Course overview
- Study period
- Semester 1, 2026 (23/02/2026 - 20/06/2026)
- Study level
- Undergraduate
- Location
- St Lucia
- Attendance mode
- In Person
- Units
- 2
- Administrative campus
- St Lucia
- Coordinating unit
- Architecture, Design and Planning School
What does it mean to design a world where we thrive now and for generations to come?
This course invites you to explore sustainability as a rich, interconnected way of thinking and acting – not just a set of concepts, but a way of engaging with the world that is practical, reflective, and transformative. You’ll be challenged to consider: What legacy will your work leave in 5, 50 or 500 years?
In this course, you will explore how sustainability frameworks have evolved and engage with many critical environmental and social issues that are driving global agendas today, such as climate change, biodiversity, urban equity, and First Nations perspectives.
This course explores how environmental, socio-cultural, economic and technological systems interact, and how Architecture, Design and Planning can help shape more just and sustainable futures.
Through hands-on learning, case studies, systems thinking, cross-cultural and reflective inquiry, you’ll build core knowledge while developing your own ethos for professional practice. Together, this course supports you to become a confident, ethical contributor to long-term, transformative change – a global citizen.
This course invites you to explore sustainability as a rich, interconnected way of thinking and acting – not just a set of concepts, but a way of engaging with the world that is practical, reflective, and transformative. You’ll be challenged to consider: What legacy will your work leave in 5, 50 or 500 years?
In this course, you will engage with many critical environmental and social issues that are driving global agendas today, such as climate change, biodiversity, urban equity, and First Nations perspectives.
Blending insights from architecture, planning, and design, this course explores how environmental, socio-cultural, economic and technological systems interact, and how our disciplines can help shape more just and sustainable futures.
Through hands-on case studies, systems thinking, and reflective inquiry, you’ll build core knowledge while developing your own design ethos. Together, this course supports you to become a confident, ethical contributor to long-term, transformative change – a global citizen.
Course requirements
Incompatible
You can't enrol in this course if you've already completed the following:
ARCH1140
Course contact
Course coordinator
Course staff
Lecturer
Tutor
Timetable
The timetable for this course is available on the UQ Public Timetable.
Aims and outcomes
This course explores sustainability as a holistic and interdisciplinary concept, examining its environmental, economic, technological, and socio-cultural dimensions while fostering critical inquiry, cross-cultural understanding, and effective communication in diverse and global contexts.
Learning outcomes
After successfully completing this course you should be able to:
LO1.
Examine the role of sustainability frameworks in addressing contemporary environmental and societal challenges through interdisciplinary thinking and practice.
LO2.
Critically analyse the evolution of sustainability as a holistic concept that enables an interconnected view of environmental, economic, technological, and socio-cultural systems.
LO3.
Lead open, appropriate and effective discussions on the impacts and influences of architecture, design, and planning on sustainability outcomes.
LO4.
Examine personal and others’ perspectives and assumptions to inform a cross-cultural inquiry into sustainability issues.
LO5.
Express awareness of and respect for the values and knowledges of First Nations peoples including the social, political, and historical dimensions of colonialism in Australian and global contexts.
LO6.
Articulate an international perspective on the disciplines of architecture, design and planning to enable active contribution in a global community.
Assessment
Assessment summary
| Category | Assessment task | Weight | Due date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Examination |
Assessment 1 Examination
|
40% |
15/04/2026 6:00 pm |
| Presentation, Reflection |
Assessment 2: Interactive Oral Assessment
|
20% |
13/05/2026 9:00 am |
| Paper/ Report/ Annotation | Assessment 3: Graphic Report | 40% |
8/06/2026 4:00 pm |
A hurdle is an assessment requirement that must be satisfied in order to receive a specific grade for the course. Check the assessment details for more information about hurdle requirements.
