University of Sydney Handbooks - 2021 Archive

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Bachelor of Design in Architecture/Master of Architecture

 
Unit outlines will be available through Find a unit outline two weeks before the first day of teaching for 1000-level and 5000-level units, or one week before the first day of teaching for all other units.
 

Errata
Item Errata Date
1.

Sessions have changed for the following units:

AWSS2015 Generative Drawing
The unit is no longer available in Intensive February or Intensive July, 2021

AWSS2020 Object Design (Material and Light)
The unit is no longer available in Semester 2, 2021

AWSS2023 Architectural Photography
The unit is no longer available in Intensive February, Intensive July or Semester 2

AWSS2026 2D Print Processes in Design
The unit is no longer available in Semester 1 or Intensive July

AWSS2027 Arch and Design Material Processes (Casting)
The unit is no longer available in Semester 2

DAAE2005 Designing with Colour
The unit is longer available in Intensive February

DAAE2011 Intro to Visual Communication Design
The unit is no longer available in Intensive February

21/1/2021
2.

The session has changed for the following unit. Now available:

DESA3010 Code to Production Session: Intensive December

30/3/2021
3.

The following unit is no longer available in 2021:

DESA3013 Expanded Colour: From Theory to Application

30/3/2021

Table N: Bachelor of Design in Architecture (Honours)/Master of Architecture

Students must complete a total of 240 credit points, including:
(a) 132 credit points of 1000-level to 3000-level units of study from Bachelor of Design in Architecture (Honours) and Master of Architecture Table N, including:
(i) 120 credit points of core units of study, including the Master of Architecture pre-requisite unit of study (BDES3025 Architectural Professional Practice).
(ii) 12 credit points of elective units of study
(b) 102 credit points of 4000-level and above core units of study from Bachelor of Design in Architecture (Honours) and Master of Architecture Table N, including;
(i) 30 credit points of honours preparatory and dissertation units of study
(ii) 24 credit points of Capstone units either as Capstone Option 1 or Capstone Option 2
(c) 6 credit points of 4000-level and above elective units of study.

Core units of study

Candidates are required to complete all of the following core units of study
1000-level units of study
BDES1011 Architectural History/Theory 1

Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Prof Michael Tawa Session: Semester 1 Classes: Refer to the unit of study outline https://www.sydney.edu.au/units Prohibitions: DESA1102 Assumed knowledge: HSC Mathematics and HSC English Standard Assessment: Refer to the unit of study outline https://www.sydney.edu.au/units 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, as well as closer investigation of some particular architectural themes and ideas across history. Students will interrogate these themes through intense study of significant buildings, which they will research, document, and analyse. They will be introduced to fundamental principles and skills of scholarly research in the discipline, including locating and evaluating sources, and constructing arguments.
BDES1026 Architecture Studio 1A

Credit points: 12 Teacher/Coordinator: Mr Chris Fox Session: Semester 1 Classes: Refer to the unit of study outline https://www.sydney.edu.au/units Corequisites: BDES1011 Prohibitions: DESA1001 or BDES1010 or BDES1024 Assessment: Refer to the unit of study outline https://www.sydney.edu.au/units Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
This course aims at providing students with the conceptual and technical skills required to creatively explore dynamic transactions between artistic processes, place and architecture. Throughout the semester, students will extend their ability to work with complex ideas while drawing on interdisciplinary practices related to structure, form and site. This course provides a space for architecture students to establish parameters and territories for exploration beyond the concerns of conventional architectural projects. From generative form making to performative action, this course has an emphasis on making with material exploration. Essential design sensitivities and skills will be developed through different modes of working including lectures, tutorials, presentations and writing as well as the physical engagement with new materials and building processes.
BDES1028 Honours Intensive Studio 1

Credit points: 6 Session: Intensive August Classes: Refer to the unit of study outline https://www.sydney.edu.au/units Assessment: Refer to the unit of study outline https://www.sydney.edu.au/units Mode of delivery: Block mode
In Honours Intensive Studio 1 students produce an architectural design project in response to a studio brief that critically engages with issues of contemporary concern to the city of Sydney. The specific architectural brief and its theoretical underpinnings vary from year to year. Students develop their project in a studio setting alongside their peers over the course of one week, impelled by a suite of lectures and seminars that address key themes of the project. They informally present their work in progress for critical feedback at various times during the week, and at its conclusion they present their final architectural proposition to a design jury, subsequently summarised in a portfolio.
BDES1027 Architecture Studio 1B

Credit points: 12 Teacher/Coordinator: Dr Simon Weir Session: Semester 2 Classes: Refer to the unit of study outline https://www.sydney.edu.au/units Prerequisites: BDES1026 or BDES1010 or DESA1001 Corequisites: BDES1023 Prohibitions: BDES1020 or DESA1002 Assessment: Refer to the unit of study outline https://www.sydney.edu.au/units Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
This studio capitalises on the skills and processes gained in the first semester studio to engage with increasingly complex programmatic and contextual issues within the built environment.Fundamental modes of representation in a variety of media will be deployed as a means to comprehend and articulate architecture from multiple integrated perspectives.Designing a small building will be the final project yet based on a series of introductory exercises that will engage with concepts of iteration in a range of scales and media.Students will continue to learn new software and other related techniques while also developing their familiarity with the technical skills necessary to realise a final design presentation including various media.The design projects will explore the necessity of experimentation as a means to communicate fundamental ideas about space, structure and form.
BDES1023 Architectural Technologies 1

Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Mr Michael Muir Session: Semester 2 Classes: Refer to the unit of study outline https://www.sydney.edu.au/units Prohibitions: DESA1102 Assessment: Refer to the unit of study outline https://www.sydney.edu.au/units 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.
2000-level units of study
BDES2026 Architecture Studio 2A

Credit points: 12 Teacher/Coordinator: Dagmar Reinhardt Session: Semester 1 Classes: Refer to the unit of study outline https://www.sydney.edu.au/units Prerequisites: BDES1027 or BDES1020 or DESA1002 Corequisites: BDES2013 Prohibitions: BDES2010 or DESA2001 or BDES2012 Assessment: Refer to the unit of study outline https://www.sydney.edu.au/units Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
Architecture Studio 2A is oriented towards the contemporary communicative dimensions of architecture, whilst remaining attentive to the deeper cultural and historical contexts in which modes of representation, particularly in regards to architectural drawings and models, has arisen and is currently situated. Recognising that there is necessarily an enigmatic relationship between an architectural drawing or model and the building that they might singly or collectively conjure into existence, the studio invites collusion between the architectural program and the means of its gestation, development and representation. An architectural representation might be analytical, rational and technical or it might be preparatory, coaxing, poetic or whimsical. That is, it can never be impartial - always filtering, selecting, editing, and emphasising certain aspects of reality and discarding or downgrading others. The studio project is conducted as a `conversation' between contemporary architectural ambitions, and the claims of the historically situated modes of communication - written, spoken, visual and physically constructed - that the students deploy to achieve them. It imparts knowledge and skills that will stimulate compelling architectural projects that are at once conceptually rigorous and technically adept. Students become increasingly attentive to the complexities of architectural design and are required to integrate multiple criteria, including thematic, conceptual, programmatic and technical concerns into a persuasive architectural proposition for a small-scale building in a charged urban context.
BDES2013 Architectural Technologies 2

Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Michael Muir Session: Semester 1 Classes: Refer to the unit of study outline https://www.sydney.edu.au/units Prerequisites: BDES1023 Prohibitions: DESA2111 or BDES2613 Assessment: Refer to the unit of study outline https://www.sydney.edu.au/units 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, students 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.
BDES2028 Honours Intensive Studio 2

Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Michael Muir Session: Intensive August Classes: Refer to the unit of study outline https://www.sydney.edu.au/units Assessment: Refer to the unit of study outline https://www.sydney.edu.au/units Mode of delivery: Block mode
Honours Intensive Studio 2 is a travelling architectural design studio. Students produce an architectural design project in response to a brief that requires them to consider the particular cultural, environmental, architectural and urban conditions and possibilities of the chosen city. The specific architectural brief and its theoretical underpinnings vary from year to year. Students immerse themselves in the life of the city and conduct a range of analytical and interpretive mapping exercises and site studies, supported by building visits and talks by local architects, in order to establish terms of reference for their own architectural project. They present schematic work for critical feedback at various stages of the week away from Sydney, and upon return they communicate their final architectural project to a design jury via a set of drawings and models supported by a verbal presentation. The work conducted during the studio is finally assembled in a portfolio, which is due at a later date. The portfolio documents the various studies made in the host city in addition to interim stages of design and the final architectural proposition.
BDES2027 Architecture Studio 2B

Credit points: 12 Teacher/Coordinator: Michael Muir Session: Semester 2 Classes: Refer to the unit of study outline https://www.sydney.edu.au/units Prerequisites: (BDES2026 and BDES1011) or BDES2010 or DESA2001 or BDES2622 Corequisites: BDES2024 or CIVL2410 or BDES2623 Prohibitions: BDES2624 Assessment: Refer to the unit of study outline https://www.sydney.edu.au/units Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
Architecture Studio 2B demands of students a critical engagement with modern architecture and its histories. It couples the methods of humanities research, including analysing both historical precedents and primary sources, with the creative processes of architectural design. Through a weekly lecture series on key modern protagonists, movements and their historical consequences, as well as undertaking a number of analytical tasks, students become increasingly aware of the role of the architect as an active agent in history and negotiate some of the attendant ethical, political, technical and aesthetic challenges and opportunities. The learnings so gained are used to underpin the students' own design process and outcomes. Participatory and collaborative work processes are promoted and students are encouraged to develop and question their understanding of site, responsibility, architectural ethics and cultural competence.
BDES2024 Art Processes

Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Christopher Fox Session: Semester 2 Classes: Refer to the unit of study outline https://www.sydney.edu.au/units Prerequisites: BDES1026 or BDES1024 Assessment: Refer to the unit of study outline https://www.sydney.edu.au/units Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
Drawing upon the processes developed in Architecture Studio 1A, students will extend their ability to work with complex ideas while drawing on interdisciplinary practices. Conceptual and technical skills are further devloped in this unit to creatively explore dynamic transactions between art and architecture. A range of studios and labs will host the production and critical discussions of work in conjunction with a series of lectures and independent research. By treating art as a field of open-ended experimentation with direct consequences for architecture, this course encourages architecture students to undertake a self-directed and research-based approach to their studies, working across multiple streams of information specific to contemporary art.
3000-level units of study
BDES3026 Architecture Studio 3A

Credit points: 12 Teacher/Coordinator: Michael Muir Session: Semester 1 Classes: Refer to the unit of study outline https://www.sydney.edu.au/units Prerequisites: (BDES2027 or BDES2020 or BDES2624) and (BDES2013 or BDES2613) Corequisites: BDES3011 or MATH2061 Prohibitions: BDES3010 or DESA3001 or BDES3023 or BDES3616 Assessment: Refer to the unit of study outline https://www.sydney.edu.au/units Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
Architecture Studio 3A is oriented towards the technical dimensions of architecture, whilst remaining attentive to the deeper cultural and historical context in which such technical knowledge, particularly in regards to structures and sustainability, has arisen and is currently situated. It imparts knowledge and skills that will stimulate compelling architectural projects that are conceptually rigorous, structurally innovating and technically adept. Structural knowledge is developed through a suite of lectures and accompanying practical exercises, and is assessed through technical reports and a final examination. They are required to integrate multiple criteria, including thematic, conceptual, programmatic and technical concerns into a persuasive architectural proposition.
BDES3011 Architectural History/Theory 3

Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Prof Michael Tawa Session: Semester 1 Classes: Refer to the unit of study outline https://www.sydney.edu.au/units Prerequisites: BDES2027 or BDES2021 or DESA2111 or BDES2616 Prohibitions: DAAP3001 or BDES3611 Assessment: Refer to the unit of study outline https://www.sydney.edu.au/units Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
The objective of the Architectural Theory unit is to equip students with a critical understanding of key Western architectural theories and philosophy from the Enlightenment to the present. Emphasis is placed on the specific historical situations and cultural and philosophical contexts in which those theories arose, and ultimately how they were represented within the domain of architectural embodiment. It is organized to clearly identify particular trains of thought. Students will become generally conversant in the principles of central theories, and will understand their terms and references. Through readings, lectures, and tutorial sessions, students will acquire the literacy required to perceive and articulate contemporary theoretical standpoints, and will refine their research and writing skills through independent research into a particular aspect of recent architectural theory and philosophy related to their concurrent studio design project. Close attention will be paid to the exchange between practice and theory and the relevance of the discussed theories to the formation of current circumstances, and to the place of architecture within contemporary culture as a whole.
BDES3025 Architectural Professional Practice

Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Mr Michael Mossman Session: Semester 2 Classes: Refer to the unit of study outline https://www.sydney.edu.au/units Prerequisites: BDES3023 or BDES3026 or BDES3616 Assessment: Refer to the unit of study outline https://www.sydney.edu.au/units 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.
BDES3027 Architecture Studio 3B

Credit points: 12 Teacher/Coordinator: Catherine Lassen Session: Semester 2 Classes: Refer to the unit of study outline https://www.sydney.edu.au/units Prerequisites: BDES3026 or BDES3010 or DESA3001 or BDES3616 Prohibitions: BDES3020 or DESA3002 or BDES3012 Assessment: Refer to the unit of study outline https://www.sydney.edu.au/units Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
As the culminating design studio for the degree, students are presented with the opportunity to develop an architectural position within their projects. Architecture Studio 3B continues themes from Architecture Studio 3A, extending design understanding with respect to programmatic ambition and situating a symbolic public building proposal within a specific urban site.
Particular attention is paid to the conventions of architectural representation as 'Communications' to doubly generate as well as conceptually clarify design opportunities.
Computational modes of modelling are a particular focus. Structural, technical and material thinking is encouraged in coherent relation to students' strategic design intent and through studied historical and cultural awareness. The studio consolidates students' abilities in communicating and translating architecture using advanced modes of graphic visualisation through 3D modelling software and associated fabrication potentials. Hybrid techniques for moving between computational and actual realms are promoted in parallel with clarifying attitudes toward contemporary built and un-built environments.
Depth of design development is promoted via a dual emphasis: early analysis of exemplary architectural thinking coupled with intensive speculative and projective exploration. Students aim to produce conceptually challenging, integrated and compelling pre-professional architectural design projects confronting a variety of spatial contexts.
4000-level honours preparatory and honours dissertation units of study
ARCH4007 Critical Thinking in Architecture

Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Assoc Prof Chris L Smith Session: Semester 1 Classes: Refer to the unit of study outline https://www.sydney.edu.au/units Prerequisites: BDES2028 Assessment: Refer to the unit of study outline https://www.sydney.edu.au/units Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
Critical Thinking in Architecture introduces students to the important role of criticality in architecture. Impelled by a series of lectures and seminal readings, students study the relationship between architectural design and architectural theory. They become familiar with key contemporary movements, ideas and protagonists, and come to understand the ways in which ideas that emerged in other areas of culture have been absorbed into architectural discourse. They become conversant with the underlying principles and foundational skills of scholarly research, including locating and critically evaluating sources, constructing arguments, and communicating ideas using graphic, spoken and written means of expression. Through exploration of the characteristics and concerns of differing written media, including books, articles, reports and essays, they recognise writing as a practice that is in part conditioned by every author's own circumstances and interests, opening up questions of objectivity and judgement. By critiquing contemporary architectural discourse in light of its historical, political, aesthetic, ethical and cultural circumstances, students develop capacities that make them capable of both understanding and challenging prevailing positions and practices in architecture.
ARCH4009 Research Methods in Architecture

Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Dr Ross Anderson Session: Semester 1 Classes: Refer to the unit of study outline https://www.sydney.edu.au/units Assessment: Refer to the unit of study outline https://www.sydney.edu.au/units Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
In Research Methods, students advance their working knowledge of differing kinds of architectural research; from those aligned with the humanities, those allied to the sciences, and those of architectural design. Having become conversant with the contemporary concerns, conventions, methodologies and modes of expression of each mode of research, they hone in on the one that best aligns with their own emerging research interests. They learn how to conceive a topic and frame it appropriately as a coherent and defensible line of inquiry; collect evidence; navigate academic databases; prepare a literature review; develop an argument; and clearly express their findings in sound academic prose. Upon completion of the unit of study, students will have developed the broad intellectual framework for their Architecture Dissertation.
ARCH4008 Architecture Research Areas

Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Dr Jennifer Ferng Session: Semester 2 Classes: Refer to the unit of study outline https://www.sydney.edu.au/units Prerequisites: BDES2028 Assessment: Refer to the unit of study outline https://www.sydney.edu.au/units Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
Architecture Research Areas familiarises students with the three broad research areas of: architectural design; architectural theory and history; and architectural technologies. Academics with differing backgrounds and approaches to architectural research contribute to a suite of lectures, discussing their own projects and initiatives within the broader context of their research area. Students come to understand the theoretical underpinnings of each area and become generally conversant with their contemporary concerns and methodologies. They conduct a limited-scope research project of their own that enables them to pursue their own emerging area of interest in architectural research.
ARCH4010 Architecture Dissertation

Credit points: 12 Teacher/Coordinator: Dr Ross Anderson Session: Semester 2 Classes: Refer to the unit of study outline https://www.sydney.edu.au/units Prerequisites: ARCH4009 Assessment: Refer to the unit of study outline https://www.sydney.edu.au/units Mode of delivery: Supervision, Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
In Architecture Dissertation, students carry out a substantial individual research project alongside a small group of peers who are pursuing topics and approaches conversant with their own. Guided by an academic with broad expertise in each group's area of research, students advance their project and present it for discussion and critique at key stages of development, and they finally communicate their findings in a clearly articulated and appropriately illustrated dissertation that is the culmination of the undergraduate Honours component of their degree. The dissertation may take the form of a traditional architectural humanities thesis; a scientific report; or a studio design supported by a textual exposition that theorises and contextualises the project.

