Course coordinator
Dr Paul Matthew
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
- 2
- Administrative campus
- St Lucia
- Coordinating unit
- Architecture, Design and Planning School
This course focuses on knowledge and application of research methods relating to qualitative and quantitative data, data mining and tools for environmental performance evaluation of the built environment and its systems, at all scales. The Lab introduces theoretical and methodological frameworks of data-driven research and provides tools and techniques to collect, analyse, interpret and model data from various sources in support of design, assessment and decision making processes. Students will critically evaluate methods for the assessment of environmental parameters and human responses, system performance evaluation and observational research, and use data as argumentation to generate strategic responses to systemic global challenges through propositions for zero-carbon and/or resilient built environments.
ARCH7074 is one of four Research Labs offered in the Master of Architecture program. Each Research Lab offers an exploration of the theoretical and methodological aspects of a particular sub-discipline within architectural research. Students will learn specific content through a series of seminars or lectures, and then develop a research project based on the theories and methods specific to this sub-discipline area.
In Semester 1 2025, the Environmental Performance Research Lab will focus on making quantitative assessments of the environmental impact of common building types in South East Queensland. ﾠThe Research Lab will introduce the frameworks, methods and assumptions that underpin embodied energy, water and carbon calculations and thermal comfort assessment in current and future climates within Australia, as well as the computational and software tools used in these studies. The Research Lab also introduces students to the ongoing research projects at the School of Architecture that quantify environmental performance.
Students are encouraged to work on a range of 'readymade' research projects that will be outlined in the first week of class, or can propose their own projects for review and discussion.ﾠ If you are working in a local practice then it is possible to develop a research project based on an active design or construction project, but permissions will need to be obtained both from the course coordinator and the practices for this to occur.
ARCH7074 research projects can also be developed into a 2 unit Master of Architecture thesis in semester 2 of 2025, or in 2026.
Course requirements
Assumed background
ARCH7074 does not assume students have any previous experience in quantitative research or environmental performance modelling.
As ARCH7074 is programmed for the second year of the Master of Architecture program, it is assumed that students have gained the following understandings from this course:
- an understanding of sustainability issues in architecture,
- a knowledge of Australian construction codes and standards,
- a knowledge of architectural practice processes, and
- basic research skills in history and theory related areas, along with an understanding of academic integrity issues.
Restrictions
MArch and MUrbDevDes students only.
Course contact
Course staff
Lecturer
Dr Paul Matthew
Timetable
The timetable for this course is available on the UQ Public Timetable.
Aims and outcomes
This course aims to extend students' understanding of research methods to address systemic global challenges through data-based propositions for zero-carbon and resilient environments.
Learning outcomes
After successfully completing this course you should be able to:
LO1.
Conduct a critical review of relevant academic literature and/or design projects and proposals in response to a query about the performance of the built environment.
LO2.
Apply an appropriate data-driven strategy in undertaking research on built environment systems' performance.
LO3.
Evaluate primary and secondary data-driven research findings related to environmental, social and technical performance indicators of the built environment.
LO4.
Independently and/or collaboratively formulate a research proposition that is grounded in sustainable and resilient built environment futures.
LO5.
Independently prepare a data-driven research synthesis project that originally contributes towards zero-carbon and/or resilient built environments.
Assessment
Assessment summary
| Category | Assessment task | Weight | Due date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paper/ Report/ Annotation |
Report 1: Project Definition
|
30% IVAH |
Submission 25/03/2025 1:00 pm Presentation in class 25/03/2025 2:00 pm |
| Paper/ Report/ Annotation | Report 2: Project Performance (Draft) | 30% |
6/05/2025 1:00 pm |
| Paper/ Report/ Annotation | Report 3: Project Performance (Final) | 40% |
17/06/2025 1:00 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
Report 1: Project Definition
- Hurdle
- Identity Verified
- In-person
- Mode
- Activity/ Performance, Written
- Category
- Paper/ Report/ Annotation
- Weight
- 30% IVAH
- Due date
Submission 25/03/2025 1:00 pm
Presentation in class 25/03/2025 2:00 pm
- Learning outcomes
- L01, L02, L03, L04, L05
Task description
Assessment Rationale:
Students are to submit a short report that clearly defines their environmental performance research project. The report should make clear:
· the case study building and the individual apartments, building elements or components which are the focus of the research,
· the performance targets the research aims to achieve,
· the method and software to be used in the research project,
· the process that will be used to establish the existing and improved performance of the building, and
· the relationship of the student’s project to any other research being done on the same case study building in ARCH7074.