Assessment details
Assessment 1 Examination
- Hurdle
- Identity Verified
- Mode
- Written
- Category
- Examination
- Weight
- 40%
- Due date
15/04/2026 6:00 pm
- Learning outcomes
- L01, L02, L05
Task description
Assessment Rationale:
This assessment aim is to assesses your understanding of key sustainability concepts introduced in Weeks 1–6 of the course. This includes environmental systems, society–environment relationships, cultural values, and foundational sustainability challenges.
In-person assessment prohibits use of AI or MT: This assessment task is to be completed in-person. The use of generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) or Machine Translation (MT) tools will not be permitted. Any attempted use of AI or MT may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct.
Hurdle requirements
A hurdle is an assessment requirement that must be satisfied to receive a specific grade in the course. This assessment item is designated as a Hurdle in this course. This means a minimum achievement of 50% (a grade of 4) is required for this assessment item in order to pass the course. Meeting the hurdle requirement for a course does not guarantee a passing grade for the course and in order to pass this course, students also need to achieve a minimum grade of 4 overall.Exam details
| Planning time | 10 minutes |
|---|---|
| Duration | 60 minutes |
| Calculator options | No calculators permitted |
| Open/closed book | Closed book examination - no written materials permitted |
| Exam platform | Paper based |
| Invigilation | Invigilated in person |
Submission guidelines
Deferral or extension
You may be able to defer this exam.
Late submission
You will receive a mark of 0 if this assessment is submitted late.
Assessment 2: Interactive Oral Assessment
- Identity Verified
- In-person
- Mode
- Oral
- Category
- Presentation, Reflection
- Weight
- 20%
- Due date
13/05/2026 9:00 am
- Learning outcomes
- L02, L03, L04, L05
Task description
Assessment Rationale:
This assessment aims to verbally present highlights of the student’s lens and case study and answer questions about comparative and contrasting lens.
In-person assessment not permitting use of AI or MT: This assessment task is to be completed in-person. The use of generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) or Machine Translation (MT) tools will not be permitted. Any attempted use of AI or MT may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct.
Submission guidelines
Deferral or extension
You may be able to apply for an extension.
Discretionary extensions are not available for this task.
The maximum extension allowed is 7 days. Extensions are given in multiples of 24 hours.
If a student wishes to apply for an extension, they must apply online on or before the assignment due date. When possible, it is suggested that requests are submitted 2 business days prior to the submission due date for the assignment to allow processing time. Students with outstanding applications for extensions are advised to submit their assessment by the original due date, irrespective of whether the work is complete, so that what has been done can be graded.
No Discretionary Extension will be available for the presentation or associated component of this assessment
Late submission
You will receive a mark of 0 if this assessment is submitted late.
100% Late Penalty
No grace period.
Assessment 3: Graphic Report
- Mode
- Written
- Category
- Paper/ Report/ Annotation
- Weight
- 40%
- Due date
8/06/2026 4:00 pm
- Learning outcomes
- L02, L04, L06
Task description
Assessment Rationale:
This assignment aims to analyse a real-world case study using one assigned sustainability lens and present your analysis and critical reflection in a concise, multi-page A3 graphic report.
Complex / authentic assessment using AI and/or MT to support learning: This task has been designed to be challenging, authentic and complex. Whilst students may use AI and/or MT technologies, successful completion of assessment in this course will require students to critically engage in specific contexts and tasks for which artificial intelligence will provide only limited support and guidance. A failure to reference generative AI or MT use may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct.
To pass this assessment, students will be required to demonstrate detailed comprehension of their written submission independent of AI and MT tools.