Master of Architecture units of study

Core units of study
MARC5000 Induction Studio

Credit points: 12 Session: Semester 1,Semester 2 Classes: Refer to the unit of study outline https://www.sydney.edu.au/units Assessment: Refer to the unit of study outline https://www.sydney.edu.au/units Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
The Induction Studio sets the foundation for an understanding of the various dimensions of architectural design. In response to a studio brief, students apply and develop skills in architectural processes: from research, brief, site and precedent analysis to conceptual and schematic design, from technical resolution through to the documentation related to planning applications and construction. The studio thus provides a basis for the development of design, communication, and technical skills across the key phases of architectural design, whilst remaining attentive to the regulatory frameworks, and deeper cultural and historical contexts in which architectural practice is situated. Students engage in lectures, tutorials and exercises and apply skills and extend competencies developed in undergraduate contexts. The Induction Studio also introduces students to the Master of Architecture degree and its structure, processes and protocols.
MARC5300 Architectural Technologies

Credit points: 6 Session: Semester 1 Classes: Refer to the unit of study outline https://www.sydney.edu.au/units Assessment: Refer to the unit of study outline https://www.sydney.edu.au/units Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
The unit provides a comprehensive overview of building technologies with respect to complex building design and construction, with a focus on the Australian climatic and regulatory context. Students will gain the ability to integrate architectural design concepts with technological aspects such as structural design, building performance, material and components design, construction process, building maintenance and durability, end-of-life. The unit explores architecture and the integration of structural, construction, environmental and services systems within the design development process. It aims to give students the ability to understand how structural and constructional technologies and systems are conceptualised, developed and integrated within the technical design of architecture. The unit also aims to provide a basis for the development of specialised technical skills. This unit reviews a series of seminal architectural approachesand explores the technological approaches associated with realising such buildings, it explores the nature of both the building fabric and, the environmental and management systems which enable a building to function optimally in a complex and dynamic urban environment. Students are expected to develop the ability to research structural, environmental and construction systems within different frameworks of aesthetic and conceptual intent and to evaluate systems based on clearly articulated criteria. Knowledge required for the selection of strategies, systems, and the integration of the systems, within a variety of design situations, is assessed through case-study analysis, in-class test and a design-based exercise.
MARC5400 Professional Practice

Credit points: 6 Session: Semester 1 Classes: Refer to the unit of study outline https://www.sydney.edu.au/units Prohibitions: MARC5102 Assumed knowledge: BDES3025 or equivalent Assessment: Refer to the unit of study outline https://www.sydney.edu.au/units Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
The Professional Practice unit of study aims to develop an understanding of the core ethical, legal, regulatory and practice management frameworks in which architects operate. The unit covers issues of professional ethics relating to service and practice management; introduces students to relevant contract law, building contracts and the agreement between client and architect. It provides knowledge in evaluating methods of procurement and methods of determining probable construction costs as commonly prepared by an architect. The unit aims to provide knowledge and skills in using the BCA and relevant Australian Standards and instructs students in the production of efficient and comprehensible working drawings, specifications, schedules and other relevant modes of information.
MARC5010 Architectural Studio 1

Credit points: 12 Session: Semester 1,Semester 2 Classes: Refer to the unit of study outline https://www.sydney.edu.au/units Prerequisites: MARC5000 Assessment: Refer to the unit of study outline https://www.sydney.edu.au/units Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
Architectural Studio 1 and Architectural Studio 2 aim to further architectural design skills through a diverse set of design projects that integrate specific research agendas and design propositions. These units are supported by lectures and seminars which introduce the relevant theory, knowledge and design precedents. Delivered by visiting national and international architects, design practitioners and researchers, this unit will provide students with a platform to explore the role of the architect and design within critical cultural discourse, and to engage architectural design as a way to investigate issues including, but not limited to, theoretical and philosophical problems, cultural expression and Indigenous knowledge systems, computational design, advanced manufacturing and construction, sustainable and performance-based design, the urban/architectural nexus, resilient communities and design activism. At the successful completion of this unit of study students will demonstrate the ability to formulate, interpret and communicate appropriate concepts derived from research, conceptual exploration, precedent studies, brief and contextual analysis; formulate schematic design proposals; develop design proposals in response to critique, and; produce a design which demonstrably embodies understanding of the principles associated with a specialised study area. The unit will also extend a student's capacity to communicate design propositions at a professional level.
MARC5020 Architectural Studio 2

Credit points: 12 Session: Semester 1,Semester 2 Classes: Refer to the unit of study outline https://www.sydney.edu.au/units Prerequisites: MARC5000 Assessment: Refer to the unit of study outline https://www.sydney.edu.au/units Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
Architectural Studio 1 and Architectural Studio 2 aim to further architectural design skills through a diverse set of design projects that integrate specific research agendas and design propositions. These units are supported by lectures and seminars which introduce the relevant theory, knowledge and design precedents. Delivered by visiting national and international architects, design practitioners and researchers, this unit will provide students with a platform to explore the role of the architect and design within critical cultural discourse, and to engage architectural design as a way to investigate issues including, but not limited to, theoretical and philosophical problems, cultural expression and Indigenous knowledge systems, computational design, advanced manufacturing and construction, sustainable and performance-based design, the urban/architectural nexus, resilient communities and design activism. At the successful completion of this unit of study students will demonstrate the ability to formulate, interpret and communicate appropriate concepts derived from research, conceptual exploration, precedent studies, brief and contextual analysis; formulate schematic design proposals; develop design proposals in response to critique, and; produce a design which demonstrably embodies understanding of the principles associated with a specialised study area. The unit will also extend a student's capacity to communicate design propositions at a professional level.
Capstone
Option 1 (1 x 24 credit point unit)
MARC6000 Thesis Studio

Credit points: 24 Session: Semester 1,Semester 2 Classes: Refer to the unit of study outline https://www.sydney.edu.au/units Prerequisites: MARC5000 and MARC5010 and MARC5020 and MARC5300 and MARC5400 Prohibitions: MARC6010 and MARC6020 Assessment: Refer to the unit of study outline https://www.sydney.edu.au/units Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
The Thesis Studio is a final design studio option of the Master of Architecture. A unique aspect of the Thesis Studio is the integration of a capstone design project with a research thesis. Firstly, this unit requires students to produce an original design proposition in respect to an architectural brief that integrates a specific research agenda and a critical theme pertinent to current architectural discourse. In the continued engagement with critical topics, students further specialise their areas of design and research expertise. Through thoroughly investigated, well-resolved and technically adept architectural projects, students deliver contributions to knowledge in their chosen field of investigation. Secondly, students develop an in-depth piece of research in an area of architectural study. Topics can include any aspect of architecture for which adequate supervision can be made available. Specialisation include, but are not limited to architectural design, the history or theory of architecture, architectural or building science, urban design, indigenous architecture, and architectural technology. Research methods may likewise be drawn from across the full breadth of disciplinary, interdisciplinary or transdisciplinary practices in which architecture figures. The research may inform or be complementary to work being undertaken. The outcome of the research is presented for assessment in a form appropriate to the research topic (which might include, but not be limited to, a short dissertation, or a design, prototype, workflow, or art project presented with supporting text). Within the programmatic framework of the Thesis Studio, students will develop individual design propositions and research approaches that demonstrate skills in critical evaluation, independent decisionmaking and communication through multi-disciplinary collaboration and discussion with academics, practitioners, researchers, government and industry. Delivered by visiting national and international architects, design practitioners and researchers, this unit will provide students with a platform to demonstrate design prowess and an engagement with critical cultural discourse.
Option 2 (2 x 12 credit point units)
MARC6010 Architectural Studio 3

Credit points: 12 Session: Semester 1,Semester 2 Classes: Refer to the unit of study outline https://www.sydney.edu.au/units Prerequisites: MARC5000 and MARC5010 and MARC5020 Prohibitions: MARC6000 Assessment: Refer to the unit of study outline https://www.sydney.edu.au/units Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
Architectural Studio 3 is a final design studio option of the Master of Architecture. This unit requires students to produce an original design proposition in respect to an architectural brief that integrates a specific research agenda and a critical theme pertinent to current architectural discourse. In the continued engagement with critical topics, students further specialise their areas of design and research expertise. Delivered by visiting national and international architects, design practitioners and researchers, this unit will provide students with a platform to demonstrate design prowess and an engagement with critical cultural discourse. Within the programmatic framework of the studio, students will develop individual design propositions and research approaches that demonstrate skills in critical evaluation, independent decision-making and communication through multi-disciplinary collaboration and discussion with academics, practitioners, researchers, government and industry. Through thoroughly investigated, well-resolved and technically adept architectural projects, students deliver contributions to knowledge in their chosen field of investigation.
MARC6020 Thesis

Credit points: 12 Session: Semester 1,Semester 2 Classes: Refer to the unit of study outline https://www.sydney.edu.au/units Prerequisites: 72 credit points of MARC units Prohibitions: MARC6000 Assessment: Refer to the unit of study outline https://www.sydney.edu.au/units Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
This unit of study supports students to undertake individual research into a defined topic or problem within architecture, broadly defined. Topics can include any aspect of architecture for which adequate supervision can be made available. Specialisations include architectural design, the history or theory of architecture, architectural or building science, urban design, indigenous architecture, or architectural technology. Research methods may likewise be drawn from across the full breadth of disciplinary, interdisciplinary or transdisciplinary practices in which architecture figures. The research may inform or be complementary to work being undertaken in the corresponding architecture design studio unit, but will be assessed on its own terms. The research may result in a written dissertation of 10, 000-125, 000 words' length, or its equivalent as a combination of creative work with an exegetical element. Independent research will be conducted in consultation with a supervisor, while regular seminars will address questions of practice and approach that will be common to the cohort. A digital and hardbound copy of the dissertation (including appropriately formatted creative work or documentation of the same, if relevant) must be submitted upon completion.

