Bachelor of Design in Architecture
Table A: Units of study in the Bachelor of Design in Architecture
Bachelor of Design in Architecture - Core units of study
Candidates are required to complete all of the following core units:
Junior units of study
BDES1011 Architectural History/Theory 1
Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Prof Michael Tawa Session: Semester 1 Classes: Lecture and tutorial contact, plus self-directed preparation and assignments, for a minimum total student commitment averaging 9 hours per week. Prohibitions: DESA1102 Assumed knowledge: HSC Mathematics and HSC English Standard Assessment: Seminar Leadership and General Participation (40%), Research Reports (60%) Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
Architectural History/Theory 1 introduces students to the discourse of architectural history and theory. It includes 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 also includes closer investigation of 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 in the discipline, including locating and evaluating sources, and constructing arguments.
BDES1023 Architectural Technologies 1
Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Mr Michael Muir Session: Semester 2 Classes: Lecture and tutorial contact, plus self-directed preparation and assignments, for a minimum total student commitment averaging 9 hours per week. Prohibitions: DESA1102 Assessment: Assignments (60%), Exam (40%) Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
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.
BDES1026 Architecture Studio 1A
Credit points: 12 Teacher/Coordinator: Mr Chris Fox Session: Semester 1 Classes: Lectures; Lab and Studio contact plus self-directed preparation and assignments. Minimum student commitment of 18 hours per week. Corequisites: BDES1011 Prohibitions: DESA1001 or BDES1010 or BDES1024 Assessment: Assessment 1 + 2 (40%); Assessment 3 (60%) Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
This course aims at providing students with the conceptual and technical skills required to creatively explore dynamic transactions between art and architecture. Throughout the semester, students will extend their ability to work with complex ideas while drawing on interdisciplinary practices related to the body, time, movement, structure, form and site. This course provides a space for architecture students to establish parameters and territories for exploration beyond the concerns of conventional architectural projects. From generative form making to performative action, the crossover between art and architecture has always been present within architectural design. This unit looks at developing conceptual and practical disciplines through experimentation with materials. Essential design sensitivities and skills will be developed through different modes of working including lectures, tutorials, presentations and writing as well as the physical engagement with new materials and building processes.
BDES1027 Architecture Studio 1B
Credit points: 12 Teacher/Coordinator: Dr Simon Weir Session: Semester 2 Prerequisites: BDES1026 or BDES1010 or DESA1001 Corequisites: BDES1023 Prohibitions: BDES1020 or DESA1002 or BDES1012 Assessment: Phase 1 Assessment: Online Studio Tasks and Peer Critiques (20%); Final Design Presentation (30%). Phase 2 Assessment: Interim Design Presentation (10%); Final Design Presentation (10%); Design Book (30%) Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
This studio capitalises on the skills and processes gained in the first semester studio to engage with increasingly complex programmatic and contextual issues within the built environment.Fundamental modes of representation in a variety of media will be deployed as a means to comprehend and articulate architecture from multiple integrated perspectives.Designing a small building will be the final project yet based on a series of introductory exercises that will engage with concepts of iteration in a range of scales and media.Students will continue to learn new software and other related techniques while also developing their familiarity with the technical skills necessary to realise a final design presentation including various media.The design projects will explore the necessity of experimentation as a means to communicate fundamental ideas about space, structure and form.
Senior units of study
BDES2013 Architectural Technologies 2
Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Mr Michael Muir Session: Semester 1,Semester 2 Classes: Lecture and tutorial contact, plus self-directed preparation and assignments, for a minimum total student commitment averaging 9 hours per week. Prerequisites: BDES1023 Prohibitions: DESA2111 Assessment: Assignments (60%), Exam (40%) Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
Architectural Technologies 2 explores the roles that environmental considerations, structure and construction play in moderately complex small-scale buildings. Emphasis is placed on developing in students an active awareness of the impact that technical and constructional decisions have on architectural design. Through project-based learning, student develop an active awareness of the important role that appropriate technical and constructional decisions 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.
BDES2024 Art Processes
Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Mr Chris Fox Session: Semester 2 Classes: Lecture and studio contact, plus self-directed preparation and assignments, for a minimum total student commitment averaging 9 hours per week. Prerequisites: BDES1026 or BDES1024 Assessment: Assessment 1 + 2 (50%); Assessment 3 (50%) Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
Drawing upon skills and knowledge learnt in Architecture Studio 1A, students will extend their ability to work with complex ideas while drawing on interdisciplinary practices. A diverse range of studios will host the productions and critical discussions of the work in conjunction with a series of lectures and independent research to be attained outside the workshops. By treating art as a field of open-ended experimentation, with direct consequences for architecture, this course encourages architecture students to undertake a self-directed and research based approach that widens their own practice through working across the multiple streams of information specific to contemporary art.
BDES2026 Architecture Studio 2A
Credit points: 12 Teacher/Coordinator: Dr Simon Weir Session: Semester 1 Classes: Lectures; Lab and Studio contact plus self-directed preparation and assignments. Minimum student commitment of 18 hours per week. Prerequisites: BDES1027 or BDES1020 or DESA1002 Corequisites: BDES2013 Prohibitions: BDES2010 or DESA2001 or BDES2012 Assessment: Assignment 1: Design Analysis (20%); Assignment 2: Mapping & Design Studies (20%); Assignment 3: Design Project & Portfolio (60%) Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
Architecture Studio 2A requires the design of a small-scale building or space in an urban context. An architectural study of the house is coupled with an intensive process that prioritises communication techniques for articulating a design from a schematic stage through its development to final presentation drawings and models.
Exploration of multiple design communication techniques is promoted, including digital drawing, modelling and making, combined with support for engagement with multiple tools and machinery in the DMaF workshops. The design process fostered throughout the semester explores the creative tension between intuition and prescription, building skills via techniques and strategies that are also intended to assist in eliciting unexpected solutions.
