of this unit is to engage students in detailed studies of innovative building structures, covering the three aspects of innovation in architectural and structural design (modeling, materials and technology). The main topics covered are: Architectural Form and Structural Function; interpretation of basic (arch, beam, column, space and spatial portal) and advanced (truss, vault, dome, shell) structural principles with an intuitive graphical method (Load Path Method - LPM). Examples of significant case studies will be shown and interpreted (works by A. Gaudi, B. Fuller, F. Otto, N. Grimshaw, S. Calatrava, N. Foster, R. Piano and others); Biomimetics; bioinspired structures as a way to increase structural efficiency. Innovative structural materials: the use of glass as structural material, innovative reinforcements for composite structures, smart and nanostructured materials; Kinetic architecture: structural movement as the 4th architectural dimension. A case study assignment will be used to assess student's competence in investigating and presenting case studies and being able to identify and evaluate issues and factors contributing to innovative structural solutions.

The unit of study begins by exploring the concept of ecologically sustainable design as it applies to architectural practice and defines those key attributes of buildings which make them sustainable. The second part of the unit discusses the implication of applying sustainable design principles upon contemporary architectural practice. Potential new design paradigms are explored which could lead to more sustainable design practice in the future. At the end of the unit of study students will be expected to: have explored the form making and space making potential of sustainable design principles by critically examining relevant contemporary architecture; demonstrate their ability to locate relevant published literature on sustainable architecture and to critically examine and discuss it in relation to the themes explored in the unit of study; demonstrate their ability to critique key recent buildings claimed by their designers to be sustainable and to evaluate these claims against established sustainable design principles; enunciate a personal position on the impact on applying sustainable design principles on future design practice. On the successful completion of this unit of study students will have demonstrated: competence at critically evaluating buildings which their designers have claimed to be sustainable through a series of case studies performed in small groups; their ability to formulate and articulate a written response to a series of propositions developed in lectures addressing the impact of sustainability issues on future architectural practice.
This unit is an Architecture Elective in the Bachelor of Design in Architecture and elective in other courses.

Objects only become visible when light reflects off of them. This unit explores the ways in which light interacts with surfaces, objects, and the human visual system. Architectural design decisions regarding the lighting, as well as exterior and interior surfaces of a building, alter the perceptual experience of users and should be done thoughtfully.
This unit introduces students to the way humans perceive and experience the built environment. It covers some of the fundamental properties of light, mechanisms of human perception, and the ways that light interacts with surfaces. The application of these topics to design decisions is also discussed. Students demonstrate their understanding of the presented material and apply their knowledge to critically analyze their own environments.

All design decisions involve decisions about colour within the fields of architecture, applied design and art. This unit presents knowledge about colour theory as well as research-based information about colour and associated topics that can be used in design. Information and knowledge about colour can vary in quality and reliability, which is demonstrated. Students apply their skills and knowledge about colour theory and colour design in the assignments of this unit. This unit covers the processes of colour vision and other aspects of visual perception. It also explores colour application from the Pre-history period, as well as selected colour theories of the Renaissance period through to the 21st century. Common colour-related constructs and the application of these in art, architecture and design are discussed. In completing the assessments tasks, students must demonstrate understanding of the knowledge presented in learning modules of the unit and critically analyse and apply knowledge related to colour design and application.

This unit of study introduces students to the principles and practices of visual communication design for non-designers. Visual communication is an essential skill in today¿s complex world, for effectively communicating ideas, information, perspectives and proposals to diverse audiences in a variety of contexts. Students will learn about the theories of visual perception and psychology underlying visual design principles, and strategies for the composition of visual elements to produce effective and compelling visual presentations. On the successful completion of this unit of study, students will have demonstrated knowledge and skills in the understanding and application of visual design to produce and evaluate effective visual communication materials for a range of audiences.

This unit teaches students an understanding of the stages involved in the creative development of software; and skills in the design and implementation of software for creative expression and prototyping. It introduces students to software tools for building interactive, visual design applications through programming assignments; knowledge of object-oriented programming concepts; implementation techniques such as editing, using assets, and runtime environments; and knowledge of the Processing programming language. Key concepts covered in this unit include: classes, methods, object creation, instance and local variables, primitive and object types, simple I/O. Students learn knowledge of software design and development processes including analysis of requirements, design of data-structures, functions and classes, debugging, and managing software projects. This unit is a core unit in the Bachelor of Design Computing program, Bachelor of Architecture and Environments and can be taken as elective by students enrolled in other programs.

This unit introduces students to the principles of product design and their application in interaction design projects. This includes using sound as a medium in product design, conceptualising computer-based implementations of product interfaces, and using hardware platforms, such as Arduinos or littleBits, for prototyping interfaces. It introduces the core concepts of audio programming, physical prototyping, basic electronic concepts, hardware programming, as well as aesthetic issues in product design, the creative use of sound as a medium for communication, and sound in interactive systems. The unit covers: prototyping techniques for physical user interfaces, methods of programming and assessing interactive products, knowledge of a range of product design techniques, especially in relation to interactive contexts, and awareness of issues of aesthetics in product interfaces.