The report should contain drawings, tables, graphs, flow charts and text. Performance targets should be linked and referenced to either literature discussed in class or other academic research. The report will be accompanied by a brief in-class presentation in Week 5. Presentations will be structured around the case study buildings selected by students, and will allow the class to understand how individual research projects address different aspects of the same building. The report should primarily rely on drawings, tables, graphs and flow charts to communicate, rather than written text. Written text should be primarily used to explain and support what is shown in the drawings, tables and graphs and any elements which cannot be explained graphically, such as environmental performance targets.
Complex / authentic assessment using AI and MT to support learning: This task has been designed to be challenging, authentic and complex. Whilst students may use AI and 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.
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 45% 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.
Deferral or extension
You may be able to apply for an extension.
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.
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.
Report 2: Project Performance (Draft)
- Mode
- Written
- Category
- Paper/ Report/ Annotation
- Weight
- 30%
- Due date
6/05/2025 1:00 pm
- Learning outcomes
- L01, L02, L03, L04, L05
Task description
Assessment Rationale:
Students are to submit a report that establishes the existing environmental performance of the aspects of the case study building that were identified in Report 1: Project Definition, along with results of their proposals to improve environmental performance in draft format. The report should include the contents of Report 1: Project Definition, updated to reflect any changes in the scope, methods, targets or processes. Report 2: Project Performance (Draft) will need to include additional tables, graphs, flow charts and text that establish the environmental performance of the case study building ‘as is’ alongside the range of options being considered to improve environmental performance, the results of testing these options and the proposed next steps in the research project to achieve the required environmental performance. The report should primarily rely on drawings, tables, graphs and flow charts to communicate, rather than written text. Written text should be primarily used to explain and support what is shown in the drawings, tables and graphs and any elements which cannot be explained graphically, such as environmental performance targets.
Complex / authentic assessment using AI and MT to support learning: This task has been designed to be challenging, authentic and complex. Whilst students may use AI and 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 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.
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.
Report 3: Project Performance (Final)
- Mode
- Written
- Category
- Paper/ Report/ Annotation
- Weight
- 40%
- Due date
17/06/2025 1:00 pm
- Learning outcomes
- L01, L02, L03, L04, L05
Task description
Assessment Rationale:
Students are to submit a report that documents the existing and improved environmental performance of the selected aspects of the case study building over the whole semester. The final report will contain elements of Report 1: Project Definition and Report 2: Project Performance (Draft), which have been updated to match any changes in the project over the semester. Additionally, the report should summarise the learnings of the research and what this research suggests should be done differently in relation to the case study building, the building type in general, other buildings in the same or a similar climate or for buildings generally as applicable to the research (research impacts).
The report should primarily rely on drawings, tables, graphs and flow charts to communicate, rather than written text. Written text should be primarily used to explain and support what is shown in the drawings, tables and graphs and any elements which cannot be explained graphically, such as environmental performance targets, and the research impacts.
Complex / authentic assessment using AI and MT to support learning: This task has been designed to be challenging, authentic and complex. Whilst students may use AI and 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 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.
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
Library resources are available on the UQ Library website.
Additional learning resources information
Additional resources will be provided on Blackboard.
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 11 |
Problem-based learning |
Lecture Week 1 - Course Introduction Week 2 - Environmental performance tools and techniques Week 3 - Environmental performance & environmental targets Week 4 - Group and individual project feedback Week 5 - Presentations Week 6 - Feedback Week 7 - Feedback Week 8 - Feedback Mid semester break Week 9 - Feedback Week 10 - Feedback Week 11 - Presentations Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L04, L05 |
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.