Overview

This unit aims to equip students with knowledge and skills of social, cultural and ethical aspects of architecture in order to recognise such aspects in future practice. Housing and community buildings are used as small scale examples of the complexities associated with implementing these practices towards universal design. Students are expected to support design decision-making within a historical/theoretical context. Students are expected to create a working brief, design propositions and represent these using appropriate analogue/digital methods.

Teaching periods
Location
Start and end dates
Last self-enrolment date
Census date
Last withdraw without fail date
Results released date
Semester 1
Location
Hawthorn
Start and end dates
03-March-2025
01-June-2025
Last self-enrolment date
16-March-2025
Census date
31-March-2025
Last withdraw without fail date
24-April-2025
Results released date
08-July-2025

Learning outcomes

Students who successfully complete this unit will be able to:

  • Formulate and evaluate a project brief and interpret the project brief as a design outcome.
  • Analyse social, cultural and ethical aspects of architecture and apply these to a design proposition.
  • Situate design ideas within a historical/theoretical framework, and provide evidence of this in the design proposition.
  • Demonstrate construction and material knowledge and present this through analogue and/or digital drawings/models.
  • Communicate the design proposition using a set of graphic techniques.

Teaching methods

Hawthorn

Activity Type Activity Total Hours Number of Weeks Hours Per Week Venue Type and Activity Detail
On-campus Studio 36 12 weeks 3 Design Seminar 1
On-campus Studio 36 12 weeks 3 Design Seminar 2
Specified Activities Various 24 12 weeks 2 Online content, Readings
Unspecified Activities Independent Learning 204 12 weeks 17 Independent study, Assignment preparation, Revision
Total Hours: 300 Total Hours (per week): 25  

Assessment

Type Task Weighting ULO's
PresentationIndividual/Group 15% 1,2 
PresentationIndividual/Group 15% 2,5 
Project 1Individual 10% 1,2,3 
Project 2Individual 60% 1,2,3,4,5 

Content

  • Exploration of architectural design, basic theory and philosophy
  • Examination of sustainable design issues and options
  • Workshop experience to develop 3D modelling
  • Develop and present research outcome on social, cultural and ethical aspects of architecture 
  • Presentation of design concepts by illustration and verbally
  • Graduate Attribute – Communication Skills: Verbal communication
  • Graduate Attribute – Communication Skills: Communicating using different media
  • Graduate Attribute – Teamwork Skills: Collaboration and negotiation
  • Graduate Attribute – Digital Literacies: Information literacy

Study resources

Reading materials

A list of reading materials and/or required textbooks will be available in the Unit Outline on Canvas.