Through this process, students are expected to become increasingly familiar with the complexities of architectural design and gain skill in incorporating a widening range of considerations into their projects. Examples of these aspects extend from the interpretation of programmatic requirements with respect to the opportunities and limits of site conditions to material articulation and the spatial and geometric implications of strategic decisions. They will be required to precisely and imaginatively negotiate the internal logic of a design approach and an urban strategy, searching for an overall coherence.
Exploration of multiple design communication techniques is promoted, including digital drawing, modelling and making, combined with support for engagement with multiple tools and machinery in the DMaF workshops. The design process fostered throughout the semester explores the creative tension between intuition and prescription, building skills via techniques and strategies that are also intended to assist in eliciting unexpected solutions.
Through this process, students are expected to become increasingly familiar with the complexities of architectural design and gain skill in incorporating a widening range of considerations into their projects. Examples of these aspects extend from the interpretation of programmatic requirements with respect to the opportunities and limits of site conditions to material articulation and the spatial and geometric implications of strategic decisions. They will be required to precisely and imaginatively negotiate the internal logic of a design approach and an urban strategy, searching for an overall coherence.
BDES2027 Architecture Studio 2B
Credit points: 12 Teacher/Coordinator: Dr Ross Anderson Session: Semester 2 Classes: Lectures, Tutorial and Studio contact plus self-directed preparation and assignments. Minimum student commitment 18 hours per week. Prerequisites: BDES2026 and BDES1011 or BDES2010 or DESA2001 Corequisites: BDES2024 Prohibitions: BDES2020 or DESA2002 or BDES2021 Assessment: Assessment 1: Phase 1 Studio Presentation + Essay Abstract (30%); Assessment 2: Phase 2 Studio Presentation (30%); Portfolio + Illustrated Essay (40%) Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
Architecture Studio 2B demands of students a critical engagement with modern architecture and its histories. It couples the methods of humanities research, including locating and appraising sources, and constructing arguments, with the creative processes of architectural design. Students become increasingly aware of the role of the architect as an active agent in history and negotiate some of the attendant ethical, political, technical and aesthetic challenges and opportunities. In parallel with a weekly lecture series on key modern protagonists, movements and their historical consequences, students develop an illustrated essay on a topic of their own choosing, and they design a medium-scale building in a historically charged urban context. The studio project is conducted as a `conversation¿ between contemporary programmatic concerns and architectural sensibilities, and the claims of the historically situated architecture that the students are required to reinvigorate.
BDES3011 Architectural History/Theory 3
Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Assoc Prof Chris L. Smith Session: Semester 1 Classes: Lecture and tutorial contact, plus self-directed preparation and assignments, for a minimum total student commitment averaging 9 hours per week. Prerequisites: BDES2027 or BDES2021 or DESA2111 Prohibitions: DAAP3001 Assessment: Opinion Editorial (10%), Lexicon Entry (10%), Quotation for an Installation (15%), Abstract and Bibliography (10%), Research Paper (50%), Tutorial Participation (5%) Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
Architectural History/Theory 3 surveys contemporary architectural debates through historical precedents, central texts, and present-day criticism on aesthetic design, cultural influences, mass media, and political events. Architectural discourse can be understood as a wide array of interlocking 'regimes of thought', each of which has its own multiple histories, transformations and unique effects. Students will become generally conversant in the principles of these central theories, and will understand some of their terms and references. Contemporary issues will not be taken at face value but interrogated through theoretical principles raised by the assigned readings. Paying close attention to the exchange between thought and action, students will explore the relevance of the discussed theories to the formation of current circumstances, and to the place of architecture within contemporary culture as a whole. Students take responsibility for their own learning, engaging in continuous reflection and developing skills in oral, written, and visual forms of communication to critique, create and articulate knowledge. They will be introduced to fundamental principles and skills of scholarly research, including locating and evaluating sources, and constructing arguments.
BDES3026 Architecture Studio 3A
Credit points: 12 Teacher/Coordinator: Dr Stephen Neille Session: Semester 1 Classes: Lectures; Studio contact plus self-directed preparation and assignments. Minimum student commitment of 18 hours per week. Prerequisites: (BDES2027 or BDES2020) and BDES2013 Corequisites: BDES3011 Prohibitions: BDES3010 or DESA3001 or BDES3023 Assessment: Assessment 1 Interim Presentation + Report (20%); Assessment 2 Final Presentation (30%); Assessment 3 Portfolio + Final Report (30%); Assessment 4 Final Exam (20%) Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
Architecture Studio 3A is oriented towards the technical dimensions of architecture, whilst remaining attentive to the deeper cultural and historical context in which such technical knowledge, particularly in regards to structures and sustainability, has arisen and is currently situated. It imparts knowledge and skills that will stimulate compelling architectural projects that are conceptually rigorous, structurally innovating and technically adept. Structural knowledge is developed through a suite of lectures and accompanying practical exercises, and is assessed through technical reports and a final examination. Students simultaneously develop an architectural project in response to a brief in which structural concerns necessarily come to the fore, such as for a habitable bridge. They are required to integrate multiple criteria, including thematic, conceptual, programmatic and technical concerns into a persuasive architectural proposition.
BDES3027 Architecture Studio 3B
Credit points: 12 Teacher/Coordinator: Ms Catherine Lassen Session: Semester 2 Classes: Lectures; Lab; Studio contact plus self-directed preparation and assignments - minimum student commitment of 18 hours per week. Prerequisites: BDES3026 or BDES3010 or DESA3001 Prohibitions: BDES3020 or DESA3002 or BDES3012 Assessment: Assessment 1: Phase 1 Design Presentation (20%); Assessment 2: Phase 2 & Communications Submission (20%); Assessment 3: Design Project & Portfolio (60%) Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
As the culminating design studio for the degree, students are presented with the opportunity to develop an architectural position within their projects. Architecture Studio 3B continues themes from Architecture Studio 3A, extending design understanding with respect to programmatic ambition and situating a symbolic public building proposal within a specific urban site.
Particular attention is paid to the conventions of architectural representation as `Communications¿ to doubly generate as well as conceptually clarify design opportunities.
