Course overview
- Study period
- Semester 1, 2025 (24/02/2025 - 21/06/2025)
- Study level
- Postgraduate Coursework
- Location
- St Lucia
- Attendance mode
- In Person
- Units
- 4
- Administrative campus
- St Lucia
- Coordinating unit
- Architecture, Design and Planning School
In this course students will produce an architectural design that creatively responds to a contemporary scenario involving social, technical, cultural and environmental challenges. Students will develop and apply critical thinking resulting in a refined and technically resolved design proposal, showing an understanding of development triggers, legislative frameworks and construction processes. Student work and learning activities focus on design thinking that demonstrates the application of the relevant professional competencies expected of a graduating architecture student.
In ARCH7043 students will produce an architectural design that creatively responds to an important contemporary issue involving social, technical, cultural, economic and environmental challenges. Students will develop and apply critical thinking resulting in a refined and technically resolved design proposal, showing an understanding of social social and community issues, the development context, legislative frameworks, commercial and public demands and construction processes. Learning activities focus on design thinking that demonstrates the application of the relevant professional competencies expected of a graduating architecture student.ﾠ
The studio will connect participants with experts, practitioners and highly experienced professionals, local and globally, who provide tailored support to students, helping to guide them in the creation of a community facility developed through high design consideration and values. The site is located in inner-city West End. The studio will explore challenges and opportunities in the adaptation and augmentation of disparate public infrastructure into an integrated community facility.
The studio will emphasise design principles of (a) building on Country, (b) whole-of-life low- carbon, (c) code compliance, (d) buildability, (e) urban contribution, (f) planning, aesthetic and spatial merit and (g) commercial viability. Outputs are expected to demonstrate an advanced level of design skill across these dimensions.
This course addresses selected AACA Performance Criteria (PCs) from the National Standard of Competency for Architects (NSCA) (2021). These PCs are a requirement for all accredited architecture courses that enable their graduates to go on to register as Architects in Australia. Details of the specific NSCA PCs covered in this course are provided in the relevant assessment tasks and marking rubrics. This is the sole core (compulsory) design studio in the Masters in Architecture program involved in the delivery of a suite of critical AACA Performance Criteria for students. It is highly recommended to undertake the companion course ARCH7044: Architectural Practice: Reportﾠconcurrently with this studio as there is substantial cross-fertilisation between these two courses.
The course will be delivered partly at the St Lucia campus and partly at the UQ CBD campus in the afternoon/evening with industry practitioners.
Course requirements
Assumed background
Prior completion ofﾠBLDG7021 is recommended for this course.
Prerequisites
You'll need to complete the following courses before enrolling in this one:
BLDG7021 and one of: ARCH7002, ARCH7003, ARCH7004, ARCH7005, ARCH7007 or ARCH7015
Restrictions
MArch students only. Study abroad students must seek Head of School's permission to enrol.
Course contact
Course coordinator
Mr Aaron Peters
Course coordinator
Mr Stuart Vokes
Course staff
Lecturer
Mr Aaron Peters
Mr Stuart Vokes
Timetable
The timetable for this course is available on the UQ Public Timetable.
Aims and outcomes
This course aims to have students produce a design project that demonstrates the application of required professional competencies.
Learning outcomes
After successfully completing this course you should be able to:
LO1.
Demonstrate skills in working collaboratively and apply creative imagination, design precedents, research, emergent knowledge, and critical evaluation in formulating and refining concept design options, including exploration of 3-dimensional form and spatial quality.
LO2.
Apply knowledge from building sciences and technology, environmental sciences and behavioural and social sciences as part of preliminary design research and when developing the conceptual design to optimise the performance of the project.
LO3.
Apply creative imagination, design precedents, emergent knowledge, critical evaluation and continued engagement with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples to produce a coherent project resolved in terms of supporting health and wellbeing outcomes for Country, site planning, formal composition, spatial planning and circulation as appropriate to the project brief and all other factors affecting the project.
LO4.
Communicate the design project through accurate documents, including drawings, models, and specifications representing experiential qualities and detailed resolution of an architectural proposal across a range of scales and to an equivalent professional standard.
