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
ARC80002 Design Research Studio C
ARC70004 Theories of Buildings and Cities

Rules

Pre-requisite
ARC80001 Dynamic Modelling of Cities
AND
ARC80002 Design Research Studio C
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 1
Location
Hawthorn
Start and end dates
26-February-2024
26-May-2024
Last self-enrolment date
10-March-2024
Census date
31-March-2024
Last withdraw without fail date
12-April-2024
Results released date
02-July-2024
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

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
  • Demonstrate an understanding of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples’ aspirations to care for Country and how these inform architectural and/or urban design.
  • Demonstrate application of 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.
  • Demonstrate an understanding of evidence-based design through testing a design proposal against relevant contexts and data, including regulatory, theoretical, performance, social, cultural and ethical frameworks
  • Demonstrate professional skills in resolving and documenting design propositions in architecture and/or urban design that integrate regulatory, structural, construction, material, environmental, social and theoretical issues across the range of scales relevant to the proposal.
  • Professionally communicate a design thesis that integrates theory, research findings, design concepts, and performance as a resolved prototype or design proposition.

Teaching methods

Hawthorn

Type Hours per week Number of weeks Total (number of hours)
Face to Face Contact (Phasing out)
Seminar
6.00 12 weeks 72
Specified Learning Activities (Phasing out)
Various
3.00 12 weeks 36
Unspecified Learning Activities (Phasing out)
Independent Learning
16.00 12 weeks 192
TOTAL300

Assessment

Type Task Weighting ULO's
PortfolioIndividual 10% 2,5,7 
Project and PresentationIndividual 60% 4,5,6,7 
Project and PresentationIndividual/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 purposes

Study resources

Reading materials

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