Computational modes of modelling are a particular focus. Structural, technical and material thinking is encouraged in coherent relation to students¿ strategic design intent and through studied historical and cultural awareness. The studio consolidates students' abilities in communicating and translating architecture using advanced modes of graphic visualisation through 3D modelling software and associated fabrication potentials. Hybrid techniques for moving between computational and actual realms are promoted in parallel with clarifying attitudes toward contemporary built and un-built environments.
Depth of design development is promoted via a dual emphasis: early analysis of exemplary architectural thinking coupled with intensive speculative and projective exploration. Students aim to produce conceptually challenging, integrated and compelling pre-professional architectural design projects confronting a variety of spatial contexts.
Particular attention is paid to the conventions of architectural representation as `Communications¿ to doubly generate as well as conceptually clarify design opportunities.
Computational modes of modelling are a particular focus. Structural, technical and material thinking is encouraged in coherent relation to students¿ strategic design intent and through studied historical and cultural awareness. The studio consolidates students' abilities in communicating and translating architecture using advanced modes of graphic visualisation through 3D modelling software and associated fabrication potentials. Hybrid techniques for moving between computational and actual realms are promoted in parallel with clarifying attitudes toward contemporary built and un-built environments.
Depth of design development is promoted via a dual emphasis: early analysis of exemplary architectural thinking coupled with intensive speculative and projective exploration. Students aim to produce conceptually challenging, integrated and compelling pre-professional architectural design projects confronting a variety of spatial contexts.
Bachelor of Design in Architecture (Honours)/Master of Architecture honours core units
Honours units in this degree will be offered from 2019
Recommended electives
Students are strongly advised to undertake the following elective units of study:
AWSS1001 Architectural Sketching and Drawing
Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Mr Koji Ryui Session: Semester 1 Classes: Workshop 3 hrs/wk Prohibitions: DESA1601, DESA1602 Assessment: Portfolio of works (60%); process journal (40%) Practical field work: Studio practice Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
Note: Students may incur costs for materials in some Art Workshops units.
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.
Master of Architecture - Prerequisite unit of study
Candidates wishing to proceed to the Master of Architecture are required to complete the following prerequisite unit. This unit may count towards the senior School electives.
BDES3025 Architectural Professional Practice
Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Mr Michael Muir Session: Semester 2 Classes: Lecture and tutorial contact, plus self-directed preparation and assignments, for a minimum total student commitment averaging 9 hours per week. Assessment: Reports (20%), Assignment (80%) Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
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.
School electives
Candidates are required to complete a minimum of 42 credit points of elective units of study, including a minimum of 12 credit points of senior elective units of study from those listed below. Candidates who have passed 96 credit points with a Credit average may request permission to enrol in graduate units from Table G, the table of graduate units of study, or Table M, the Master of Architecture, in this handbook.
Senior Art in Architecture elective units of study
AWSS2002 Site Specific Art
Credit points: 6 Session: Semester 2 Classes: Workshop 3 hrs/wk Assessment: Practical work (60%); research, written component and presentations (40%) Practical field work: Studio practice Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
Note: Department permission required for enrolment
This practical unit aims to give students a broad understanding of site-specific art including its historical development and relationship to other visual art forms and architecture. Students gain experience in ways of selecting and analysing sites for the purposes of incorporation into artwork. Students begin to develop an individual art practice through using a wide range of materials to make temporary site-specific artworks and also begin to develop ways of analysing and evaluating site-specific artworks through directed group discussions.
AWSS2010 Architecture and Design Ceramic Processes
Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Mr Koji Ryui Session: Semester 1,Semester 2 Classes: Workshop 3 hrs/wk Prohibitions: DESA2634 Assessment: Studio projects (70%); Process Journal and associated assignments (30%) Practical field work: Studio practice
NB: Students may incur costs for materials in some units Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
Note: Department permission required for enrolment
This unit explores ceramic media and processes. Students will investigate different fabrication techniques such as slip-casting, ceramic rapid prototyping and analogue modelling. There will be an emphasis on ceramics as a modelling medium in design and architecture. Students will use the digital modelling and fabrication lab within the faculty to investigate possibilities for ceramic production. This exploration will be in relation to historic and contemporary architectural frameworks. Set projects will enable students to explore expression and design in an architectural form and materiality context. Students will be expected to produce a research process journal and report on how a particular practitioner/s or movement has informed or influenced their project/s.
AWSS2015 Generative Drawing
Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Mr Koji Ryui Session: Semester 2,Summer Early Classes: Workshop 3 hrs/wk Assessment: Portfolio (60%); Process Journal (40%) Practical field work: Studio practice
NB: Students may incur costs for materials in some units Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
Note: Department permission required for enrolment
This module explores a variety of drawing skills with an emphasis on materials and techniques as tools for generative and process-based work related to drawing as a fundamental medium and method in design. Drawing is approached as a system for critical analysis, research and design speculation. The focus is on the formal aspects of composition and perspective while the material nature of drawing is explored as a balance between chance and control. Students use a wide variety of mark-making methods to render line, tonal value and texture. Students are provided with the opportunity to combine observational skills with experimental techniques in order to encourage a personal vision and a commitment to the practice of drawing in design. Each technique and approach will be presented against a background of Architecture and Art history and theory.
AWSS2020 Object Design
Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Mr Koji Ryui Session: Semester 1,Semester 2 Classes: Workshop 3 hrs/wk Corequisites: DESA1555 Prohibitions: DESA2643 Assessment: Portfolio of works and presentation (60%); process journal and associated assignments (40%) Practical field work: Studio practice
NB: Students may incur costs for materials in some units Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
Note: Department permission required for enrolment
In this unit students develop and inter-relate manufacturing and artisan skills with research, analysis and design development. It aims to develop a critical awareness of the nature of objects that surround us, exploring cultural, contextual and symbolic aspects of object design as well as functional and aesthetic qualities. Sustainability and social issues relating to their manufacture, use and disposal are also discussed. The unit aims to increase appreciation of the materiality of objects focusing on timber as an example and introduces students to the wonderful diversity of timber species, environmental and ethical issues associated with their selection, and also emerging alternative materials. Through a series of exercises, experiments and production of their major project, students develop knowledge of construction techniques and skills in using wood/plastics tools and machinery and in so doing, build an awareness of industrial and craft practices and how they impact on the design process and outcome. Students will be expected to produce a research process journal and report on how a particular designer/s or movement has informed or influenced their final project/s.
