Course profile

Advanced Architectural Design: Dwelling and Density (ARCH7004)

Study period
Sem 2 2024
Location
St Lucia
Attendance mode
In Person

Course overview

Study period
Semester 2, 2024 (22/07/2024 - 18/11/2024)
Study level
Postgraduate Coursework
Location
St Lucia
Attendance mode
In Person
Units
4
Administrative campus
St Lucia
Coordinating unit
Architecture, Design and Planning School

Students in this course pursue diverse solutions to the challenge of accommodating rapidly growing, urban populations locally and globally. Students will be required to design innovative housing based in research and fieldwork into formal and informal housing. Issues such as density and amenity, privacy and community, climate and cultural appropriateness, affordability, disability, ageing and changing household demographics are considered in the design of innovative housing. The aggregation of housing projects and their effects at the urban scale in creating or mitigating against segregation, gentrification and suburban sprawl are explored. The detailed design of private, communal and public spaces is expected.

ARCH7004 is an Advanced Architectural Design course in which project work and learning activities aim to ensure students meet the relevant competencies expected of a graduating architecture student. Students will respond architecturally, in a creative way, to current project scenarios involving social, technical, cultural and/or environmental challenges. Students will develop and apply critical thinking skills to common problems, resulting in refined and technically resolved design proposals.

In addition to extending competence in previously acquired architectural knowledge and skills, ARCH7004 provides an introduction to architectural research and design in relation to the problems of housing and density in architecture. Students will be divided into studio units of 30 students or less. Each studio will be directed by a Studio Principal and supported by an Assistant. Studio Principals will set their own projects to achieve learning objectives within common assessment criteria. ARCH7004 also develops knowledge of architectural design research; analysis of technical and theoretical options; integration of design strategies into an effective whole; communication in a professional context; critical self-reflection and experimentation; and how the engagement of ideas in architectural design works as a process through exploration of, or reflection on, a specific architectural theme. Knowledge acquired in this exploration or reflection is applied to the design of a complex architectural project.

Course requirements

Assumed background

A Bachelor of Architectural Design or equivalent with either a GPA of 4.5 or above, or a GPA of 4.0 with 6 months post graduate full-time experience to the satisfaction of the Executive Dean.

Prerequisites

You'll need to complete the following courses before enrolling in this one:

Admission to the MArch.

Restrictions

MArch students only. Study Abroad students must seek Head of School permission to enrol.

Course contact

Course coordinator

Mr Michael Dickson

Course enquiries will be via email. General questions that crop up regularly through the semester will be populated in a frequently asked questions (FAQ) section of the blackboard site. Students are reccomended to consult the FAQ section before sending an eamil for advice.

There will be paid and volunteer assistants providing project feedback, support, and mentoring. To manage the expectations of interactions with advisors, all course communication will be filtered through Studio Principal for action.

Course staff

Lecturer

Timetable

The timetable for this course is available on the UQ Public Timetable.

Aims and outcomes

Aims and outcomes

This course aims to extend students' ability to formulate and implement design strategies within the constraints and opportunities of housing.

Learning outcomes

After successfully completing this course you should be able to:

LO1.

Critically analyse and articulate the opportunities within housing and neighbourhood typologies and domain knowledge to inform architectural design through individual and / or collaborative analysis and propositions.

LO2.

Deploy a reflexive experiential and or research-driven design process.

LO3.

Integrate contemporary architectural technology, practice and discourse in the design of a complex architectural project.

LO4.

Communicate design strategies, experiential qualities, and resolution of an architectural proposal across a range of scales from work in development up to an exhibition standard.

Course overview
Assessment

Assessment

Assessment summary

Category Assessment task Weight Due date
Product/ Design Assessment 01 : Community and Type
  • Team or group-based
 40% Group

27/08/2024 3:00 pm

Digital Submission: via Blackboard.
Product/ Design Assessment 02: Housing the Missing Middle
  • Hurdle
 60% Individual

22/10/2024 3:00 pm

Digital Submission: via Blackboard

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 01 : Community and Type

  • Team or group-based
Mode
Product/ Artefact/ Multimedia
Category
Product/ Design
Weight
40% Group
Due date

27/08/2024 3:00 pm

Digital Submission: via Blackboard.

Learning outcomes
L01, L02, L03, L04

Task description

Assessment Rationale:

There are two parts to this assessment:

PART 1: Retrofitting Suburbia – Banyo Infill (20%)– Group Submission

We will be designing a new piece of the suburb of Banyo. This is what we call a middle ring suburb, still relatively affordable and not too far from the city. Banyo is well serviced by rail and bus and has a small commercial hub with convenience retail and commercial spaces. The large flat site will be used as our subject site for this studio. The site will accommodate a diversity of housing types including a 0.5 hectare parcel for our co-housing project which will be the subject of our second assignment. Further design brief details will be available in the course reader uploaded to Blackboard. Digital site information including a basic site survey and aerial photo are available for download.

