Advanced Architectural Design: Generative Structures (ARCH7015)

Course overview

Students propose solutions to building types and situations that demand novel but rational structural and constructional responses at the macro and micro scale. Employing traditional and emerging design development and documentation methods, proposals are expected to synthesize design ambition with an informed coordination of structure, assembly and envelope. Design-research challenges may include: large spans, rapid assembly or disassembly, prefabrication, mobility or flexibility, and inaccessible or unstable sites.Interaction with consultant teams will form part of this course. Design proposals are expected to critically engage with architectural discourse to produce a project that exhibits detailed integration of conceptual endeavor and technical performance.

ARCH7015 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,ﾠARCH7015 provides an introduction to architectural research and design in relation to novel structure systems and assembly techniques. 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.ﾠARCH7015 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.

In ARCH7015, students will investigate the design of a large-scale equestrian facility. The project will look at best practice timber construction methodologies and how they may be applied to agricultural buildings and large-scale infrastructure. Over the semester, students will establish a critical position regarding the cultural and historical role of sustainable forestry management and design a suite of landscape interventions and large-scale timber structures (shed and foot bridge) utilising forest’s plantation timber and the re-utilisation of timber processing by-product. The course will include a close collaboration with Civil Engineering students from CIVL4334 and involve detailed studies of timber construction. Students will attend tutorials on campus and these are intended to involve a degree of hands-on experimentation working with timber models and prototypes in the Workshop and Co-Lab.

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 Master of Architecture

Restrictions

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

Course contact

Course staff

Timetable

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

Aims and outcomes

This course aims to extend students' ability to formulate and implement design proposals from the macro to the micro scale which integrate structural performance and architectural intent.

Learning outcomes

After successfully completing this course you should be able to:

Assessment

Assessment summary

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

Interim Pre-recorded Presentation + A1 panel (Group work)

• Team or group-based

Mode

Oral, Product/ Artefact/ Multimedia, Written

Category

Paper/ Report/ Annotation, Presentation, Poster

Weight

Formative Feedback

Due date

15/08/2024 2:00 pm

Learning outcomes

L01, L02, L03, L04

Task description

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 1 Design Concept (Group Work)

• Team or group-based

Mode

Oral, Product/ Artefact/ Multimedia, Written

Category

Paper/ Report/ Annotation, Presentation, Poster

Weight

10%

Due date

27/08/2024 2:00 pm

Digital Submission: via Blackboard

Presentation & Review in class on Wednesday 28/08/2024 at 9.00am.

Learning outcomes

L01, L02, L03, L04

Task description

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 2 Interim Design (Individual)

Mode

Oral, Product/ Artefact/ Multimedia, Written

Category

Presentation, Poster, Project

Weight

30%

Due date

27/08/2024 2:00 pm

Digital Submission: via Blackboard

Presentation & Review in class on Wednesday 28/08/2024 from 9.00am.

Other conditions

Student specific.

See the conditions definitions

Learning outcomes

L01, L02, L03, L04

Task description

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 3 Detail Design (Group Work)

• Team or group-based

Mode

Oral, Product/ Artefact/ Multimedia

Category

Paper/ Report/ Annotation, Presentation, Poster, Project

Weight

20%

Due date

22/10/2024 2:00 pm

Digital Submission: via Blackboard

Presentation & Review in class on Wednesday 23/10/24 at 9:00am

Other conditions

Peer assessed.

See the conditions definitions

Learning outcomes

L01, L02, L03, L04

Task description

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.

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 4 Detail Design (Individual)

• Hurdle

Mode

Oral, Product/ Artefact/ Multimedia

Category

Paper/ Report/ Annotation, Presentation, Poster, Project

Weight

40% Hurdle

Due date

22/10/2024 2:00 pm

Digital Submission: via Blackboard

Presentation & Review in class on Wednesday 23 October from 9:00am

Other conditions

Student specific.

See the conditions definitions

Learning outcomes

L01, L02, L03, L04

Task description

Hurdle requirements

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.

Additional course grading information

Identity verified assessment (IVA) -ﾠArchitectural Design Courses

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 Architectural Design Courses,ﾠstudents mustﾠregularly 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.

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

Find the required and recommended resources for this course on the UQ Library website.

Learning activities

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

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 - Students Policy and Procedure

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