AWSS2023 Architectural Photography 1
Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Mr Koji Ryui Session: Semester 1,Semester 2,Summer Early Classes: Workshop 3 hrs/wk Prohibitions: DESA2629 Assessment: Process Journal and associated assignments (40%); final project and presentation (60%) Practical field work: Studio practice
NB: Students may incur costs for materials in some units Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
Note: Department permission required for enrolment
This practical unit assumes students have little or no understanding of photo image making. It aims to give students an understanding of how photography functions as a contemporary visual medium, including its connection to modernism and architecture. Students will gain knowledge of the principles and practise of camera operations, the production of high quality black and white prints in small studio style classes. This module covers the use of a 35mm DSLR camera, image composition, use of lighting, image capture and correction, and printing. Practical work includes completion of set class projects, gallery visits, class discussions and the production of a portfolio. *Students should have access to a 35mm DSLR camera.
AWSS2026 2D Print Processes in Design
Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Mr Koji Ryui Session: Semester 1,Semester 2,Summer Early Classes: Workshop 3 hrs/wk Prohibitions: DESA2638 Assessment: Research Journal (30%); portfolio of Studio Works (70%) Practical field work: Studio practice
NB: Students may incur costs for materials in some units Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
Note: Department permission required for enrolment
This studio-based unit introduces a variety of traditional and experimental techniques that will enable students to design and print a series of 2D works both within and around the context of design and Architecture. It will provide students with the knowledge and skills to design and print on paper through a range of techniques and creative exercises that can be developed into an edition or a series of experimental printed works. Students will also explore the historical roots of print and print as an element in design and architecture. Techniques covered include: digital photography and vector illustration, typography, hand and laser-cut paper stencils, ink mixing, registration and print set-up for multi-coloured prints. Through studio practice, set exercises, illustrated talks, gallery visits and library research, students will develop an understanding of their creative process and ability to interpret ideas through the medium of printing and with particular focus on design and architecture applications.
AWSS2027 Architecture and Design Material Processes
Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Mr Koji Ryui Session: Semester 1,Semester 2 Classes: Workshop 3 hrs/wk Prohibitions: DESA2636 Assessment: Studio Projects and associated tasks (70%); Research Process Journal (30%) Practical field work: Studio practice
NB: Students may incur costs for materials in some units Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
Note: Department permission required for enrolment
This studio-based unit introduces fundamental knowledge and technical skills for students to produce a series of 3D works extending their understanding and experience of material processes in design and architecture. Students will work with a broad range of traditional and experimental materials; emphasis is placed on developing students' material and spatial awareness of three-dimensional forms in a design context and investigating their conceptual meanings and applications. Students will be required to design, plan and produce a series of sculptural works, utilizing mediums and techniques explored throughout the semester. Additionally, students are required to independently research and discuss in class historical precedents and contemporary practices that inform their projects and relate them to the contextual framework of design and architecture.
DESA3013 Expanded Colour: Theory to Application
Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Mr Koji Ryui Session: Semester 1,Semester 2,Summer Early Classes: Tutorial 1 hr/wk; studio 2 hrs/wk Assessment: Studio projects (65%); Process Journal and associated assignments (35%) Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
This unit allows students to develop and extend research into colour and the designed environment. It locates some of the main figures that have investigated and championed the use of colour historically and in contemporary contexts - including artists and theorists Josef Albers, Johannes Itten, David Batchelor, Ann Veronica Janssens, Carlos Cruz-Diez, James Turrell and Olafur Eliasson, scientist Albert Henry Munsell, architects Le Corbusier and Sauerbrauch Hutton. Research will take students across the connections made between colour and light, music, and the phenomenology of space. Using a range of materials and techniques tied to sculpture, video, photography, assemblage and installation, students will experiment and explore propositions for architecture in response to conceptual frameworks and historical and contemporary precedents. Through this unit students have the opportunity to develop observational, critical and tactical skills related to the meaning and potential uses of colour in architecture.
Senior Architecture elective units of study
DAAE2001 20th Century Australian Architecture
Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Mr Nathan Etherington Session: Semester 2 Classes: Lecture and tutorial contact, plus self-directed preparation and assignments, for a minimum total student commitment averaging 9 hours per week. Prohibitions: DESA2305 Assessment: One seminar presentation and one 3,000 word essay (100%) Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
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.
DAAE2002 Architecture, Place and Society
This unit of study is not available in 2017
Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Dr Akin Sevinc Session: Semester 1 Classes: Lecture and tutorial contact, plus self-directed preparation and assignments, for a minimum total student commitment averaging 9 hours per week. Prohibitions: DESA2211 Assessment: Graphic and Written Pressentation on Research (40%); Final Research Essay (60%) Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
This unit aims to investigate the relationship between architecture, place and society and to explore the meaning of cultural and social sustainability in architectural design. The unit assumes that designers will increasingly work in places where cultures are unfamiliar at home or in a global context, and that an ability to understand, and interpret, diverse cultures, and the way design occurs in diverse locations, is an important area of knowledge for designers. A key aspect of social sustainability is the practice of social responsibility, and the unit explores how this may occur, including involving people in the design process. On completion of this unit students will be able to demonstrate: an ability to better understand the connections between architecture place and society, and the social, cultural, political and economic factors affecting sustainable environments; skills and knowledge in participatory processes necessary for effective communication about environmental design issues; increased critical awareness about social responsibility in relation to the practice of architecture and the design of the built environment, and an ability to exercise this awareness. This unit will provide architecture students with knowledge of the relationship between culture and architecture, as well as practical knowledge of the social aspects of design practice. It is intended that students from other disciplines will develop a critical awareness of the built environment as a form of cultural production, and the possibilities for their participation in its production.