PART 2: Case Study Housing (20%) – Group Submission

Housing is a problem that must be considered at many levels, from policy, to the design of towns, suburbs, and precincts, to understanding precedent housing that has been recognised as delivering good outcomes for residents. Our first task will be to address two of these considerations, the design of a community and research into best practice housing types. The first assessment will be completed in a group comprising of 3 to 4 students. Group formation will occur in the first week of studio and will be formed by self-selection. The second part of the assessment task will involve the documentation of several case study housing projects chosen from Southeast Queensland. Each group will be assigned a case study to document. Further details of the case studies and the presentation format are available in the course reader and information uploaded onto Blackboard.

For both parts the work will be completed as a group. Work will be submitted individually along with a completed peer evaluation rubric. Note that the peer evaluation will be common across both parts. The peer evaluation rubric will generate a multiplying factor that will be applied to the group grade to determine the final individual grade. Therefore, if your performance was deemed inadequate by the group consensus, your grade will be adjusted downwards to reflect the disparity in performance.

The peer evaluation template will be issued as an Excel spreadsheet where you are to complete the fields and submit the spreadsheet with your assessment submission. Note that submissions without the peer evaluation spreadsheet are deemed to be INCOMPLETE. The spreadsheet MUST be submitted as an Excel document. DO NOT save as a .pdf format as the data cannot be integrated into the marking.

If, for whatever reason, you find that your group is not functioning effectively, please contact your Course Coordinator for support.

Complex/Authentic assessment using AI or MT to support learning: Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Translation (MT) are emerging tools that may support students in completing this assessment task. Students may appropriately use AI and/or MT in completing this assessment task. Students must clearly reference any use of AI or MT in each instance.

A failure to reference generative AI or MT use may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct.

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.  

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.

Critique panels cannot be reconvened for the presentation component of assessment when an extension has been approved. Students with granted extensions (or pending extension applications) are able to attend but are not permitted to participate in the design review.

Late submission

The late penalty for this assessment item will be calculated as follows: 

First 1-hour block - initial 1 hour grace period no penalty.

Second 1-hour block - An penalty of 10% of the maximum possible mark allocated for the assessment item will be deducted

Third 1-hour block - An additional penalty of 10% of the maximum possible mark allocated for the assessment item will be deducted. (adding up to a total penalty of 20% of the maximum possible mark)

Any submissions received after three hours will not receive any marks unless an extension has been approved. Each one-hour block is recorded from the time the submission is due. 

Assessment 02: Housing the Missing Middle

  • Hurdle
Mode
Product/ Artefact/ Multimedia
Category
Product/ Design
Weight
60% Individual
Due date

22/10/2024 3:00 pm

Digital Submission: via Blackboard

Learning outcomes
L01, L02, L03, L04

Task description

Assessment Rationale:

Housing the Missing Middle (60%) – Individual

The term “missing middle” is often used to describe a form of housing that is a scale somewhere between a single-family home and an apartment house. There is another missing middle though, these are the families who do not qualify for social housing but are unable to adequately sustain a private rental or purchase a house in our current overheated and expensive housing market. Affordable and tenure secure housing is the largest oversight in the housing debate and a difficult one to execute by the private sector. Tennant led initiatives that use a form of shared equity to reduce the cost of purchase, construction, and ownership are gaining attention.One of these models that is gaining attention in Australia is co-housing. It not only promises a more affordable form of living but is also provides a more social and connected form of living.

We will be building on work undertaken in the 2023 Dwelling and Density studio. Our client is the advocacy group Housing Oolder Women. We will be designing a co-housing community using the brief we developed in studio with HOW in 2023. You will be using the site set aside in the first assignment and design the project using in such a way that it will be a showcase for good suburban integration, sustainable density, high environmental and social performance, and adopting one of the forms of modern methods of construction we will explore in studio. Further design brief details will be available in the course reader uploaded to Blackboard.

Complex/Authentic assessment using AI or MT to support learning: Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Translation (MT) are emerging tools that may support students in completing this assessment task. Students may appropriately use AI and/or MT in completing this assessment task. Students must clearly reference any use of AI or MT in each instance.

A failure to reference generative AI or MT use 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. 'Assessment 02' 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.

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.  

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.

Critique panels cannot be reconvened for the presentation component of assessment when an extension has been approved. Students with granted extensions (or pending extension applications) are able to attend but are not permitted to participate in the design review.