Submission guidelines
The School of Architecture, Design and Planning uses Blackboard and Turnitin for assessment submission. Turnitin is accessed through the course Blackboard site. Turnitin also checks for plagiarism or instances where the original work of others is not appropriately acknowledged. Uploaded files must contain readable text and not be rasterised. Students are advised to commence assignment uploads with sufficient amount of time (consider possible technical problems with computers, internet speed, etc). After successfully submitting an assignment through Turnitin, a ‘Submission Complete!’ screen will be displayed. It is the student’s responsibility to check assignment preview and confirm successful submission. If the ‘Submission Complete!’ screen isn’t displayed, the student should regard the submission as unsuccessful. Students should download a copy of the digital receipt as proof they have submitted the assignment. Students who are experiencing upload issues must advise the Course Coordinator immediately by email and should include screenshots and a copy of the assessment for submission. To meet professional accreditation, public engagement and quality assurance obligations, digital copies of all course assessment items must be submitted in addition to any hard copy submission requirements specified in individual Course / Studio Outlines. Any physical models should be photographed and a minimum of two photographs describing the complete and full model must be included in the digital submission.
Deferral or extension
You may be able to apply for an extension.
The maximum extension allowed is 28 days. Extensions are given in multiples of 24 hours.
If a student wishes to apply for an extension, they must apply online on or before the assignment due date. When possible, it is suggested that requests are submitted 2 business days prior to the submission due date for the assignment to allow processing time. Students with outstanding applications for extensions are advised to submit their assessment by the original due date, irrespective of whether the work is complete, so that what has been done can be graded.
Late submission
The late penalty for this assessment item will be calculated as follows:
Standard 10% (or 1 grade) per day for 7 days
Course grading
Full criteria for each grade is available in the Assessment Procedure.
| Grade | Cut off Percent | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1 (Low Fail) | 0 - 24 |
Absence of evidence of achievement of course learning outcomes. |
| 2 (Fail) | 25 - 44 |
Minimal evidence of achievement of course learning outcomes. |
| 3 (Marginal Fail) | 45 - 49 |
Demonstrated evidence of developing achievement of course learning outcomes |
| 4 (Pass) | 50 - 64 |
Demonstrated evidence of functional achievement of course learning outcomes. |
| 5 (Credit) | 65 - 74 |
Demonstrated evidence of proficient achievement of course learning outcomes. |
| 6 (Distinction) | 75 - 84 |
Demonstrated evidence of advanced achievement of course learning outcomes. |
| 7 (High Distinction) | 85 - 100 |
Demonstrated evidence of exceptional achievement of course learning outcomes. |
Additional course grading information
Identity verified assessment with a hurdle (IVAH)
To meet assessment validity and integrity obligations, this course includes at least one piece of individual Identity Verified Assessment with a Hurdle (IVAH) that is unambiguously completed by that student, and in which a minimum level of achievement is reached. IVAH assessment item(s) contribute at least 30% towards the final grade. Examples of IVAH items include any activity in which a student’s individual performance is directly monitored, such as performances, fieldwork, oral assessment (including design critiques), design studio project work and invigilated exams. In order to pass this course students must achieve a minimum grade for the IVAH designated assessment item(s) as stated in the Assessment Task Description in the ECP.
Supplementary assessment
Supplementary assessment is available for this course.
Learning resources
You'll need the following resources to successfully complete the course. We've indicated below if you need a personal copy of the reading materials or your own item.
Library resources
Library resources are available on the UQ Library website.
Additional learning resources information
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Learning activities
The learning activities for this course are outlined below. Learn more about the learning outcomes that apply to this course.
Filter activity type by
Please select
| Learning period | Activity type | Topic |
|---|---|---|
Multiple weeks From Week 1 To Week 13 |
Lecture |
Lecture Lecture information is available in Blackboard Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L04, L05, L06 |
Tutorial |
Tutorial Tutorial information is available in Blackboard Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L04, L05, L06 |
Policies and procedures
University policies and procedures apply to all aspects of student life. As a UQ student, you must comply with University-wide and program-specific requirements, including the:
- Student Code of Conduct Policy
- Student Integrity and Misconduct Policy and Procedure
- Assessment Procedure
- Examinations Procedure
- Reasonable Adjustments for Students Policy and Procedure
- AI for Assessment Guide
Learn more about UQ policies on my.UQ and the Policy and Procedure Library.