DESA3003 Architectural Detailing
Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Mr Michael Muir Session: Semester 1 Classes: Tutorial 3 hrs/week, minimum 4 site visits/semester Assessment: Initial site report (30%), Draft final findings (10%), Final site details (60%) Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
Note: Department permission required for enrolment
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.
DESA3004 Architecture and Diagrams
This unit of study is not available in 2017
Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Dr Francois Blanciak Session: Semester 1 Classes: 1hr lectures/weeks 1 2 and 3, 3hr tutorials/week, 1hr seminars/week Prerequisites: 48 Credit points Assessment: (50%) Diagramming, Seminar presentation (35%), (15%) Active participation Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
Note: Department permission required for enrolment
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.
DESA3005 Architectural Drawing Through History
Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Dr Ross Anderson Session: Semester 1 Classes: 1 hr lecture/week, 3 hrs studio/week Prerequisites: 48 credit points Assessment: Seminar presentation (30%), Studio project (50%), Illustration report (20%) Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
Note: Department permission required for enrolment
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.
DESA3007 Prefab Architecture
Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Assoc Prof Mathew Aitchison Session: Intensive February Classes: 5 intensive days Prerequisites: 48 credit points Assessment: Case study report (50%), Presentation report (50%) Mode of delivery: Block mode
Note: Department permission required for enrolment
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.
DESA3008 Architectural Models: Theory and Practice
Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Dr Matthew Mindrup Session: Semester 2 Classes: 2hr lectures/week, 1hr tutorials/week Assessment: (40%) Portfolio, (60%) Graphic and written presentation on research Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
Note: Department permission required for enrolment
This unit of study asks students to consider 'what is a physical model in architecture?' and 'what are the different materials, methods and uses of physical models in the design and presentation of architecture?' Participants in this unit will critically investigate and creatively apply a non-conventional modeling technique 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 physical 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.
DESA3009 Advanced Fabrication
Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Dr Simon Weir Session: Semester 2 Classes: 3 hr/week Lecture/lab/tutorial Prerequisites: 96 credit points Assessment: Assignments (2x50%) Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
Note: Department permission required for enrolment
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.
DESA3010 Code to Production
Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Dr Dagmar Reinhardt Session: Semester 1 Classes: 1hr lectures/week, 2hr tutorials/week, 2hr workshops/week Prerequisites: 48 credit points Assessment: Small exercises (50%), Documentation (50%) Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
Note: Department permission required for enrolment
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).
DESA3011 Introduction to Building Construction
Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Dr Stewart Lawler Session: Semester 2 Classes: 3 hr lecture/tutorial/week Assessment: Two assignments (40%) and (60%) Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
Note: Department permission required for enrolment
This unit provides a comprehensive overview of standard domestic scaled construction in Australia. It begins by introducing a number of recurrent themes in construction including the idea of building culture, the various modes of delivery and variety of classifications of buildings and building elements, rational construction and construction detailing from first principles. There follows a review of construction techniques of well-documented and/or accessible exemplars. Finally, the unit will review current issues related to key attributes of buildings which make them sustainable, particularly with regard to material selection, appropriate detailing and energy and resources conservation.
DESA3012 Counter-Practices in Architecture
Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Assoc Prof Lee Stickells Session: Semester 2 Classes: tutorials 1hr/week; seminars 2hrs/week Prohibitions: ARCH9094 Assessment: illustrated research essay (50%), critical summaries (20%) and seminar presentation (30%) Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
Note: Department permission required for enrolment
Focused on the 1960s and 1970s, this unit will explore an alternative genealogy of the postmodern turn in architecture. It will introduce students to experimental practices and polemics that emerged when architects and figures from the counterculture responded to the identification of global environmental emergency, urban instabilities; revolutions in communication technologies and expanded forms of environmental control; growing militarism and globalising forces; and burgeoning claims to self-determination and environmental justice.
DESA3014 Finding Country
Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Prof Michael Tawa Session: Intensive January Classes: 4 day intensive and studio Assessment: proposition (20%), mapping process (20%) and finding country (60%) Mode of delivery: Block mode
Note: Department permission required for enrolment
This unit of study involves an intensive 4-day workshop focusing on 'finding country': that, is recuperating the erased or imperceptible layers of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories within the urban fabric of Sydney. The workshop also aims to make propositions for urban interventions within the city fabric that would re-establish the value and importance of those histories to the cultural and experiential futures of the city.
DESA3015 Broken Hill and Far West NSW Projects
Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Prof Michael Tawa Session: Intensive July Classes: 4 day intensive and fieldwork Assessment: project proposal (20%), reflective journal (20%), critique (20%), presentation (10%) and major project report (30%) Mode of delivery: Field experience
Note: Department permission required for enrolment
This unit of study introduces students to a community engaged learning and teaching setting, working on collaborative, multidisciplinary action research project that crosses over business and architecture. The
design project will exercise and extend design skills and knowledge required to produce a plausible conceptual solution to a large-scale regional city condition that addresses educational, sociocultural,
business, heritage, architectural, landscape and technological issues, with an emphasis on indigenous community needs. Architecture students will work with their Innovative and Enterprise counterparts from the Business School to develop viable architectural and business solutions that integrate multiple criteria (contextual, sustainable, urban design, structural, material, constructional, representational) into a design within rigorous conceptual and theoretical framework. The project will offer students opportunities to engage with the professionals and the broader community.
design project will exercise and extend design skills and knowledge required to produce a plausible conceptual solution to a large-scale regional city condition that addresses educational, sociocultural,
business, heritage, architectural, landscape and technological issues, with an emphasis on indigenous community needs. Architecture students will work with their Innovative and Enterprise counterparts from the Business School to develop viable architectural and business solutions that integrate multiple criteria (contextual, sustainable, urban design, structural, material, constructional, representational) into a design within rigorous conceptual and theoretical framework. The project will offer students opportunities to engage with the professionals and the broader community.