This unit of study introduces students to the principles of visual design, including graphic design, colour theory and typography. Students will develop an understanding of how to successfully combine visual elements to effectively communicate an idea or concept, to describe a product, and to represent visual user interface elements in an interactive product. Using digital image manipulation tools, such as Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator, students will learn how to develop design concepts and how to turn concepts into visual communication materials in the form of digital images.

This unit introduces students to web design and modern web technologies for the purpose of designing and prototyping web-based user interface solutions. Students will learn about design principles and patterns for the web and apply them in practical exercises that involve designing and creating interactive web applications. The unit will introduce web-based markup languages and frameworks for various media and platforms, such as desktop computers and mobile devices, with a focus on interaction design. Students will develop an understanding of web technologies and their role in user experience and interaction design, such as the use of web technologies for prototyping user interfaces. Prototyping techniques covered in this unit include: scripting and markup languages for enabling dynamic content and interactive designs, such as HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.

This teaches students an understanding of the basic concepts of modelling and presentation. Students will develop skills in creating and using 3D models for various design tasks. The unit further introduces students to rapid prototyping fabrication techniques, such as 3D printing and laser cutting with the aim to understand how to prepare a digital representation for physical fabrication. Students will learn how physical objects are represented in 3D digital models by modelling various 3D geometric entities, and how to create photorealistic images that accurately and efficiently describe intent, structure, geometric and surface variations of 3D models. Key concepts covered in this unit include: boundary representations, solid and parametric modelling, texture mapping, light sources, camera locations and projections.

The aims of this unit of study are to introduce the fundamental principles of animation and its role in interaction design. Students will develop an understanding of: the process involved in developing character, text and motion graphics based animation, and the integration between 2D artwork and 3D composition. These unit focuses on the application of animation in user interface design as well as for the production of short animated films. Students will acquire basic animation skills, develop the skills to create an animated sequence, and learn the critical vocabulary to describe animation. Basic knowledge will be related to foundational technical skills in industry standard software for animation.

Architectural Professional Practice introduces students in the final semester of their undergraduate degree to the professional practice of architecture, focusing on design development within regulatory and practice management frameworks. Students are introduced to the fundamental principles of key regulatory requirements and critically deploy their understandings by investigating local practice case studies. They further develop a capacity to apply their knowledge in a particular context through an architectural design project that they take to Development Application level using current best practice.

The unit will introduce students to a range of architectural styles and aspirations in Australia. Lectures and seminars will cover key buildings representative of their period. At the conclusion, students will be familiar with a range of styles and their characteristics. They will undertake individual self-directed research and learn how to record and present the results of this research. Students will also acquire an appreciation of the ideals and aspirations that support the architectural styles examined, and how these are related to wider social and cultural movements. On successful completion of this unit, students will be able to demonstrate: a familiarity with a range of Australian buildings and styles. Site tours will examine specific buildings, and these will be recorded in a site visit log; the ability to research, record and present a specific building in Sydney; the ability to link a specific building to other works of a similar style and period. This will be assessed in the seminar presentation and in the submitted essay.

Students will be able to: undertake background studies to inform designing for various elements of the public domain (streets and roads, open space and public places, car parking, pedestrian networks and centres); formulate and respond to complex planning problems; prepare and present simple proposals; use basic terms, concepts and methods in practical urban design and planning situations. On successful completion of this unit, each student will be able to demonstrate their ability to: to prepare short documents, using photos, maps, drawings and other illustrations, with annotated comments and supporting text, to present planning studies and proposals; to use basic ideas (such as: vistas, viewing and over-viewing, connectivity, legibility, enclosure, uses, activities, environs, links, built form, interest, amenity networks, nodes) in reviewing design situations and preparing site analyses and proposals; to apply a critical and reflective approach in understanding planning and design situations, and in preparing informative documents which move from planning studies to proposals with supporting arguments; to be able to prepare proposals for built form outcomes and related planning instruments, with supporting studies and arguments.

The process of detailing in the office and during construction is a fundamental part of architectural practice. Experience of the process can provide and invaluable learning experience for students of architecture. However, many students have no available path to builders or architects and access to operative building sites is generally limited by OH&S concerns. The studio-based elective will allow a small group of students access to current building projects to explore the role of detail in design and building and in guiding not only a small component of a building's construction but its fundamental overall character. This elective will link students to a particular architect, builder and domestic scaled project to study and document a series of details in the context of the whole building and provide access to the site under supervision to study construction methods and detailing in context.

Architecture and Diagrams is an elective that aims to provide students with an overview of various techniques of production and theories that relate to architectural diagrams, Its objectives are: to learn how to analyse buildings from a diagrammatic point of view, to acquire a basic knowledge of the history and theory of diagrams in architecture, and to develop basic skills to generate urban and architectural diagrams directly related to the students' respective design work in other units of study.

