University of Sydney Handbooks - 2017 Archive

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Bachelor of Architecture and Environments

Table D: Units of study in the Bachelor of Architecture and Environments

Bachelor of Architecture and Environments - Core units of study

Candidates are required to complete all of the following core units:
DECO1006 Design Process and Methods

Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Ms Madeleine Borthwick Session: Semester 1 Classes: Lecture 1 hr/wk, tutorial 2 hrs/wk Prohibitions: IDEA9106 or DECO2016 Assessment: Design Assignments (70%), Reflective Report (10%), Quizzes (20%) Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
This unit of study provides an overview of a human-centred approach to the design of interactive technologies and environments. It introduces students to design thinking and how it can be productively applied to different design situations. The unit covers theoretical concepts, methods and tools used in human-centred design, including user research, ideation, prototyping and user evaluation. It provides students with the principles, processes and tools that are used in commercial design projects. Students learn to build empathy with users, identify and reframe the problem space, develop design concepts and persuasively communicate design proposals with an emphasis on the user experience through visual storytelling.
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.
BDES1012 Architectural Communications 1

Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Ms Ivana Kuzmanovska Session: Semester 1 Classes: Lecture, computer laboratory and studio contact, plus self-directed preparation and assignments, for a minimum total student commitment averaging 9 hours per week. Prohibitions: DESA1001 Assumed knowledge: HSC Mathematics and HSC English Standard or equivalent Assessment: Assignments (70%), Portfolio (30%) Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
Architectural Communications 1 introduces students to fundamental modes of communication that are used to comprehend, conceive, explore, articulate and document architecture. It covers the domains of sketching, technical drawing, model making (physical and digital), verbal and written communication, diagramming and photography. The unit both familiarises students with necessary technical skills and encourages their creative deployment through practical experimentation. It explores the roles that analogue and digital communication techniques play in contemporary architectural design and thinking. Throughout the semester, students are asked to develop and explore an architectural idea through representation in various media, and switching media from iteration to iteration.
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.
BADP1001 Empirical Thinking

Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Assoc Prof William Martens Session: Semester 2 Classes: Lectures 1.5 hrs/wk; Lab 1.5 hrs/wk Corequisites: BDES1023 and DAAE1001 Assumed knowledge: DECO1006 and DECO1012 and BDES1011 and AWSS1001 Assessment: Assignment 1 (20%); Assignment 2 (30%); Exam (50%) Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
This unit of study introduces approaches to thinking and working in the built environment that are based on measurement, analysis and modelling. There are many aspects of the built environment that can be expressed quantitatively - but how do we measure them, how certain can we be of particular values, how can we develop an understanding of them from the data, how can this understanding be applied in modelling and simulation (potentially for use in design), and what are the practical uses (and limitations) of an empirical approach to architecture and design? Beginning with the quantification of physical features through measurement, the unit examines uncertainty in measurement, relationships between physical and psychological domains, statistical modelling techniques, and information representation including visualisation and high-resolution simulation of environments. Assessment tasks and case studies in this unit focus on problems in the built environment, such as spatial data, material properties, the effects of the environment on people, and the development of mathematical models and realistic simulations of indoor or public spaces. Students will develop skills, knowledge and understanding enabling them to work effectively with quantitative data in design and analysis of the built environment. Conceptual, mathematical and computational abilities are developed.
BAEN1001 Design in Architecture

Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Dr Dagmar Reinhardt Session: Semester 2 Assessment: Weekly exercises individual work (30%), design project group work (30%), portfolio (40%) Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
This unit of study will give the student an understanding of the design for a small scale building in an urban context. It teaches the foundations for an interdisciplinary design process between the fields of architecture, architectural science, and urban planning. Architectural aspects including typology, scale, proportion, structure, program and materiality are investigated. Students learn the complexities of architectural design, from concepts, ideas and design models to applied aspects including programmatic, structural, material requirements, limitations of a particular site, or city conditions. The unit equips students with conceptual tools and design skills from analogue modelling and graphic representation to digital drafting, rendering and fabrication, and verbal and written communication. On the successful completion of this unit of study, students will have demonstrated: an understanding of the architectural design process; an understanding for a small scale architecture project; and an ability to express concepts and designs creatively, clearly and cohesively across a range of representation media.
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.
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/
BADP2001 Algorithmic Architecture

Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Dr Rizal Muslimin Session: Semester 2 Classes: Lecture 1 hr/wk, tutorials 3 hrs/wk Corequisites: BAEN2002 and BDES2013 Assessment: Individual work (25%), group work (35%), portfolio (40%) Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
This unit of study introduces methods for developing a virtual building model as an integrated and interactive tool for architectural design decision-making. Architectural modelling can no longer be understood simply as a digital drafting of 3D geometries or the physical construction of a scaled miniature. Virtual building modelling incorporates increasingly complex and interconnected sets of data. In this unit, modelling is construed as the formation of an architectural problem. This includes defining data and variables across scales and disciplines, as well as converting data into meaningful information for architectural analysis, synthesis and evaluation. This unit develops knowledge of fundamental concepts of algorithmic architecture, including BIM. Students are exposed to various ways in which it can be used, and develop their understanding through a series of digital modelling exercises.
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.
BADP2003 Light and Sound

Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Assoc Prof Densil Cabrera Session: Semester 1 Classes: Lectures 2 hrs/wk, tutorials 1 hr/wk Corequisites: BAEN2001 and BADP2002 Assessment: Written report group work (25%), written report individual work (35%), written report individual work (40%) Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
This unit of study develops a working understanding of light and sound from physical and sensory perspectives, and of the ways that buildings and building elements affect these. These are examined in terms of their sources, transmission, digital representation, and sensation. Theories that allow students to develop practical designs and predictions are introduced. Theoretical learning is reinforced by computational data processing and analysis. Standards, regulations and recommendations concerning light and sound in the built environment are introduced. Consideration is given to their roles in human communication, and how architectural environments can contribute to these.
BAEN2001 Design Integration Lab: Materials

Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Dr Matthew Mindrup Session: Semester 1 Classes: Lecture 1 hr/wk, studio 2 hrs/wk, 1x1-hr tutorial alternate weeks, 1x1-hr workshop alternate weeks Corequisites: BADP2002 and BADP2003 Assessment: Individual work (20%), desigh project (50%), design portfolio 1000wd essay (30%) Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
This unit introduces students to the role of materials as a proponent of architectural form. The objective of this unit is to equip students with an ability to think critically about the transformation, evaluation and creative application of different materials in terms of environmental, structural and aesthetic performance. In-class lectures and assignments provide students with an opportunity to explore fundamental concepts about material propensity, material performance and material scale as a conceptual and practical basis for architectural design. To this end, students will also be introduced to regional and international precedents from antiquity to the present that demonstrate the application of innovative and sustainable practices with the use and reuse of materials in the built environment. Further study of nanomaterials, biomimicry and structural design will be offered. To facilitate the dialog between material and form in architecture, students will engage in a progressively complex semester-long design project employing a limited material palette. Upon successful completion of this unit students will be provided with the necessary skills for thinking with materials as a determinant of architectural form.
BAEN2002 Design Integration Lab: Energy

Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Dr Christhina Candido Session: Semester 2 Classes: 1hr lectures/week, 2hr studios/week, 1hr tutorials/alternate weeks, 1hr lab/alternate weeks Corequisites: BADP2001 and BDES2013 Assessment: (25%) assignment, (25%) 1500wd report, (50%) presentation & portfolio Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
This design and lab-based studio will focus on the ways that buildings respond effectively to people's environmental needs, while minimising net energy use in small-scale settings. Students will learn how to integrate and design the thermal, luminous and acoustic environment of a small- scale building. Particular emphasis will be place on the basics of heat, thermal performance and natural ventilation strategies. in learning how to assess environmental performance, students will be equipped with the required knowledge to design convenient, quick and robust solutions that improve the experience and service of the building. An Introduction to sustainable building practices, including net-zero and green building, will provide a basis for further investigation of the critical needs faced by occupants of the built environment. Particular emphasis will be placed on lab-based experiments and case studies in the Sydney area, with questions raised about the Australian context more broadly. The main learning outcomes include an understanding of fundamental principles of integrated strategies and solutions, principles of passive low-energy design techniques (including heat, sound, light and wind), the ability to critically and synthetically analyse environmental design issues, the ways to efficaciously implement and communicate technical information during the design process.
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.
BDES3023 Architectural Technologies 3

Credit points: 6 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: BDES2013 or DESA2111 Prohibitions: DAAP3002 Assessment: Assignments (60%), Exam (40%) Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
Architectural Technologies 3 develops in students an advanced understanding of moderately complex building systems. It addresses the technical design of buildings in their entirety and in their details, through the three interrelated perspectives of environment, structures and construction. As in Architectural Technologies 1 and 2, primary emphasis is placed on developing an understanding that appropriate formal architectural solutions can be the outcome of technological considerations and that, reciprocally, technical solutions can not only support but inform conceptual ambitions. A major project-based assignment, a case study analysis, individual technical drawings and a final examination are used as the vehicles for students to demonstrate the knowledge that they have gained in analyzing and synthesizing the various considerations that are to be addressed in the design of a building system that appropriately responds to, and integrates, the three key technical considerations of environment, structures and construction.
BADP3001 Designing for Environmental Quality

Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Dr Christhina Candido Session: Semester 1 Classes: lecture 1hr/week. tutorial 1hr/week; studio 1hr/week; lab 1hr/week (alternate weeks) Prerequisites: BADP1001 and BADP2003 and BAEN2001 and BAEN2002 Corequisites: BDES3023 and BAEN3001 Assessment: analytical report (group) (50%); project presentation (group) (10%); project submission (group) (40%) Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
This unit of study will focus on Indoor Environmental Quality and how it may affect people's experience and perception of their surrounding built environment. Students will be exposed to key IEQ dimensions, including thermal, visual and acoustic comfort and indoor air quality. Particular emphasis will be given on Post-Occupancy Evaluation (POE) tools, studies and research findings. The evolution of contemporary workspace design and its impact on building occupants' satisfaction, productivity and health will also be explored. Students will also learn how IEQ has been incorporated by certification and rating schemes. Upon completion of this unit, students will have the ability to critically and synthetically analyse IEQ-related issues, and how to efficaciously implement and communicate the technical information during the design process and/or performance assessments.
BADP3002 Property and the Built Environment

Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Dr Stewart Lawler Session: Semester 2 Classes: lecture 2hrs/week; tutorial 1hr/week Prerequisites: BAEN3001 Corequisites: BAEN3002 Assessment: development project (25%), construction estimate (25%) and report (50%) Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
This unit provides an introduction to the Property Development (PD) process with the aim of imparting an understanding of the professional's role, delivered through a review of the stages involved in PD, an overview of the different sectors, project types and stakeholders. The unit will introduce the broad objectives of financial feasibility preparation and give insights to the feasibility aspects that accompany design criteria, to determine which projects are developed. It will present an overview of risk factors, which may be encountered in the process, including risk assessment/management, the risk matrix and possible counter measures. The unit introduces basic construction types, preparation of costings from industry publications, an overview of the construction industry, project stakeholders and the hierarchy of a construction project. On completion it is envisaged students will be able to identify major stakeholders, prepare initial construction costings and project feasibility reports outlining risks with mitigation measures. Students will have developed an understanding of PD, its effects on cities, its role in the economy, the processes and stakeholders involved. Students will also have gained an insight into construction, initial project cost planning, risk management and feasibility for a property development project.
BAEN3001 Design Integration Lab: Urban

Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Dr Adrienne Keane Session: Semester 1 Classes: lectures 1hr/week; studio/tutorial/lab 3hrs/week Prerequisites: DAAE1001 and BADP2002 Corequisites: BDES3023 and BADP3001 Assessment: portfolio (20%), interim design report and presentation (40%) and final report/presentation/portfolio (40%) Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
Design Integration Lab: Urban Environments builds on the content of Living Cities and City Form and Development. It introduces students to the concept of 'place' and the planning and design interventions that impact places. In addition, the unit aims to give students the experience of working in multi-disciplinary teams to mirror potential future work environments. The unit will focus on one particular location chosen for its complexity in terms of the range of contemporary issues within an urban context. Developing urban design skills and enhancing strategic planning knowledge, students will investigate a location and seek to design a public space, including different built forms and elements, based on their own strategic plan. The outputs will be developed while working on individual and group tasks. Students will be challenged as if in a work environment of professionals looking to resolve urban issues.

Capstone Unit

BAEN3002 Design Integration Lab: Capstone

Credit points: 12 Teacher/Coordinator: Dr Dagmar Reinhardt Session: Semester 2 Classes: lectures 1hr/week; tutorials 2hrs/week; studio 3hrs/week Prerequisites: BAEN2001 and BAEN2002 and BAEN3001 Corequisites: BADP3002 Assessment: interim presentation (30%), final presentation (20%) and design portfolio (50%) Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
As the culminating design studio for the degree, the capstone project combines knowledge, criteria and methods of the disciplines of Architecture, Urban Planning, and Architectural Science. Students are presented with the opportunity to express and represent their own positioning through the analysis for and design of a sufficiently complex building, city structure, or town centre. The studio consolidates the students' abilities in identifying and solving problems and critical aspects for architecture and the built environment using a range of advanced modelling, simulation and optimization techniques and methods. The aim for students is to produce integrated and compelling pre-professional architectural design projects prompted by the critical reflection of city, policy, site, heritage, scale, program, thermal comfort, material, construction, structure, light, and acoustics). With completion of this unit, students demonstrate their understanding of a spectrum of architectural practice and the built environment, including architectural design, history and theory; urban design, planning and policy; and architectural science aspects such as energy, light, construction and acoustics, services, and heritage. By specialising in a select suite of these aspects, students prepare for career-pathways as offered by the faculty's full range of postgraduate courses.

Architectural Science elective units of study

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.
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.
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.

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

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.
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.
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.
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.

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.
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).
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.

Master of Architecture - Prerequisite unit of study

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.