DESA3441 Design Architecture Independent Study A
Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Mr Michael Muir Session: Semester 1,Semester 2 Classes: Weekly meetings by arrangement. Prerequisites: 48 credit points and WAM of at least 70. Assessment: Report or equivalent (100%) Mode of delivery: Supervision
Note: Department permission required for enrolment
This unit provides an opportunity to high achieving students to develop an interest in a specific Design Architecture topic; to develop skills in independent study; and to develop advanced report writing skills. This elective is undertaken with an agreement between the student and a supervisor on an agreed topic related to Design Architecture. The student will meet with the supervisor weekly to discuss progress. The outcome should be a reflective report on a selected topic demonstrating mastery of the topic.
DESA3442 Design Architecture Independent Study B
Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Mr Michael Muir Session: Semester 1,Semester 2 Classes: Weekly meetings by arrangement. Prerequisites: 48 credit points and WAM of at least 70. Assessment: Report or equivalent (100%) Mode of delivery: Supervision
Note: Department permission required for enrolment
This unit provides an opportunity to high achieving students to develop an interest in a specific Design Architecture topic; to develop skills in independent study; and to develop advanced report writing skills.
This elective is undertaken with an agreement between the student and a supervisor on an agreed topic related to Design Architecture. The student will meet with the supervisor weekly to discuss progress.
The outcome should be a reflective report on a selected topic demonstrating mastery of the topic.
This elective is undertaken with an agreement between the student and a supervisor on an agreed topic related to Design Architecture. The student will meet with the supervisor weekly to discuss progress.
The outcome should be a reflective report on a selected topic demonstrating mastery of the topic.
DESA3443 Design Architecture Independent Study C
Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Mr Michael Muir Session: Semester 1,Semester 2 Classes: Weekly meetings by arrangement. Prerequisites: 48 credit points and WAM of at least 70. Assessment: Report or equivalent (100%) Mode of delivery: Supervision
Note: Department permission required for enrolment
This unit provides an opportunity to high achieving students to develop an interest in a specific Design Architecture topic; to develop skills in independent study; and to develop advanced report writing skills.
This elective is undertaken with an agreement between the student and a supervisor on an agreed topic related to Design Architecture. The student will meet with the supervisor weekly to discuss progress.
The outcome should be a reflective report on a selected topic demonstrating mastery of the topic.
This elective is undertaken with an agreement between the student and a supervisor on an agreed topic related to Design Architecture. The student will meet with the supervisor weekly to discuss progress.
The outcome should be a reflective report on a selected topic demonstrating mastery of the topic.
DESA3444 Design Architecture Independent Study D
Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Mr Michael Muir Session: Semester 1,Semester 2 Classes: Weekly meetings by arrangement. Prerequisites: 48 credit points and WAM of at least 70. Assessment: Report or equivalent (100%) Mode of delivery: Supervision
Note: Department permission required for enrolment
This unit provides an opportunity to high achieving students to develop an interest in a specific Design Architecture topic; to develop skills in independent study; and to develop advanced report writing skills.
This elective is undertaken with an agreement between the student and a supervisor on an agreed topic related to Design Architecture. The student will meet with the supervisor weekly to discuss progress.
The outcome should be a reflective report on a selected topic demonstrating mastery of the topic.
This elective is undertaken with an agreement between the student and a supervisor on an agreed topic related to Design Architecture. The student will meet with the supervisor weekly to discuss progress.
The outcome should be a reflective report on a selected topic demonstrating mastery of the topic.
DESA3551 Design Architecture General Elective A
Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Mr Michael Muir Session: Intensive February,Intensive July,Intensive June,Intensive November,Semester 1,Semester 1a,Semester 1b,Semester 2,Semester 2a,Semester 2b Assessment: Assignments as determined by Unit Coordinator (100%) Mode of delivery: Supervision
Note: Departmental Permission will be required to enrol in this unit.
This elective allows a group of students to pursue a topic proposed by a member of academic staff in a formal learning environment.
This unit of study is available to a minimum of 10 students to engage in a topic related to Design Architecture that is organised by a member of academic staff. This allows a member of staff to teach a topic of special interest or for a visiting academic to teach a subject related to their specialty. Students will participate in lectures, tutorials, or other activities as needed to pursue the elective topic. The topic for this elective is proposed by a member of academic staff and approved by the Associate Dean (Undergraduate).
Students will develop an understanding of a special topic through reports, projects, and tutorial exercises.
This unit of study is available to a minimum of 10 students to engage in a topic related to Design Architecture that is organised by a member of academic staff. This allows a member of staff to teach a topic of special interest or for a visiting academic to teach a subject related to their specialty. Students will participate in lectures, tutorials, or other activities as needed to pursue the elective topic. The topic for this elective is proposed by a member of academic staff and approved by the Associate Dean (Undergraduate).
Students will develop an understanding of a special topic through reports, projects, and tutorial exercises.
DESA3552 Design Architecture General Elective B
Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Mr Michael Muir Session: Intensive February,Intensive January,Intensive June,Intensive November,Semester 1,Semester 1a,Semester 1b,Semester 2,Semester 2a,Semester 2b Prerequisites: 48 credit points. Assessment: Assignments as determined by Unit Coordinator (100%) Mode of delivery: Supervision
Note: Department permission required for enrolment
This elective allows a group of students to pursue a topic proposed by a member of academic staff in a formal learning environment.
This unit of study is available to a minimum of 10 students to engage in a topic related to Design Architecture that is organised by a member of academic staff. This allows a member of staff to teach a topic of special interest or for a visiting academic to teach a subject related to their specialty. Students will participate in lectures, tutorials, or other activities as needed to pursue the elective topic. The topic for this elective is proposed by a member of academic staff and approved by the Associate Dean (Undergraduate).
Students will develop an understanding of a special topic through reports, projects, and tutorial exercises.
This unit of study is available to a minimum of 10 students to engage in a topic related to Design Architecture that is organised by a member of academic staff. This allows a member of staff to teach a topic of special interest or for a visiting academic to teach a subject related to their specialty. Students will participate in lectures, tutorials, or other activities as needed to pursue the elective topic. The topic for this elective is proposed by a member of academic staff and approved by the Associate Dean (Undergraduate).