In Architectural Drawing Through History, students critically investigate and then imaginatively deploy in a studio project an unconventional historical drawing technique of their choosing. Close studies of the widely differing range of drawings that were produced to achieve the architecture of Ancient Egypt, Classical Greece and Rome, the Middle Ages, Renaissance and Baroque, can illuminate aesthetic sensibilities that are often profoundly difference to our own, and can provide insights into the worldviews of the cultures that produced them. Drawings are a vital mediator between that which can be imagined and that which can be built, and the elective contributes to architectural historian Robin Evans' claim that it would be possible to ' write a history of western architecture that would have little to do with either style or signification, concentrating instead on the manner of working. Students conduct textual and graphic analyses of case study drawings and buildings, but engage equally in practical experimentation in an effort to unfold and re-animate the potential of forgotten or marginalised drawing methods to inform current architectural practice.

This elective will explore the relationship between a range of representational strategies and embedded content in a selection of significant 20th century architectural works. Via a series of meticulous analytical models we will interrogate these works to develop precise yet productive close readings. Our tools will be detailed analysis, accurate measurement and conceptually ambitious re-modelling. Within a search for inventive, literate, contributions, a rigorous yet experimental attitude to architectural thought and its rich disciplined development in weekly classes will be encouraged.

This unit will introduce students to the benefits and limitations of prefabricated architecture through case study analysis and design exercises. Architects have long used prefabricated housing to explore industrialised building solutions, often with disappointing results. Yet, recent developments show the conditions for a more industrialised approach to housing ¿ especially its promise of low-cost, more socially inclusive, and well-designed housing ¿ have rarely been better. Australia¿s housing affordability crisis, changing design needs, sustainability concerns, and the rise of digital and automated fabrication technologies, have conspired to challenge a housing industry deeply resistant to change. Using design research tools, students will assess case study projects before developing their own prefab building 'offering'. Through a series of workshops running parallel to 'live' research projects within the Innovation in Applied Design Lab, students will have contact with professionals and researchers active in the industry. Learning outcomes will include the ability to analyze complex case studies using graphic, physical, and textual media for the case study report. Design, communication and presentation skills will be examined in the form of a PowerPoint presentation 'Pitch' and report.

This unit of study asks students to consider 'what is a physcial model in architecture?' and 'what are the different materials, methods and uses of physcial models in the design and presentation of architecture?' Participants in this unit will critically investigate and creatively apply a non-conventional modeling teachnique of their choice in the conception, study or presentation of architecture. These inquiries are supplemented by lectures and in-class discussion which seek to uncover a historical and contemporary use of physcial models as a tool for architects, including their mention in architectural treatises and in the formation of Modernism. In recent years, the development and use of parametric driven architectural models has received significant attention. Naturally, the unit will also explore the interface between the physical and virtual model to understand how architectural modeling programs belong to a historical tradition and are playing a role in not only representing conditions of building in the world but also in the development of new architectural ideas.

This design elective bridges the domains of design theory and advanced fabrication practices. In this unit students will make complex and polished objects using the fabrication tools in the DMAF lab, that demonstrate and/or embody design ideas intrinsic to their formulation. The unit is divided into two halves: additive fabrication and subtractive fabrication. Each half will be accompanied by lectures on the technical knowledge related to these fabrication processes, and lectures on the theoretical premises and associations generated by the internal logic, and expressive languages of each fabrication type. Tutorials will also be divided between technical developing machine control, and design tutorials in which students will develop control of the design trajectory and expressive languages. This unit serves as a prerequisite for another elective, Advanced Fabrication, which is aimed especially at fabrication tools using the 6-axis robotic arms.

Code to production is an elective that explores the potential of an iterative design process from parametric variations; to analysis and simulation; to digital prototyping and manufacturing. The course has a two-fold agenda: to examine the performance of complex geometries available through computational design processes, and to translate the optimised design by digital manufacturing into construction and prototype (CNC/robotic fabrication). Based upon the development of a series of controlled variations derived through parametric and scripting methods, the elective aims to further expand an understanding of structural and acoustic performance of these geometries. It reviews an open system of design research in which design process, structural analysis and acoustic analysis are deployed to improve the acoustic and structural performance of complex spatial geometries, and derive fabrication knowledge for architectural practice. The unit of study extends students' knowledge of advanced computational design, interdisciplinary processes and fabrication methodologies by application of commercial and specialist 3D-modelling, scripting, analysis and manufacturing packages (including various software such as McNeel Rhino and Grasshopper, karamba, RhinoNest and kuka/prc).

Architectural Professional Practice introduces students in the final semester of their undergraduate degree to the professional practice of architecture, focusing on design development within regulatory and practice management frameworks. Students are introduced to the fundamental principles of key regulatory requirements and critically deploy their understandings by investigating local practice case studies. They further develop a capacity to apply their knowledge in a particular context through an architectural design project that they take to Development Application level using current best practice.