Late submission

The late penalty for this assessment item will be calculated as follows: 

First 1-hour block - initial 1 hour grace period no penalty.

Second 1-hour block - An penalty of 10% of the maximum possible mark allocated for the assessment item will be deducted

Third 1-hour block - An additional penalty of 10% of the maximum possible mark allocated for the assessment item will be deducted. (adding up to a total penalty of 20% of the maximum possible mark)

Any submissions received after three hours will not receive any marks unless an extension has been approved. Each one-hour block is recorded from the time the submission is due. 

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

Architectural Design courses require the cumulative integration of critical reflection and feedback on original creative ideas in an iterative process of project work developed over time in the studio context. To meet assessment validity and integrity obligations in Design courses, students must regularly present and discuss their work with staff over the course of scheduled studio learning activities including lectures, structured studio activities, workshops, individual and group consultations, presentations and critiques. Students are expected to participate in at least 80% of scheduled studio activities in which the progress of their work is intended to be monitored and reviewed. If participation in such activities falls below 80% students may be requested to submit process work (such as drawings, models and design exegesis). If a student is not able to provide evidence of authorship to the satisfaction of the course coordinator, or if their participation falls below 50%, a maximum grade of 3 will be awarded.

Supplementary assessment

Supplementary assessment is not available for this course.

Due to the need for the cumulative integration of critical reflection and feedback on original creative ideas in an iterative process of project work development over time, supplementary assessment will not be offered in Architectural Design or Advanced Architectural Design courses to any student with a failing grade of 3 or less.

Additional assessment information

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Aims and outcomes
Learning resources

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.

Assessment
Learning activities

Learning activities

The learning activities for this course are outlined below. Learn more about the learning outcomes that apply to this course.

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Learning period Activity type Topic
Not scheduled
Excursion

Site Visit

Week 1 - 24.07.24 - Community - Session 1: Banyo Bound.

Learning outcomes: L01
Multiple weeks
Lecture

Lecture

Week 1 - 24.07.24 - Community - Session 2: Housing to Home

Week 2 - 30.07.24 - Community - Session 2: Loveable Places, Timeless Design

Week 3 - 07.08.24 - Community - Session 2: Housing Supply and Affordability

Week 4 - 14.08.24 - Exhibition Holiday - No Class

Week 5 - 21.08.24 - Community - Session 2: Delivery: Green and Brown

Week 6 - 28.08.24 - REVIEWS

Week 7 - 04.09.24 - Housing - Session 1: Co-Housing the Missing Middle. Session 2: Modern Methods of Construction

Week 8 - 11.09.24 - Housing - Session 2: Demonstrating Quality

Week 9 - 18.09.24 - Housing - Session 1: Generic Specific. Session 2: Technical Poetry

MID SEMESTER BREAK

Weeks 10 - 12 Resolution - Session 2: Delivery Case Studies

Week 13 - 23.10.24 - REVIEWS

Learning outcomes: L01
Studio

Studio

Week 1 - 24.07.24 - Community - Session 1: No Place like Home - (Excursion - Banyo Bound). Session 2: Collation + Aspirations. Check in: Case Study Houses

Week 2 - 30.07.24 - Community - Session 1: Design Sprint 1: Expansion - Design Sprint 2: Consolidation. Session 2: Design Sprint 3 - Refinement. Check in: Case Study Houses

Week 3 - 07.08.24 - Community - Session 1: Snapshot Review and Standing Feedback. Session 2: Snapshot Review: Case Study Houses

Week 4 - 14.08.24 - Exhibition Holiday - No Class

Week 5 - 21.08.24 - Community - Session 1: Storytelling. Session 2: Refined Questioning and Feedback

Week 6 - 28.08.24 - REVIEWS

Week 7 - 04.09.24 - Housing - Session 1 - Co-Housing Aims and Strategies. Session 2: MMC strategy

Week 8 - 11.09.24 - Housing - Session 1 - Design Sprint 1. Session 2: Design Sprint 2

Week 9 - 18.09.24 - Housing - Session 1 - Snapshot Review - Consolidation. Session 2: Construction Launchpad

MID SEMESTER BREAK

Weeks 10 - 11 - Resolution - Session 1 - Snapshot Review and Standing Review. Session 2: Cafe Review

Week 12 - 16.10.24 - Resolution - Session 1 - Story Telling and Narrative. Session 2: Final Words

Week 13 - 23.10.24 - REVIEWS

Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L04
Learning resources
Policies and procedures

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:

Learn more about UQ policies on my.UQ and the Policy and Procedure Library.

Learning activities