Elective units of study

Recommended 1000-level elective
Students are strongly encouraged to undertake the following undergraduate elective unit of study:
AWSS1001 Architectural Sketching and Drawing

Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Mr Koji Ryui Session: Semester 1 Classes: Refer to the unit of study outline https://www.sydney.edu.au/units Prohibitions: DESA1601 or DESA1602 Assessment: Refer to the unit of study outline https://www.sydney.edu.au/units 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 provides students with the experience required to use a range of fundamental architectural drawing skills based on observation of the built environment. The workshop places an emphasis on keen observation, experimental use of materials and an engagement with historical frameworks used in design practice. Perspective sketching, section and paraline systems are introduced with a focus on drawing as a communication device. Both in the studio and outside, 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 a familiarity with a range of drawing media and techniques including an introduction to composition and colour. Students also gain an understanding of the essential use of a sketchbook to record visual research and develop design thinking.
1000-level units of study
DESA1004 Designing with Surfaces and Light

Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Koji Ryui Session: Intensive February,Intensive July,Semester 2 Classes: Refer to the unit of study outline https://www.sydney.edu.au/units Prohibitions: DESA2612 Assessment: Refer to the unit of study outline https://www.sydney.edu.au/units Mode of delivery: Online
Objects only become visible when light reflects off of them. This online 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 analyse their own environments.
Due to the high volume of interest in this course, all questions and enquiries will be answered in online discussion forums on Canvas, instead of in face-to-face consultation.
No early results are available for this unit. No extensions will be granted because of failed internet access.
DECO1012 Design Programming

Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Liam Bray Session: Semester 1 Classes: Refer to the unit of study outline https://www.sydney.edu.au/units Assessment: Refer to the unit of study outline https://www.sydney.edu.au/units Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
This unit provides an introduction to creative coding. It teaches an understanding of the fundamentals of computational thinking as well as skills in the design and implementation of software for creative expression and prototyping. It introduces students to tools for building interactive design applications through programming assignments, knowledge of programming concepts, and knowledge of the Javascript programming language. Key concepts covered in this unit include: object-oriented programming, control flows, and algorithmic thinking. Students learn how to design through the development of code, allowing them to incorporate programming into their own design projects as well as to collaborate effectively with software developers.
DAAE1001 Living Cities

Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Dr Dallas Rogers Session: Semester 2 Classes: Refer to the unit of study outline https://www.sydney.edu.au/units Assumed knowledge: DECO1006 and DECO1012 and BDES1011 and AWSS1001 Assessment: Refer to the unit of study outline https://www.sydney.edu.au/units Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
This unit of study reviews the challenges involved in planning the contemporary urban environment. It covers a range of perspectives, including urban planning, urban design and heritage. Students will examine the evolution of towns and cities from the first settlements to the modern metropolis, and explore the cultural, economic, political and digital drivers that shape the urban environment. It asks, 'why did cities evolve?', 'what purpose do cities serve?', 'who is the city for?', and 'how are decisions made about cities?' The contemporary urban environment is explored as a dynamic and continually evolving 'living city' that is co-created by architects, planners, urban designers and other public and private stakeholders. 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. They will have a basic knowledge of the key ideas that are needed for formulating planning and urban design proposals.
Textbooks
Course material, announcements and assessment submission will be available at www.canvas.sydney.edu.au
2000-level and 3000-level units of study
AWSS2015 Generative Drawing

Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Koji Ryui Session: Intensive February,Intensive July,Semester 2 Classes: Refer to the unit of study outline https://www.sydney.edu.au/units Assessment: Refer to the unit of study outline https://www.sydney.edu.au/units Practical field work: Studio practice NB: Students may incur costs for materials in some units Mode of delivery: Block mode
Note: Department permission required for enrolment
This practical unit explores a variety of drawing and observation skills. The emphasis is on exploring materials and techniques for process-based work related to drawing as a fundamental method in
design. The focus is on the formal aspects of composition and perspective while the material nature of drawing is explored as a balance between chance and control. Each technique and approach will be presented against a background of architecture and art history and theory. Students are provided with the opportunity to combine observational skills with drawing techniques in order to encourage a personal vision and a commitment to the practice of drawing.
AWSS2020 Object Design (Material and Light)

Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Koji Ryui Session: Semester 1,Semester 2 Classes: Refer to the unit of study outline https://www.sydney.edu.au/units Corequisites: DESA1555 Prohibitions: DESA2643 Assessment: Refer to the unit of study outline https://www.sydney.edu.au/units Practical field work: Studio practice NB: Students may incur costs for materials in some units Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
Note: Department permission required for enrolment
In this practical unit, students produce light objects exploring diverse materials and fabrication techniques focusing on developing and inter-relating manufacturing and artisan skills with research, analysis and design development. Through a series of exercises, experiments and production of their major project, students develop knowledge of appropriate construction techniques working with the DMAF workshops. The course aims to cultivate a critical awareness around objects that surround us. Students will explore cultural, contextual and symbolic aspects of object design as well as functional and aesthetic qualities working with light. Students will also develop awareness of industrial and craft practices and how they impact on the design process and outcome. Sustainability and social issues relating to their manufacture, use and disposal are discussed; the unit aims to increase appreciation of the materiality of objects as an example paying attention to associated environmental and ethical issues, and emerging alternative materials. Students are also expected to produce a process journal and report on how a particular designer/s or movement has informed or influenced their final project/s.
AWSS2023 Architectural Photography

Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Koji Ryui Session: Intensive February,Intensive July,Semester 1,Semester 2 Classes: Refer to the unit of study outline https://www.sydney.edu.au/units Prohibitions: DESA2629 Assessment: Refer to the unit of study outline https://www.sydney.edu.au/units Practical field work: Studio practice NB: Students may incur costs for materials in some units Mode of delivery: Block mode
Note: Department permission required for enrolment
This practical unit assumes students have little or no understanding of photo image making. It aims to give students an understanding of how photography functions as a contemporary visual medium, including its connection to modernism and architecture. Students will gain knowledge of the principles and practise of camera operations, the production of high quality black and white prints. This module covers the use of a 35mm DSLR camera, image composition, use of lighting, image capture and correction, and printing. Practical work includes completion of set class projects, gallery visits, class discussions and the production of a portfolio. *Students should have access to a 35mm DSLR camera.
AWSS2026 2D Print Processes in Design

Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Koji Ryui Session: Intensive July,Semester 1,Semester 2 Classes: Refer to the unit of study outline https://www.sydney.edu.au/units Prohibitions: DESA2638 Assessment: Refer to the unit of study outline https://www.sydney.edu.au/units Practical field work: Studio practice NB: Students may incur costs for materials in some units Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
Note: Department permission required for enrolment
This practical unit introduces a variety of traditional and experimental techniques that will enable students to design and print a series of 2D works both within and around the context of design and Architecture. It will provide students with the knowledge and skills to design and print on a variety of substrates including paper, wood, and perspex through a range of techniques and creative exercises that can be developed into an edition or a series of experimental printed works. Students will also explore the historical roots of print and print as an element in design and architecture. Techniques covered include: digital photography and vector illustration, typography, hand and laser-cut paper stencils, ink mixing, registration and print set-up for multi-coloured prints. Through studio practice, set exercises, illustrated talks, gallery visits and library research, students will develop an understanding of their creative process and ability to interpret ideas through the medium of printing and with particular focus on design and architecture applications.
AWSS2027 Arch and Design Material Processes (Casting)

Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Koji Ryui Session: Semester 1,Semester 2 Classes: Refer to the unit of study outline https://www.sydney.edu.au/units Prohibitions: DESA2636 Assessment: Refer to the unit of study outline https://www.sydney.edu.au/units Practical field work: Studio practice NB: Students may incur costs for materials in some units Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
Note: Department permission required for enrolment
This practical unit focuses on critical engagement with materiality and form. The course introduces fundamental knowledge and technical skills for students to produce a series of 3D objects through a series of casting and complimentary construction techniques including high-definition casting. Students will work with a broad range of traditional and experimental materials. Emphasis is placed on developing students' material and spatial awareness of three-dimensional forms in context and investigating their conceptual meanings and applications. Students will be required to design, plan and produce a series of sculptural works, utilizing mediums and techniques explored throughout the semester. Additionally, students will critically contextualise and discuss their projects against historical precedents and contemporary practices that inform their creative inquiries.
BADP2002 City Form and Development

Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Pranita Shrestha Session: Semester 1 Classes: Refer to the unit of study outline https://www.sydney.edu.au/units Prerequisites: DAAE1001 or (DAAE2002 and ENGG1850) Assessment: Refer to the unit of study outline https://www.sydney.edu.au/units 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.
Textbooks
Course material, announcements and assessment submission will be available at www.canvas.sydney.edu.au
DAAE2011 Intro to Visual Communication Design

Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Koji Ryui Session: Intensive February,Intensive July,Semester 1 Classes: Refer to the unit of study outline https://www.sydney.edu.au/units Prohibitions: DAAE2009 or DECO1015 or DECO2101 Assessment: Refer to the unit of study outline https://www.sydney.edu.au/units Mode of delivery: Online
This online 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.
DECO2015 Design for Innovation

Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Dr Karla Straker Session: Semester 2 Classes: Refer to the unit of study outline https://www.sydney.edu.au/units Assessment: Refer to the unit of study outline https://www.sydney.edu.au/units Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
Note: It is recommended that students first complete DECO2016 before selecting this unit of study.
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 through small group exercises and develop a deeper understanding of them through the assessment items, which capture theory, analytical reflection and the practical application of methods.
DECO2101 Fundamentals of Visual Design

Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Clare Cooper Session: Semester 1 Classes: Refer to the unit of study outline https://www.sydney.edu.au/units Prohibitions: DECO1015 Assessment: Refer to the unit of study outline https://www.sydney.edu.au/units Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
Note: Department permission required for enrolment
Note: This unit is for students who are not enrolled in the Bachelor of Design Computing. Students from the Bachelor of Design Computing should enrol in DECO1015.
This unit of study introduces students to the principles of visual design, including graphic design, composition, colour theory and typography. Students will develop an understanding of how to communicate ideas in context and to successfully combine visual elements to create a visual argument and to communicate transition over time. Using digital image manipulation tools, such as Adobe Illustrator and InDesign, students will learn how to develop design concepts and how to turn concepts into an effective call-to-action.
DECO2102 Introduction to Web-based Design

Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Karla Straker Session: Semester 2 Classes: Refer to the unit of study outline https://www.sydney.edu.au/units Prohibitions: DECO1016 Assessment: Refer to the unit of study outline https://www.sydney.edu.au/units Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
Note: This unit is for students who are not enrolled in the Bachelor of Design Computing. Students from the Bachelor of Design Computing should enrol in DECO1016.
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 user interfaces. The unit will introduce interface sketching and wire-framing tools and techniques. A variety of media and platforms, such as desktop computers and mobile devices, will be discussed, with a focus on interaction design. Students will develop an understanding of web technologies and their role in user experience and interaction design, including the use of web technologies for prototyping user interfaces. Prototyping techniques covered in this unit include interface sketching and wire-framing to develop dynamic content and interactive designs.
DECO2016 Design Thinking

Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Mrs Madeleine Borthwick Session: Semester 2 Classes: Refer to the unit of study outline https://www.sydney.edu.au/units Prohibitions: DECO1006 Assessment: Refer to the unit of study outline https://www.sydney.edu.au/units Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
Note: Not available to students in the Bachelor of Design Computing and the Bachelor of Architecture and Environments except by special permission. Students who do not successfully complete DECO1006 may take DECO2016 as a replacement.
This unit of study provides an introduction to design thinking and its application in a human-centred design process. Students carry out a semester-long project that follows the typical phases of an iterative design process; consisting of user-centred research, ideation, prototyping and evaluation. Hands-on tutorial exercises develop their experience in appropriately applying design thinking methods, against the theoretical background offered by lectures. Students will learn to build empathy with users, identify the problem space, develop design concepts driven by user needs, and persuasively communicate design proposals using visual storytelling.
DECO3101 Innovation Design Studio

Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Karla Straker Session: Semester 1 Classes: Refer to the unit of study outline https://www.sydney.edu.au/units Assessment: Refer to the unit of study outline https://www.sydney.edu.au/units Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
Note: It is highly recommended that students first complete 12 credit points of 1000-level units and 12 credit points of 2000-level units before selecting this unit of study.
This unit of study provides a format for deep engagement with design and innovation methods. Students will develop responses to a real-world 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.
DESA3003 Architectural Detailing

This unit of study is not available in 2021

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 and 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 2021

Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Dr Francois Blanciak Session: Semester 1 Classes: 1-hr lectures/Weeks 1, 2 and 3, 3-hr tutorials/week, 1-hr seminars/week Prerequisites: 48 Credit points Assessment: Diagramming (50%), Seminar presentation (35%), Active participation (15%) 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.
DESA3009 Advanced Fabrication

This unit of study is not available in 2021

Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Dr Simon Weir Session: Semester 1 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 includes lectures/tutorials on the technical knowledge related to sandstone fabrication, and lectures on the theoretical premises and associations generated by the internal logic, and expressive languages. 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: Eduardo De Oliveira Barata Session: Intensive July Classes: Refer to the unit of study outline https://www.sydney.edu.au/units Prerequisites: 48 credit points Assessment: Refer to the unit of study outline https://www.sydney.edu.au/units Mode of delivery: Block mode
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).
DESA3011 Introduction to Building Construction

Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Eugenia Gasparri Session: Semester 2 Classes: Refer to the unit of study outline https://www.sydney.edu.au/units Assessment: Refer to the unit of study outline https://www.sydney.edu.au/units Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
This unit provides a comprehensive overview of standard domestic scaled construction in Australia. It begins by introducing a number of recurrent themes in construction including the idea of building culture, the various modes of delivery and variety of classifications of buildings and building elements, rational construction and construction detailing from first principles. There follows a review of construction techniques of well-documented and/or accessible exemplars. Finally, the unit will review current issues related to key attributes of buildings which make them sustainable, particularly with regard to material selection, appropriate detailing and energy and resources conservation.
DESA3013 Expanded Colour: From Theory to Application

Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Mr Koji Ryui Session: Semester 1,Semester 2 Classes: Refer to the unit of study outline https://www.sydney.edu.au/units Assessment: Refer to the unit of study outline https://www.sydney.edu.au/units Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
Note: Department permission required for enrolment
This practical unit develops and extends research into an astonishing world of colour and the designed environment. The unit will take students across the connections made between colour, light, music, and the phenomenology of space, locating some of the main figures that have investigated and championed the use of colour historically and in contemporary contexts - including artists and theorists Josef Albers, Johannes Itten, David Batchelor, Ann Veronica Janssens, Carlos Cruz-Diez, James Turrell and Olafur Eliasson, scientist Albert Henry Munsell, architects Le Corbusier and Sauerbrauch Hutton. Using a range of materials and techniques tied to sculpture, video, photography, assemblage and installation, students will experiment and explore propositions for architecture in response to conceptual frameworks and historical and contemporary precedents. Through this unit students have the opportunity to develop observational, critical and tactical skills related to the meaning and potential uses of colour in architecture.
DESA3014 Finding Country

This unit of study is not available in 2021

Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Prof Kevin O'Brien Session: Intensive February Classes: 5-day intensive 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.
DESA3441 Elective Travelling Studio 1

Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Michael Muir Session: Intensive February,Intensive July,Intensive June,Intensive November,Semester 1,Semester 1a,Semester 1b,Semester 2,Semester 2a,Semester 2b Classes: Refer to the unit of study outline https://www.sydney.edu.au/units Prerequisites: 48 credit points and WAM of at least 70. Assessment: Refer to the unit of study outline https://www.sydney.edu.au/units Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
Note: Department permission required for enrolment
This unit provides an opportunity to high achieving students to develop an interest in a specific Design Architecture topic; to develop skills in independent study; and to develop advanced report writing skills. This elective is undertaken with an agreement between the student and a supervisor on an agreed topic related to Design Architecture. The student will meet with the supervisor weekly to discuss progress. The outcome should be a reflective report on a selected topic demonstrating mastery of the topic.
DESA3442 Elective Travelling Studio 2

Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Michael Muir Session: Intensive February,Intensive July,Intensive June,Intensive November,Semester 1,Semester 1a,Semester 1b,Semester 2,Semester 2a,Semester 2b Classes: Refer to the unit of study outline https://www.sydney.edu.au/units Prerequisites: 48 credit points and WAM of at least 70. Assessment: Refer to the unit of study outline https://www.sydney.edu.au/units Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
Note: Department permission required for enrolment
This unit provides an opportunity to high achieving students to develop an interest in a specific Design Architecture topic; to develop skills in independent study; and to develop advanced report writing skills.
This elective is undertaken with an agreement between the student and a supervisor on an agreed topic related to Design Architecture. The student will meet with the supervisor weekly to discuss progress.
The outcome should be a reflective report on a selected topic demonstrating mastery of the topic.
DESA3443 Design Architecture Independent Study C

Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Michael Muir Session: Semester 1,Semester 2 Classes: Refer to the unit of study outline https://www.sydney.edu.au/units Prerequisites: 48 credit points and WAM of at least 70. Assessment: Refer to the unit of study outline https://www.sydney.edu.au/units Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
Note: Department permission required for enrolment
This unit provides an opportunity to high achieving students to develop an interest in a specific Design Architecture topic; to develop skills in independent study; and to develop advanced report writing skills.
This elective is undertaken with an agreement between the student and a supervisor on an agreed topic related to Design Architecture. The student will meet with the supervisor weekly to discuss progress.
The outcome should be a reflective report on a selected topic demonstrating mastery of the topic.
DESA3444 Design Architecture Independent Study D

Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Michael Muir Session: Semester 1,Semester 2 Classes: Refer to the unit of study outline https://www.sydney.edu.au/units Prerequisites: 48 credit points and WAM of at least 70. Assessment: Refer to the unit of study outline https://www.sydney.edu.au/units Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
Note: Department permission required for enrolment
This unit provides an opportunity to high achieving students to develop an interest in a specific Design Architecture topic; to develop skills in independent study; and to develop advanced report writing skills.
This elective is undertaken with an agreement between the student and a supervisor on an agreed topic related to Design Architecture. The student will meet with the supervisor weekly to discuss progress.
The outcome should be a reflective report on a selected topic demonstrating mastery of the topic.
DESA3551 Design Architecture General Elective A

Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Michael Muir Session: Intensive February,Intensive July,Intensive June,Intensive November,Semester 1,Semester 1a,Semester 1b,Semester 2,Semester 2a,Semester 2b Classes: Refer to the unit of study outline https://www.sydney.edu.au/units Assessment: Refer to the unit of study outline https://www.sydney.edu.au/units Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
Note: Department permission required for enrolment
This elective allows a group of students to pursue a topic proposed by a member of academic staff in a formal learning environment.
This unit of study is available to a minimum of 10 students to engage in a topic related to Design Architecture that is organised by a member of academic staff. This allows a member of staff to teach a topic of special interest or for a visiting academic to teach a subject related to their specialty. Students will participate in lectures, tutorials, or other activities as needed to pursue the elective topic. The topic for this elective is proposed by a member of academic staff and approved by the Associate Dean (Education).
Students will develop an understanding of a special topic through reports, projects, and tutorial exercises.
DESA3552 Elective Intensive Design Studio 1

Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Michael Muir Session: Intensive February,Intensive January,Intensive June,Intensive November,Semester 1,Semester 1a,Semester 1b,Semester 2,Semester 2a,Semester 2b Classes: Refer to the unit of study outline https://www.sydney.edu.au/units Prerequisites: 48 credit points. Assessment: Refer to the unit of study outline https://www.sydney.edu.au/units Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
Note: Department permission required for enrolment
This elective allows a group of students to pursue a topic proposed by a member of academic staff in a formal learning environment.
This unit of study is available to a minimum of 10 students to engage in a topic related to Design Architecture that is organised by a member of academic staff. This allows a member of staff to teach a topic of special interest or for a visiting academic to teach a subject related to their specialty. Students will participate in lectures, tutorials, or other activities as needed to pursue the elective topic. The topic for this elective is proposed by a member of academic staff and approved by the Associate Dean (Education).
Students will develop an understanding of a special topic through reports, projects, and tutorial exercises.
DESA3553 Elective Intensive Design Studio 2

Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Michael Muir Session: Intensive June,Intensive November,Semester 1,Semester 1a,Semester 1b,Semester 2,Semester 2a,Semester 2b Classes: Refer to the unit of study outline https://www.sydney.edu.au/units Prerequisites: 48 credit points. Assessment: Refer to the unit of study outline https://www.sydney.edu.au/units Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
Note: Department permission required for enrolment
This elective allows a group of students to pursue a topic proposed by a member of academic staff in a formal learning environment.This unit of study is available to a minimum of 10 students to engage in a topic related to Design Architecture that is organised by a member of academic staff. This allows a member of staff to teach a topic of special interest or for a visiting academic to teach a subject related to their specialty. Students will participate in lectures, tutorials, or other activities as needed to pursue the elective topic. The topic for this elective is proposed by a member of academic staff and approved by the Associate Dean (Education). Students will develop an understanding of a special topic through reports, projects, and tutorial exercises.
DESA3554 Intensive Design Studio 3

Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Michael Muir Session: Intensive January,Intensive June,Semester 1,Semester 1a,Semester 1b,Semester 2,Semester 2a,Semester 2b Classes: Refer to the unit of study outline https://www.sydney.edu.au/units Prerequisites: 48 credit points. Assessment: Refer to the unit of study outline https://www.sydney.edu.au/units Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
Note: Department permission required for enrolment
This elective allows a group of students to pursue a topic proposed by a member of academic staff in a formal learning environment. This unit of study is available to a minimum of 10 students to engage in a topic related to Design Architecture that is organised by a member of academic staff. This allows a member of staff to teach a topic of special interest or for a visiting academic to teach a subject related to their specialty. Students will participate in lectures, tutorials, or other activities as needed to pursue the elective topic. The topic for this elective is proposed by a member of academic staff and approved by the Associate Dean (Education). Students will develop an understanding of a special topic through reports, projects, and tutorial exercises.
MARC6204 Graduate Exhibition

This unit of study is not available in 2021

Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Matthew Mindrup Session: Semester 2 Classes: 3-hour design intensives twice weekly in weeks 1-3 and 3-hour pre-production meetings and production intensives in weeks 9-14 Assessment: preliminary research, exhibition design and performance assessment (individual work) (40%); exhibition and yearbook (group work) (60%) Practical field work: 3-hour intensive fabrication workshops in Weeks 10-14 and as required to produce the exhibition. Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
Note: Department permission required for enrolment
This unit of study enables students to engage in a collaborative project to research, design and produce a high-profile public exhibition and accompanying yearbook of graduating work from the BDesArch and MArch programs. The project will exercise and extend design skills and knowledge required to produce a plausible concept for the exhibition and yearbook and to implement the necessary logistical, technical and practical means to realise it. The project integrates multiple activities which exercise different skill sets including research and precedent studies of exhibition, curation and potential venues; developing a critical, plausible and achievable concept for the event; budgeting and financial management; exhibition design; graphic design; construction and installation of the exhibition; production of the yearbook; consultation with stakeholders and implementation. Students will extend their research, design and implementation skills through a real project with a concrete outcome to real-time deadlines and resource limitations.
4000-level and 5000-level units of study
Electives may be selected from the list below or with permission, from any postgraduate units in the School of Architecture, Design and Planning. Students interested in exploring architectural science, urban design or heritage units of study are encouraged to consult the school handbook for further information.
ARCH9113 Advanced Topics in Australian Architecture

This unit of study is not available in 2021

Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Andrew Leach 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: DAAE2001 Assessment: One process development presentation and one 4,000-word essay (100%) Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
This unit will explore the history of Australian architecture in its various contexts. Lectures and seminars will cover key architects, projects and building types and their relation to Australian history. Students will explore a range of architectural styles and movements and their characteristics. They will undertake individual self-directed research and learn how to record and present the results of this research. Students will develop an appreciation of the factors that shape architectural design and thought in Australia and how these relate to wider social and cultural circumstances. Tutorials will explore key books, essays and journals concerned with Australian architecture. On successful completion of this unit, students will be able to: demonstrate an advanced familiarity with a range of Australian architects, buildings and types; research, record and present a specific project in Sydney; connect specific works to other works of a similar style, period or cultural context. This will be assessed in the submitted essay.
ARCH9110 Code to Production

Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Eduardo De Oliveira Barata Session: Intensive July Classes: Refer to the unit of study outline https://www.sydney.edu.au/units Assessment: Refer to the unit of study outline https://www.sydney.edu.au/units Mode of delivery: Block mode, 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).
MARC5100 Advanced Topics in Architectural History

Credit points: 6 Session: Semester 1 Classes: Refer to the unit of study outline https://www.sydney.edu.au/units Assumed knowledge: BDES3011 or equivalent Assessment: Refer to the unit of study outline https://www.sydney.edu.au/units Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
This unit investigates topics in the study of architectural history. Assuming an undergraduate knowledge of the field, the course will explore in depth specific moments in time, bodies of work, geographies, building types, thematics, or other frames that will be defined year to year. Seminars and assessment tasks will offer an introduction to the history of architecture, broadly defined, and to the literature allowing for advanced independent study. Seminars will foster close attention to specific topics within the history of architecture, which consider a range of topics. These may include the intellectual and cultural contexts of architectural production and/or use; formal or implied debates that have shaped the field; historical problems in architectural design, planning or construction; modes of evidenced thought and communication; race, labour or religion; institutions and literature and their role in mediating knowledge. Working against a defined canon of significant works, this unit is global in its scope and open to treating the architecture of all periods of time. The unit will hone students' skills of historical analysis to prepare for both further study and a full engagement with architecture's professional culture. It will, too, foster a sense of historicity for the present moment.
MARC5110 Contemporary Architectural Theory

Credit points: 6 Session: Semester 2 Classes: Refer to the unit of study outline https://www.sydney.edu.au/units Assumed knowledge: BDES3011 or equivalent Assessment: Refer to the unit of study outline https://www.sydney.edu.au/units Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
The objective of this unit is to orientate students within the landscape of debate around contemporary architecture. Perspectives on this objective will change from year to year, but will work within the trajectory the Enlightenment to the present. Emphasis is placed on analysis of theories and positions of direct import to architectural design. Emphasis is also placed on the specific situations and cultural and philosophical contexts in which those theories arose, and ultimately how they were represented within the domain of architecture. It is organized predominantly as a conceptual survey which clearly identifies particular trains of thought in their continuity and transformation. Students will become generally conversant in the principles of theories central to contemporary architectural practice and debate, and will understand their terms and references. Through reading and participation in seminars, students will acquire the literacy required to perceive and articulate contemporary theoretical standpoints, and will refine their research and writing skills through independent research into a defined aspect of contemporary architectural theory. Close attention will be paid to the exchange between practice and theory and the relevance of the discussed theories to the formation of current circumstances, and to the place of architecture within contemporary culture.
MARC5330 Sustainable Techniques and Technologies

Credit points: 6 Session: Semester 2 Classes: Refer to the unit of study outline https://www.sydney.edu.au/units Assumed knowledge: Students should be familiar with architectural sketching and drawing, 3D modelling, building technology and construction process fundamentals Assessment: Refer to the unit of study outline https://www.sydney.edu.au/units Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
In this unit of study students will explore the concept of sustainability from a technological perspective. The unit of study builds upon the current technical knowledge and evidence-based design in the field of sustainability. Students will learn how to assess sustainability through a series of indicators such as indoor air quality, energy efficiency, and embodied emissions. Sustainable techniques and technologies will be explored and assessed to challenge current concepts and practices. The overarching aim of the unit of study is to equip students with relevant knowledge and skill to propose coherent and robust design solutions that consider enviromental impacts and sustainable strategies.
MARC5410 Ethical Practice in Architecture

Credit points: 6 Session: Semester 2 Classes: Refer to the unit of study outline https://www.sydney.edu.au/units Assumed knowledge: BDES3025 Assessment: Refer to the unit of study outline https://www.sydney.edu.au/units Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
Ethical Practice in Architecture introduces students to some foundational principles of ethics and then turns to the ethical questions and capacities of architectural practice. Students will conceptualize a design approach into an explicit ethical issue and explore the opportunities and limitations of the architect as activist. The student will be exposed to a series of ethical challenges and architectures that relate to ethical positions. Working through a series of case studies that explore social, environmental, political, and Indigenous positions, students will develop a sense of the role of architecture in society and the capacity of the architect to enact change. These case studies prompt critical reflections on architectural conventions, and their intersections with both social conventions and disruptions. On the successful completion of this unit, students will have demonstrated: An ability to recognise the validity of both sides of an ethical dispute; an ability to critique architecture from an ethical standpoint; and a capacity to formulate architectural design approaches that recognise ethical issues.
MARC5430 Developing Architectural Briefs

Credit points: 6 Session: Intensive July Classes: Refer to the unit of study outline https://www.sydney.edu.au/units Assumed knowledge: BDES3025 Assessment: Refer to the unit of study outline https://www.sydney.edu.au/units Mode of delivery: Block mode
Formulating architectural briefs is an art. Identifying the problems that a built work might engage and solve, negotiating forces that are both contextual and generic. This intensive UoS will allow students to chart the forces that impact an architectural project, prior to design. These include forces that are contextual: constraints set by clients, budgets, sites, social functions of the building, local practices and funding, the specifics of a site and the involvement of other building specialists. Also included are forces that are generic: formal laws and regulations, institutional interests, state ideologies, cultural taboos and general social and political conditions. Through a series of workshops students will critique the architectural briefs developed for a series of projects and develop their own architectural briefs.
ARCH9104 Architecture and Diagrams