Students will develop an understanding of a special topic through reports, projects, and tutorial exercises.
DESA3553 Design Architecture General Elective C
Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Mr Michael Muir Session: Intensive June,Intensive November,Semester 1,Semester 1a,Semester 1b,Semester 2,Semester 2a,Semester 2b Prerequisites: 48 credit points. Assessment: Assignments as determined by Unit Coordinator (100%) Mode of delivery: Supervision
Note: Department permission required for enrolment
This elective allows a group of students to pursue a topic proposed by a member of academic staff in a formal learning environment.This unit of study is available to a minimum of 10 students to engage in a topic related to Design Architecture that is organised by a member of academic staff. This allows a member of staff to teach a topic of special interest or for a visiting academic to teach a subject related to their specialty. Students will participate in lectures, tutorials, or other activities as needed to pursue the elective topic. The topic for this elective is proposed by a member of academic staff and approved by the Associate Dean (Education). Students will develop an understanding of a special topic through reports, projects, and tutorial exercises.
DESA3554 Design Architecture General Elective D
Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Mr Michael Muir Session: Intensive January,Intensive June,Semester 1,Semester 1a,Semester 1b,Semester 2,Semester 2a,Semester 2b Prerequisites: 48 credit points. Assessment: Assignments as determined by Unit Coordinator (100%) Mode of delivery: Supervision
Note: Department permission required for enrolment
This elective allows a group of students to pursue a topic proposed by a member of academic staff in a formal learning environment. This unit of study is available to a minimum of 10 students to engage in a topic related to Design Architecture that is organised by a member of academic staff. This allows a member of staff to teach a topic of special interest or for a visiting academic to teach a subject related to their specialty. Students will participate in lectures, tutorials, or other activities as needed to pursue the elective topic. The topic for this elective is proposed by a member of academic staff and approved by the Associate Dean (Education). Students will develop an understanding of a special topic through reports, projects, and tutorial exercises.
MARC6204 Graduate Exhibition
Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Dr Sandra Loschke Session: Semester 2 Classes: 3-hour design intensives twice weekly in Weeks 1-3 and 3-hour pre-production meetings and production intensives in Weeks 9-14 Assessment: Preliminary research, exhibition design and performance assessment (individual work) (40%); Exhibition and Yearbook (group work) (60%). Practical field work: 3-hour intensive fabrication workshops in Weeks 10-14 and as required to produce the exhibition. Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
Note: Department permission required for enrolment
This unit of study enables students to engage in a collaborative project to research, design and produce a high-profile public exhibition and accompanying yearbook of graduating work from the BDesArch and MArch programs. The project will exercise and extend design skills and knowledge required to produce a plausible concept for the exhibition and yearbook and to implement the necessary logistical, technical and practical means to realise it. The project integrates multiple activities which exercise different skill sets including research and precedent studies of exhibition, curation and potential venues; developing a critical, plausible and achievable concept for the event; budgeting and financial management; exhibition design; graphic design; construction and installation of the exhibition; production of the yearbook; consultation with stakeholders and implementation. Students will extend their research, design and implementation skills through a real project with a concrete outcome to real-time deadlines and resource limitations.
Junior Architectural Science elective units of study
DESA1004 Designing with Surfaces and Light
Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Ms Wenye Hu Session: Semester 2,Summer Main,Winter Main Classes: Online Prohibitions: DESA2612 Assessment: Assignment (40%), Assignment (60%) Mode of delivery: Online
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.
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.
Senior Architectural Science elective units of study
DAAE2005 Designing with Colour
Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Ms Wenye Hu Session: Semester 1,Semester 2,Summer Early,Winter Main Classes: Online. Expected total workload is approximately 35 hours online, plus independent study and preparation. Assessment: Assignment (40%), Assignment (60%) Mode of delivery: Online
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.
DAAE2008 Innovative Building Structures
Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Mr Michael Muir Session: Semester 2 Classes: Lecture 2 hrs/wk; tutorial 1 hr/wk Prerequisites: BDES1023 Prohibitions: DESA2206 Assessment: Group Report (40%); Physical Test (20%);Individual Report (40%) Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
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.
DAAE3001 Sustainable Architectural Practice
Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Mr Michael Muir Session: Semester 1 Classes: Lectures 2 hrs/wk lectures, tutorial/lab 1 hr/wk for weeks 1 to 12 Prerequisites: DESA2111 or BDES1023 or DESA1102 Prohibitions: DESA2201 or DESA2202 or DESA2207 Assessment: Case Study (20%), Design Exercise (80%) Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
Note: Department permission required for enrolment
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.
This unit is an Architecture Elective in the Bachelor of Design in Architecture and elective in other courses.
Junior Design Computing elective units of study
DECO1012 Design Programming
Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Dr Kazjon Grace Session: Semester 1 Classes: Discussion forum 1 hr/wk, tutorial 2 hrs/wk, online modules 1 hr/wk Assessment: Programming Assignments (80%), Quizzes (20%) Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
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.
Senior Design Computing elective units of study
DAAE2011 Intro to Visual Communication Design
Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Mr Nathaniel Fay Session: Semester 1,Summer Early Classes: Online: expected total workload is approximately 35 hours online, plus independent study and preparation. Prohibitions: DAAE2009 or DECO1015 or DECO1100 or DECO2101 Assessment: Assignments (2x50%) Mode of delivery: Online
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.
DECO2010 Designing Social Media
Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Ms Madeleine Borthwick Session: Intensive June,Semester 1 Classes: Lecture 1 hr/wk; tutorial 2 hrs/wk Assessment: Social Media Project (80%); Tutorial activities (10%); Participation (10%) Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
This unit provides students with an understanding of principles and technologies relevant to the design of social media, that is, media supporting social interaction. The unit covers the history and theory of social networks, techniques and methods for analysing social media networks, design principles and patterns for the creation of social media applications, and the development and delivery of social media strategy. Students will gain proficiency designing social media platforms and usage scenarios that solve a range of design challenges. Students will participate in, critically review and prototype new forms of sociable media to demonstrate their understanding of the subject matter.
