Overview

The course aims to equip students with the knowledge and skills to develop sustainable architectural proposals that address the challenges of the Green New Future. By focusing on redesigning an old building, students will learn to integrate sustainable practices, material systems, and principles into their architectural designs. Students will engage in critical discussions on the role of architecture in promoting sustainability and its impact on users’ lives. Through practical exercises, they will develop proficiency in digital documentation and apply sustainable construction practices to their design proposals.

Requisites

Teaching periods
Location
Start and end dates
Last self-enrolment date
Census date
Last withdraw without fail date
Results released date
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
Date 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:

  • Analyse and evaluate sustainable construction and digital documentation workflows, using critical thinking and problem-solving skills to identify areas for improvement and innovation.
  • Demonstrate proficiency with BIM and digital documentation methods, using these tools to create and communicate sustainable architectural designs.
  • Apply the thinking of material systems, sustainable practices, and environmental principles to explore and develop design through innovative research.
  • Evaluate and apply sustainable approaches to produce iterations that address questions of performance and materiality, demonstrating an understanding of sustainable construction practices.
  • Effectively communicate proposals to clients and stakeholders, using digital documentation and communication skills.

Teaching methods

Hawthorn

Activity Type Activity Total Hours Number of Weeks Hours Per Week
On-campus Studio 36 12 weeks 3
Specified Activities Various 30 12 weeks 2.5
Unspecified Activities Independent Learning 84 12 weeks 7
Total Hours: 150 Total Hours (per week): 12.5

Assessment

Type Task Weighting ULO's
Presentation Individual  20% 1,5
Project 1 Individual  30%  2,3
Project 2 Individual  50%
 2,3,4,5

Content

Topics for discussion may include: 

  • Sustainable Construction Methods and Techniques  (Sustainable construction practices and technologies; Building performance analysis and efficiency; Integration of renewable energy sources)
  • Digital Documentation and BIM Modelling (Creation and management of digital construction documentation; Detailing of openings, joinery construction, and detailing)
  • Sustainable Regulations and Compliance (Preparation of technical drawings and specifications that comply with sustainable standards; Application of current sustainable standards and ratings in digital models)
  • Innovative Material Research and Application (Evaluation and application of material systems for performance and materiality with an eco-friendly focus; Cladding and lining construction principles for sustainable design)
  • Australian building codes and regulations (Overview of Australian building codes and regulations related to sustainability; Role of governmental regulations in sustainable building design and documentation)
  • Critical Discussion and Practical Exercises (Critical discussions on the role of architecture in promoting sustainability; Development of a design project incorporating the learned sustainable construction principles)
  • ​​​​​Graduate Attribute – Communication Skills: Communicating using different media
  • 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.