Overview

This unit enables students to demonstrate mastery of creative design processes in architecture and/or urban design by identifying a contemporary design challenge; setting out an ambitious design research question; articulating a design research method; performing independent research, integrating their research directly into their design, and; putting forward a tested and rigorous design proposition. Students will model, simulate, test and communicate their proposals with relevant and suitable media and methods clearly and concisely. They will demonstrate an understanding of the environmental, spatial, material, structural, construction, theoretical, social, cultural and design practice contexts, at a range of scales relevant to their proposal.

Requisites

Prerequisites
ARC80001 Dynamic Modelling of Cities
ARC70004 Theories of Buildings and Cities

Rules

Pre-requisite
ARC80001 Dynamic Modelling of Cities
AND
ARC70004 Theories of Buildings and Cities

Teaching periods
Location
Start and end dates
Last self-enrolment date
Census date
Last withdraw without fail date
Results released date
Semester 2
Location
Hawthorn
Start and end dates
29-July-2024
27-October-2024
Last self-enrolment date
11-August-2024
Census date
31-August-2024
Last withdraw without fail date
13-September-2024
Results released date
03-December-2024
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
Semester 2
Location
Hawthorn
Start and end dates
04-August-2025
02-November-2025
Last self-enrolment date
17-August-2025
Census date
31-August-2025
Last withdraw without fail date
19-September-2025
Results released date
09-December-2025

Learning outcomes

Students who successfully complete this unit will be able to:

  • Develop an independent design thesis proposal that uses architectural and/or urban design to explore a coherent research question and communicate the outcomes integrating theory, research findings, design concepts, and performance as a resolved prototype or design proposition in a professional manner
  • Demonstrate an understanding of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples’ aspirations to care for Country and how these inform architectural and/or urban design.
  • Apply planning and design concepts, skills, and knowledge, including history, cultural context and precedent across scales and spatial settings relevant to the design proposal
  • Develop and draw conclusions from mapping, modelling and simulations that express and study a variety of parameters to examine behaviour, interaction and performance relevant to the design research proposal.
  • Formulate an evidence-based design through testing a design proposal against relevant contexts and data, including regulatory, theoretical, performance, social, cultural and ethical frameworks
  • Resolve and document design propositions that integrate regulatory, structural, construction, material, environmental, social and theoretical issues across the range of scales relevant to the proposal in a professional manner

Teaching methods

Hawthorn

Activity Type Activity Total Hours Number of Weeks Hours Per Week Venue Type and Activity Detail
On-campus Studio 72 12 weeks 6 Design Seminar
Specified Activities Various 24 12 weeks 2 Online Content
Unspecified Activities Various 204 12 weeks 17 Revision
Total Hours: 300 Total Hours (per week): 25  

Assessment

Type Task Weighting ULO's
Portfolio Individual  10%  2,5,
Project and Presentation Individual  60%  4,5,6
Project and Presentation Individual/Group  30%  1,2,3 

Content

  • Develop a design research proposal, identifying key issues and opportunities
  • Undertake a series of critical and exploratory ideation studies leading to a design proposal
  • Resolve design proposals to integrate spatial, material, environmental, theoretical, regulatory and cultural contexts
  • Use digital and analogue tools and techniques as form finding instruments
  • Research, work with and respond to varying and changing data
  • Communicate and document design proposals using appropriate media for various audiences and purpose
  • Graduate Attribute – Communication Skills: Verbal communication
  • Graduate Attribute – Communication Skills: Communicating using different media
  • Graduate Attribute – Teamwork Skills: Collaboration and negotiation
  • Graduate Attribute – Teamwork Skills: Teamwork roles and processes
  • Graduate Attribute – Digital Literacies: Information literacy
  • Graduate Attribute – Digital Literacies: Technical literacy

Study resources

Reading materials

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