This unit of study is not available in 2021

Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Dr Francois Blanciak Session: Semester 1 Classes: 1-hr lectures/Weeks 1,2 and 3, 3-hr tutorials/week, 1-hr seminars/week Assessment: Diagramming (50%), Seminar presentation (25%), Active participation (15%), Report on one reading (10%) 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.
ARCH9106 Architectural Investigations: Models

This unit of study is not available in 2021

Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Ms Catherine Lassen Session: Semester 1 Classes: 3 hr seminars/week Assessment: Seminar presentation (30%), Final studio project presentation (30%), Illustrated report (40%) Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
Note: Department permission required for enrolment
This elective will explore the relationship between a range of representational strategies and embedded content in a selection of significant 20th century architectural works. Via a series of meticulous analytical models we will interrogate these works to develop precise yet productive close readings. Our tools will be detailed analysis, accurate measurement and conceptually ambitious re-modelling. Within a search for inventive, literate, contributions, a rigorous yet experimental attitude to architectural thought and its rich disciplined development in weekly classes will be encouraged.
ARCH9112 Finding Country

This unit of study is not available in 2021

Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Prof Kevin O'Brien Session: Intensive February Classes: 5-day intensive 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.
ARCH9113 Advanced Topics in Australian Architecture

This unit of study is not available in 2021

Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Andrew Leach 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: DAAE2001 Assessment: One process development presentation and one 4,000-word essay (100%) Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
This unit will explore the history of Australian architecture in its various contexts. Lectures and seminars will cover key architects, projects and building types and their relation to Australian history. Students will explore a range of architectural styles and movements and their characteristics. They will undertake individual self-directed research and learn how to record and present the results of this research. Students will develop an appreciation of the factors that shape architectural design and thought in Australia and how these relate to wider social and cultural circumstances. Tutorials will explore key books, essays and journals concerned with Australian architecture. On successful completion of this unit, students will be able to: demonstrate an advanced familiarity with a range of Australian architects, buildings and types; research, record and present a specific project in Sydney; connect specific works to other works of a similar style, period or cultural context. This will be assessed in the submitted essay.
DESA9008 Object Design (Material and Light)

This unit of study is not available in 2021

Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Koji Ryui Session: Semester 1,Semester 2 Classes: workshop 3 hrs/week Prohibitions: AWSS2020 Assumed knowledge: DESA1555 Assessment: studio projects and associated tasks (70%); research process journal (30%) Practical field work: Studio practice. NB: Students may incur costs for materials in some units Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
Note: Department permission required for enrolment
In this unit students produce light objects exploring diverse materials and fabrication techniques in the DMaF workshops. Emphasis is placed on developing and inter-relating manufacturing and artisan skills with research, analysis and design development. The course aims to develop a critical awareness of the nature of objects that surround us, exploring cultural, contextual and symbolic aspects of object design as well as functional and aesthetic qualities working with light. Sustainability and social issues relating to their manufacture, use and disposal are also discussed; the unit aims to increase appreciation of the materiality of objects focusing on timber as an example paying attention to associated environmental and ethical issues, and emerging alternative materials. Through a series of exercises, experiments and production of their major project, students develop knowledge of construction techniques and skills in using wood/plastics tools and machinery and in so doing, build an awareness of industrial and craft practices and how they impact on the design process and outcome. Students will be expected to produce a research process journal and report on how a particular designer/s or movement has informed or influenced their final project/s
DESA9012 2D Print Processes in Design

This unit of study is not available in 2021

Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Mr Koji Ryui Session: Semester 1,Semester 2 Classes: workshop 3 hrs/week Prohibitions: AWSS2026 Assessment: studio projects and associated tasks (70%); research process journal (30%) Practical field work: Studio practice. NB: Students may incur costs for materials in some units Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
Note: Department permission required for enrolment
This studio-based unit introduces a variety of traditional and experimental techniques that will enable students to design and print a series of 2D works both within and around the context of design and Architecture. It will provide students with the knowledge and skills to design and print on a variety of substrates including paper, wood, and perspex through a range of techniques and creative exercises that can be developed into an edition or a series of experimental printed works. Students will also explore the historical roots of print and print as an element in design and architecture. Techniques covered include: digital photography and vector illustration, typography, hand and laser-cut paper stencils, ink mixing, registration and print set-up for multi-coloured prints. Through studio practice, set exercises, illustrated talks, gallery visits and library research, students will develop an understanding of their creative process and ability to interpret ideas through the medium of printing and with particular focus on design and architecture applications.
DESA9013 Arch and Design Material Processes (Casting)

This unit of study is not available in 2021

Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Koji Ryui Session: Semester 1,Semester 2 Classes: workshop 3 hrs/week Prohibitions: AWSS2027 Assessment: studio projects and associated tasks (70%); research process journal (30%) Practical field work: Studio practice. NB: Students may incur costs for materials in some units Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
Note: Department permission required for enrolment
This studio-based unit focuses on critical engagement with materiality and form. The course introduces fundamental knowledge and technical skills for students to produce a series of 3D objects through high-definition casting and complimentary construction techniques. Students will work with a broad range of traditional and experimental materials. Emphasis is placed on developing students' material and spatial awareness of three-dimensional forms in context and investigating their conceptual applications. Students will be required to design, plan and produce a series of sculptural works, utilizing mediums and techniques explored throughout the semester. Additionally, students will critically contextualise and discuss their projects against historical precedents and contemporary practices that inform their creative inquiries. Postgraduate students will further investigate possibilities to expand their project into an ambitious site-based intervention.
DESA9014 Arch and Design Material Processes (Ceramics)

This unit of study is not available in 2021

Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Koji Ryui Session: Semester 1,Semester 2 Classes: workshop 3 hrs/week Prohibitions: AWSS2010 Assessment: studio projects and associated tasks (70%); research process journal (30%) Practical field work: Studio practice. NB: Students may incur costs for materials in some units Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
Note: Department permission required for enrolment
This studio-based unit explores ceramic media and processes. Students will investigate different fabrication techniques such as slip-casting, ceramic rapid prototyping and analogue modelling. There will be an emphasis on ceramics as a modelling medium in design and architecture. Students will use the digital modelling and fabrication lab within the school to investigate possibilities for ceramic production. This exploration will be in relation to historic and contemporary architectural frameworks. Set projects will enable students to explore expression and design in an architectural form and materiality context. Students will be expected to produce a research process journal and report on how a particular practitioner/s or movement has informed or influenced their project/s.
MARC6202 Architecture Workshop A

Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Paolo Stracchi Session: Intensive March,Semester 1,Semester 1a,Semester 1b,Semester 2,Semester 2a,Semester 2b Classes: Refer to the unit of study outline https://www.sydney.edu.au/units Assessment: Refer to the unit of study outline https://www.sydney.edu.au/units Mode of delivery: Block mode
Note: Department permission required for enrolment
Note: This unit is offered only when a workshop has been arranged. When available, workshops are advertised to students. Students may incur materials costs in this unit.
Through design projects offered by visiting national and international design practitioners and school staff, this unit of study will provide students with the opportunity to explore a wide range of design issues and ideas in an intensive design studio environment. At the successful completion of this unit of study students will have: extended their ability to develop creative responses to a design brief or situation; extended their understanding of the theoretical, historical, cultural, environmental or technical framework of design; applied these understandings and demonstrated good architectural judgement; and communicated these ideas and understandings effectively through presentation means including drawings, models and CAD, which are assessed in a jury context. This unit is Pass/Fail. Contact hours: 40 hours intensive. Assessment and preparation: 38 hours.
MARC6203 Architecture Workshop B

Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Dr Paolo Stracchi Session: Intensive March,Semester 1,Semester 1a,Semester 1b,Semester 2,Semester 2a,Semester 2b Classes: Refer to the unit of study outline https://www.sydney.edu.au/units Assessment: Refer to the unit of study outline https://www.sydney.edu.au/units Mode of delivery: Block mode
Note: Department permission required for enrolment
Note: This unit is offered only when a workshop has been arranged. When available, workshops are advertised to students. Students may incur materials costs in this unit.
Through design projects offered by visiting national and international design practitioners and school staff, this unit of study will provide students with the opportunity to explore a wide range of design issues and ideas in an intensive design studio environment. At the successful completion of this unit of study students will have: extended their ability to develop creative responses to a design brief or situation; extended their understanding of the theoretical, historical, cultural, environmental or technical framework of design; applied these understandings and demonstrated good architectural judgement; and communicated these ideas and understandings effectively through presentation means including drawings, models and CAD, which are assessed in a jury context. This unit is Pass/Fail. Contact hours: 40 hours intensive. Assessment and preparation: 38 hours.
MARC6204 Graduate Exhibition

This unit of study is not available in 2021

Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Matthew Mindrup Session: Semester 2 Classes: 3-hour design intensives twice weekly in weeks 1-3 and 3-hour pre-production meetings and production intensives in weeks 9-14 Assessment: preliminary research, exhibition design and performance assessment (individual work) (40%); exhibition and yearbook (group work) (60%) Practical field work: 3-hour intensive fabrication workshops in Weeks 10-14 and as required to produce the exhibition. Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
Note: Department permission required for enrolment
This unit of study enables students to engage in a collaborative project to research, design and produce a high-profile public exhibition and accompanying yearbook of graduating work from the BDesArch and MArch programs. The project will exercise and extend design skills and knowledge required to produce a plausible concept for the exhibition and yearbook and to implement the necessary logistical, technical and practical means to realise it. The project integrates multiple activities which exercise different skill sets including research and precedent studies of exhibition, curation and potential venues; developing a critical, plausible and achievable concept for the event; budgeting and financial management; exhibition design; graphic design; construction and installation of the exhibition; production of the yearbook; consultation with stakeholders and implementation. Students will extend their research, design and implementation skills through a real project with a concrete outcome to real-time deadlines and resource limitations.
ARCH9039 General Elective 1

Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Associate Dean (Education) Session: Intensive April,Intensive August,Intensive February,Intensive January,Intensive July,Intensive June,Intensive March,Intensive May,Intensive November,Intensive October,Intensive September,Semester 1,Semester 1a,Semester 1b,Semester 2,Semester 2a,Semester 2b Classes: Refer to the unit of study outline https://www.sydney.edu.au/units Assessment: Refer to the unit of study outline https://www.sydney.edu.au/units Mode of delivery: Block mode
Note: Department permission required for enrolment
This elective allows an individual to pursue an agreed topic with a member of academic staff, or for a group of students to pursue a topic proposed by a member of academic staff in a formal learning environment.
For individual study arrangements this is an opportunity to develop independent study skills. The unit is undertaken with an agreement between the student and a supervisor on a topic related to the supervisor's expertise. The student will meet with the supervisor regularly to discuss progress.
For group study arrangements the unit of study is available to engage in a topic that is organised by a member of academic staff. This allows a member of staff to teach a topic of special interest or for a visiting academic to teach a subject related to their specialty. Students will participate in lectures, tutorials, or other activities as needed to pursue the elective topic.
Students will develop an understanding of a special topic through reports, projects, and/or tutorial exercises.
ARCH9040 General Elective 2

Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Associate Dean (Education) Session: Intensive April,Intensive August,Intensive July,Intensive June,Intensive March,Intensive May,Intensive November,Intensive October,Intensive September,Semester 1,Semester 1a,Semester 1b,Semester 2,Semester 2a,Semester 2b Classes: Refer to the unit of study outline https://www.sydney.edu.au/units Assessment: Refer to the unit of study outline https://www.sydney.edu.au/units Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
Note: Department permission required for enrolment
This elective allows an individual to pursue an agreed topic with a member of academic staff, or for a group of students to pursue a topic proposed by a member of academic staff in a formal learning environment.
For individual study arrangements this is an opportunity to develop independent study skills. The unit is undertaken with an agreement between the student and a supervisor on a topic related to the supervisor's expertise. The student will meet with the supervisor regularly to discuss progress.
For group study arrangements the unit of study is available to engage in a topic that is organised by a member of academic staff. This allows a member of staff to teach a topic of special interest or for a visiting academic to teach a subject related to their specialty. Students will participate in lectures, tutorials, or other activities as needed to pursue the elective topic.
Students will develop an understanding of a special topic through reports, projects, and/or tutorial exercises.
ARCH9058 General Elective 7

Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Adrienne Keane Session: Intensive April,Intensive August,Intensive February,Intensive January,Intensive July,Intensive June,Intensive March,Intensive May,Intensive November,Intensive October,Intensive September,Semester 1,Semester 1a,Semester 1b,Semester 2,Semester 2a,Semester 2b Classes: Refer to the unit of study outline https://www.sydney.edu.au/units Assessment: Refer to the unit of study outline https://www.sydney.edu.au/units Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
Note: Department permission required for enrolment
This elective allows an individual to pursue an agreed topic with a member of academic staff, or for a group of students to pursue a topic proposed by a member of academic staff in a formal learning environment. For individual study arrangements this is an opportunity to develop independent study skills. The unit is undertaken with an agreement between the student and a supervisor on a topic related to the supervisor's expertise. The student will meet with the supervisor regularly to discuss progress. For group study arrangements the unit of study is available to engage in a topic that is organised by a member of academic staff. This allows a member of staff to teach a topic of special interest or for a visiting academic to teach a subject related to their specialty. Students will participate in lectures, tutorials, or other activities as needed to pursue the elective topic. Students will develop an understanding of a special topic through reports, projects, and/or tutorial exercises.
ARCH9059 General Elective 8

Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Associate Dean (Education) Session: Intensive April,Intensive August,Intensive January,Intensive July,Intensive June,Intensive March,Intensive May,Intensive November,Intensive October,Intensive September,Semester 1,Semester 1a,Semester 1b,Semester 2,Semester 2a,Semester 2b Classes: Refer to the unit of study outline https://www.sydney.edu.au/units Assessment: Refer to the unit of study outline https://www.sydney.edu.au/units Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
Note: Department permission required for enrolment
This elective allows an individual to pursue an agreed topic with a member of academic staff, or for a group of students to pursue a topic proposed by a member of academic staff in a formal learning environment. For individual study arrangements this is an opportunity to develop independent study skills. The unit is undertaken with an agreement between the student and a supervisor on a topic related to the supervisor's expertise. The student will meet with the supervisor regularly to discuss progress. For group study arrangements the unit of study is available to engage in a topic that is organised by a member of academic staff. This allows a member of staff to teach a topic of special interest or for a visiting academic to teach a subject related to their specialty. Students will participate in lectures, tutorials, or other activities as needed to pursue the elective topic. Students will develop an understanding of a special topic through reports, projects, and/or tutorial exercises.
ARCH9085 General Elective 9

Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Adrienne Keane Session: Intensive April,Intensive August,Intensive July,Intensive June,Intensive March,Intensive May,Intensive November,Intensive October,Intensive September,Semester 1,Semester 1a,Semester 1b,Semester 2,Semester 2a,Semester 2b Classes: Refer to the unit of study outline https://www.sydney.edu.au/units Assessment: Refer to the unit of study outline https://www.sydney.edu.au/units Mode of delivery: Block mode
Note: Department permission required for enrolment
This elective allows an individual to pursue an agreed topic with a member of academic staff, or for a group of students to pursue a topic proposed by a member of academic staff in a formal learning environment.
For individual study arrangements this is an opportunity to develop independent study skills. The unit is undertaken with an agreement between the student and a supervisor on a topic related to the supervisor's expertise. The student will meet with the supervisor regularly to discuss progress.
For group study arrangements the unit of study is available to engage in a topic that is organised by a member of academic staff. This allows a member of staff to teach a topic of special interest or for a visiting academic to teach a subject related to their specialty. Students will participate in lectures, tutorials, or other activities as needed to pursue the elective topic.
Students will develop an understanding of a special topic through reports, projects, and/or tutorial exercises.
ARCH9086 General Elective 10

Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Adrienne Keane Session: Intensive April,Intensive August,Intensive February,Intensive January,Intensive July,Intensive June,Intensive March,Intensive May,Intensive November,Intensive October,Intensive September,Semester 1,Semester 1a,Semester 1b,Semester 2,Semester 2a,Semester 2b Classes: Refer to the unit of study outline https://www.sydney.edu.au/units Assessment: Refer to the unit of study outline https://www.sydney.edu.au/units Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
Note: Department permission required for enrolment
This elective allows an individual to pursue an agreed topic with a member of academic staff, or for a group of students to pursue a topic proposed by a member of academic staff in a formal learning environment.
For individual study arrangements this is an opportunity to develop independent study skills. The unit is undertaken with an agreement between the student and a supervisor on a topic related to the supervisor's expertise. The student will meet with the supervisor regularly to discuss progress.
For group study arrangements the unit of study is available to engage in a topic that is organised by a member of academic staff. This allows a member of staff to teach a topic of special interest or for a visiting academic to teach a subject related to their specialty. Students will participate in lectures, tutorials, or other activities as needed to pursue the elective topic.
Students will develop an understanding of a special topic through reports, projects, and/or tutorial exercises.
ARCH9087 General Elective 11

Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Adrienne Keane Session: Intensive April,Intensive August,Intensive July,Intensive June,Intensive March,Intensive May,Intensive November,Intensive October,Intensive September,Semester 1,Semester 1a,Semester 1b,Semester 2,Semester 2a,Semester 2b Classes: Refer to the unit of study outline https://www.sydney.edu.au/units Assessment: Refer to the unit of study outline https://www.sydney.edu.au/units Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
Note: Department permission required for enrolment
This elective allows an individual to pursue an agreed topic with a member of academic staff, or for a group of students to pursue a topic proposed by a member of academic staff in a formal learning environment.
For individual study arrangements this is an opportunity to develop independent study skills. The unit is undertaken with an agreement between the student and a supervisor on a topic related to the supervisor's expertise. The student will meet with the supervisor regularly to discuss progress.
For group study arrangements the unit of study is available to engage in a topic that is organised by a member of academic staff. This allows a member of staff to teach a topic of special interest or for a visiting academic to teach a subject related to their specialty. Students will participate in lectures, tutorials, or other activities as needed to pursue the elective topic.
Students will develop an understanding of a special topic through reports, projects, and/or tutorial exercises.
ARCH9088 General Elective 12

Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Adrienne Keane Session: Intensive April,Intensive August,Intensive February,Intensive January,Intensive July,Intensive June,Intensive March,Intensive May,Intensive November,Intensive October,Intensive September,Semester 1,Semester 1a,Semester 1b,Semester 2,Semester 2a,Semester 2b Classes: Refer to the unit of study outline https://www.sydney.edu.au/units Assessment: Refer to the unit of study outline https://www.sydney.edu.au/units Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
Note: Department permission required for enrolment
This elective allows an individual to pursue an agreed topic with a member of academic staff, or for a group of students to pursue a topic proposed by a member of academic staff in a formal learning environment.
For individual study arrangements this is an opportunity to develop independent study skills. The unit is undertaken with an agreement between the student and a supervisor on a topic related to the supervisor's expertise. The student will meet with the supervisor regularly to discuss progress.
For group study arrangements the unit of study is available to engage in a topic that is organised by a member of academic staff. This allows a member of staff to teach a topic of special interest or for a visiting academic to teach a subject related to their specialty. Students will participate in lectures, tutorials, or other activities as needed to pursue the elective topic.
Students will develop an understanding of a special topic through reports, projects, and/or tutorial exercises.