DECO2015 Design for Innovation
Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Assoc Prof Martin Tomitsch Session: Semester 2 Classes: lectures 1hr/week; tutorials 2hrs/week Assessment: analysis report (35%), project work (35%), quizzes (20%) and participation (10%) Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
This unit of study introduces students to design strategies and techniques for developing alternative points of view and exploring multiple solutions iteratively. Through the analysis of real-world case studies students will develop an understanding for how to use design-thinking methods to tackle complex problems. The unit will discuss how design can be used as a method and as a way of thinking to drive innovation for products, services and processes. In the tutorial component, students will apply design strategies and techniques, such as lateral thinking, experiential prototyping and speculative design, through small group exercises. Students will develop a deep understanding of these strategies and techniques through the various assessment items, which capture theory, analytical reflection and the practical application of methods.
DECO2101 Visual Communication
Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Mr Nathaniel Fay Session: Intensive June,Semester 1 Classes: Lecture 1 hr/wk (Week 1 only); tutorial 2 hrs/wk; online modules 1 hr/wk Prohibitions: DECO1015 or DECO1100 or DAAE2009 Assessment: Visual Design Assignments (80%); Quizzes (20%) Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
Note: Department permission required for enrolment
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.
DECO2102 Web Design and Technologies
Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Assoc Prof Martin Tomitsch Session: Semester 2 Classes: Lecture 1 hr/wk (Week 1 only); tutorial 2 hrs/wk; online modules 1 hr/wk Prohibitions: DECO1016 Assessment: Web Design Assignments (80%); Quizzes (20%) Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
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.
DECO2103 3D Modelling and Fabrication
Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Dr Caitilin de Berigny Session: Semester 1 Classes: Lecture 1 hr/wk, tutorial 2 hrs/wk Prohibitions: DECO1008 Assessment: Design Proposal (40%); Design Model (40%); Quizzes (20%) Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
This unit teaches students an understanding of the basic concepts of modelling and prototyping 3D artefacts. Students will develop skills in creating and using 3D models for various stages of a design process. 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 of artefacts (such as digital products or packaging). Students will learn how physical artefacts 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, and 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.
DECO2015 Design for Innovation
Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Assoc Prof Martin Tomitsch Session: Semester 2 Classes: lectures 1hr/week; tutorials 2hrs/week Assessment: analysis report (35%), project work (35%), quizzes (20%) and participation (10%) Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
This unit of study introduces students to design strategies and techniques for developing alternative points of view and exploring multiple solutions iteratively. Through the analysis of real-world case studies students will develop an understanding for how to use design-thinking methods to tackle complex problems. The unit will discuss how design can be used as a method and as a way of thinking to drive innovation for products, services and processes. In the tutorial component, students will apply design strategies and techniques, such as lateral thinking, experiential prototyping and speculative design, through small group exercises. Students will develop a deep understanding of these strategies and techniques through the various assessment items, which capture theory, analytical reflection and the practical application of methods.
DECO2016 Design Thinking
Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Assoc Prof Martin Tomitsch Session: Semester 2 Classes: lectures 1hr/week; tutorials 2hrs/week Prohibitions: DECO1006 Assessment: design assessments (70%), quizzes (20%) and participation (10%) Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
Note: Not available to students in the Bachelor of Design Computing and the Bachelor of Architecture and Environments
This unit of study provides an introduction to design methods and their application in a human-centred design process. The unit structure follows the stages of a typical design process, which are: define, understand, ideate, prototype, evaluate and reflect. A series of lectures and tutorial sessions are dedicated to each of these stages, allowing students to gain a deep understand of and experience with design thinking methods. Students will learn how to balance convergent and divergent thinking at various stages throughout the design process, and how to use these methods to respond to a design brief requiring both analysis and synthesis. Students will 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.
DECO3101 Innovation Design Studio
Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Dr Martin Tomitsch Session: Semester 1 Classes: lecture 1hr/week; tutorial 2hrs/week Assessment: project work (90%) and participation (10%) Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
This unit of study provides a format for deep engagement with design thinking and innovation methods. Students will develop responses to a design problem that requires the application of students' existing disciplinary skills combined with knowledge in an interdisciplinary context. Projects are student-led, allowing students to identify projects that are linked to their interests and discipline-specific career paths. Through interactive group work, facilitated by experienced design mentors, students will learn how to negotiate interdisciplinary requirements and boundaries. All projects developed in this unit of study are expected to address some element of innovation in an existing product, service or process. Students will be able to apply methods acquired in other units of study, and will learn about new methods through weekly project work and reviews. Projects will follow the design thinking steps of understanding, defining, ideating, prototyping and testing.
DECO3006 Animation and Motion Design
Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Mr Nathaniel Fay Session: Semester 2 Classes: Lecture 1 hr/wk, tutorial 2 hrs/wk Assessment: Animation Assignments (80%); Quizzes (20%) Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
This unit introduces students to 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, the integration between 2D artwork and 3D composition, and techniques and tools for audio recording and production to support animation. Assessments in this unit focus 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.
Junior Planning elective units of study
DAAE1001 Living Cities
Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Dr Adrienne Keane Session: Semester 2 Classes: Lecture 2 hrs/wk (Weeks 1-6), 1 hr/wk (Weeks 7-13); tutorial 1 hr/wk (Weeks 1-6), 2 hrs/wk (Weeks 7-13) Assumed knowledge: DECO1006 and DECO1012 and BDES1011 and AWSS1001 Assessment: Assessment 1 (30%); Assessment 2 (30%); Assessment 3 (40%) Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
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.
Textbooks
Course material, announcements and assessment submission will be available at https://elearning.sydney.edu.au/
Senior Planning elective units of study
BADP2002 City Form and Development
Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Dr Adrienne Keane Session: Semester 1 Classes: Lectures 2 hrs/wk, tutorials 1 hr/wk Prerequisites: DAAE1001 Assessment: Individual work critical review (30%), group work presentation (20%), portfolio (40%), participation (10%) Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
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.