702-403 Architectural Design 4A

Formerly available as 702-403 Architectural Design and Practice 4. Students who have completed 702-403 are not eligible to enrol in this subject.

702-302 Architectural Design 3A

This subject explores the hypothesis that design quality is in many ways the outcome of a collaborative effort and the successful combination of different dimensions and scales. In developing a medium-density housing scheme, students are required to investigate the relationships between individual buildings and collective environments and between micro and macro spaces. Regulatory constraints, urban policies and building technical issues are introduced and treated as design parameters. The creative and communicative function of architectural representation is emphasised by asking students to convey their design intent through specific technical descriptions. These range from urban massing models to building sectional drawings, and from perspective sketches to spatial details. Three small assignments are used in conjunction with the lecture program to clarify particular issues of the larger brief.

On completion of the subject students should be able to:

• Relate individual buildings and collective environments, micro and macro spaces.

• Adapt individual choices to group decisions.

• Convey design intentions through specific technical descriptions.

• Translate regulatory constraints and urban policies into design parameters.

• Evaluate design decisions against industrial environmental conditions, building scale and program requirements.

• Identify performance differences and mutual impacts within the spatial program developed.

• Understand the problems implied in the proposal rather than prescribed in the brief.

On completion of the subject students should have developed the following skills and capabilities:

• Ability to think, coordinate and design various urban and architectural design scales.

• Ability to comprehend urban complexity and make appropriate design interventions.

• Ability to work in a design team and to manage group and individual contributions.

Assessment will be based on the final presentation of the major project and a review of a portfolio of all assignments set during the semester to the equivalent of 10,000 words.