Assessment
Assessment summary
| Category | Assessment task | Weight | Due date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Creative Production/ Exhibition, Product/ Design |
Site investigation and recording
|
30% Group |
Task - individual 21/03/2025 2:00 pm Task - group 28/03/2025 2:00 pm |
| Creative Production/ Exhibition, Product/ Design |
Completed developed design
|
60% IVAH |
Interim Crit 7/05/2025 Final Submission 27/05/2025 4:00 pm Presentations 28/05/2025 |
| Notebook/ Logbook | Design Journal: Record of learning and design | 10% Individual |
30/05/2025 2:00 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
Site investigation and recording
- Team or group-based
- Mode
- Product/ Artefact/ Multimedia
- Category
- Creative Production/ Exhibition, Product/ Design
- Weight
- 30% Group
- Due date
Task - individual 21/03/2025 2:00 pm
Task - group 28/03/2025 2:00 pm
- Learning outcomes
- L01, L02, L03, L04
Task description
Assessment Rationale:
This assignment will involve site investigation and recording. Students will work in groups to prepare detailed measured drawing records of existing structures, access archival material and prepare a project dossier containing relevant planning codes, key building legislation, and a summary of the social-cultural context of the site and its locale. An individual project task will accompany this site research. Students will be asked to undertake a reflective exercise, recounting a memorable room and analysing spatial characteristics and atmospheric qualities. Both tasks will be presented to the collective to assist in knowledge sharing.
If, for whatever reason, you find that your group is not functioning effectively please contact your Course Coordinator for support.
This assessment task addresses the National Standard of Competency for Architects (NSCA) (2021) Performance Criteria (PCs) [26, 29, 30, 32, 40, 45B]. These will be outlined in more detail in your assessment task instructions and on the associated marking rubric. More information on the NSCA is available here: https://aaca.org.au/national-standard-of-competency-for-architects/2021nsca/
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.
Group requests must fill out the group member acknowledgement form: https://my.uq.edu.au/files/35533/extension-to-group-assessment.pdf with at least 50% in agreeance.
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.
Completed developed design
- Hurdle
- Identity Verified
- Mode
- Product/ Artefact/ Multimedia
- Category
- Creative Production/ Exhibition, Product/ Design
- Weight
- 60% IVAH
- Due date
Interim Crit 7/05/2025
Final Submission 27/05/2025 4:00 pm
Presentations 28/05/2025
- Learning outcomes
- L01, L02, L03, L04
Task description
Assessment Rationale:
Assessment Item 2 will build upon the research undertaken in Assessment Item 1 and incorporate technical and theoretical subject matter covered in lectures and tutorial sessions throughout the semester. Students will be asked to design adjustments to existing structures, accommodating an expanded functional brief and a range of qualitative project objectives. Design proposals will be required to achieve a level of detailed resolution including: site planning, internal building layout and room configuration, exterior form and massing, material composition and palette, and consideration of user occupancy. This assignment is to incorporate all aspects of the project brief including functional and code requirements along with ESD/low-carbon dimensions and ‘Designing with Country’.
This assessment task addresses the National Standard of Competency for Architects (NSCA) (2021) Performance Criteria (PCs) [18, 25, 26, 28, 29, 30, 31A, 32, 34,36, 40, 45B]. These will be outlined in more detail in your assessment task instructions and on the associated marking rubric. More information on the NSCA is available here: https://aaca.org.au/national-standard-of-competency-for-architects/2021nsca/
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 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 submission independent of AI and MT tools.
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.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.
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.
Design Journal: Record of learning and design
- Mode
- Written
- Category
- Notebook/ Logbook
- Weight
- 10% Individual
- Due date
30/05/2025 2:00 pm
- Learning outcomes
- L01, L02, L03, L04
Task description
Assessment Rationale:
Keep notes and sketches of your design process relative demonstrating address to professional competencies as noted. Submit a complete curated journal at the end of semester with an entry under each topic for every week (weeks 1 – 10 only).
This assessment task addresses the National Standard of Competency for Architects (NSCA) (2021) Performance Criteria (PCs) [18, 25, 26, 28, 29, 30, 31A, 34,36]. These will be outlined in more detail in your assessment task instructions and on the associated marking rubric. More information on the NSCA is available here: https://aaca.org.au/national-standard-of-competency-for-architects/2021nsca/
Complex / authentic assessment using AI and/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. 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:
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
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 not available for some items in this course.
Supplementary assessment may not be available for all courses, or for some of the assessment items for a 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
Find the required and recommended resources for this course on the UQ Library website.
Additional learning resources information
Content from the course BLDG7021, including guest lecture slides, will be helpful for this course.
This websiteﾠ(https://brisbanedevelopment.com) contains many downloadable project drawings. A selection of downloads from that website has been located in Blackboard for your reference. These are not necessarily exemplar projects but will provide some guidance on spatial requirements, access, facilities provided and the like.
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 |
Studio |
Studio See blackboard for information Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L04 |
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.