Course coordinator
Associate Professor Paola Leardini
During class time. For any issues related to this course, please contact the Course Coordinator (Dr Paola Leardini)
Course overview
- Study period
- Semester 2, 2024 (22/07/2024 - 16/11/2024)
- Study level
- Undergraduate
- Location
- St Lucia
- Attendance mode
- In Person
- Units
- 2
- Administrative campus
- St Lucia
- Coordinating unit
- Architecture, Design and Planning School
This course will address concepts of sustainability and resilience that can inform design in response to environmental change. The ethical dimension of design thinking will be emphasised in tackling issues and problems that have wide social and economic impact. Learning is undertaken in a collaborative studio setting where students will develop a sensibility for strategic design thinking and critical discussion.
This design course provides foundational knowledge and technical skills in applied creative thinking towards innovative outcomes that respond to a changing global context. The design studio explores the impact on natural systems of design choices that shape the built environment, at different scales. It provides a learning pathway to understand the environmental and social consequences of the current ‘linear’ production mode of goods aiding people’s daily life, and to embrace and implement a disruptive approach to design out waste, while maintaining valuable material resources in use for longer. A circular economy (CE) is a transformative alternative to current economic models that are inherently linear - materials are taken, used for making products and then disposed; in a CE instead, materials never become waste and nature is regenerated. The 2024 iteration of DSGN2200 specifically focuses on the existing building stock as a repository of secondary sources, where materials and components could be savaged for reuse, refurbish, remanufacture, repurpose, or recycle - reducing waste as well as the demand of virgin material. The design studio challenges students to rethink existing business models dealing with end-of-life (EOL) of wood products and timber building components, to identify barriers to, and potentials for the transition of this industry sector to a CE. By understanding the CE-cascading process of wood-based products and building components, students re-define EOL scenarios and develop transformative business structures and tools to enable them.
Course requirements
Prerequisites
You'll need to complete the following courses before enrolling in this one:
4 DSGN units at level 1
Restrictions
Enrolment restricted to BDes program and students taking a Design Minor only. Study abroad students must seek Head of School's permission to enrol.
Course contact
Course staff
Lecturer
Associate Professor Paola Leardini
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 imaginative and critical design visions, strategies and solutions in response to environmental issues linked to the built environment.
Learning outcomes
After successfully completing this course you should be able to:
LO1.
Collaboratively analyse the opportunities and constraints presented by a moderately complex design problem.
LO2.
Apply design strategies responsive to identified environmental issues and needs.
LO3.
Apply intentional design strategies that reflect a developed ethic position.
LO4.
Communicate a developed design outcome using various media.
Assessment
Assessment summary
| Category | Assessment task | Weight | Due date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paper/ Report/ Annotation, Project |
Assessment 1. Roadmap to Circular Change
|
40% Group Assessment |
Verbal presentation 28/08/2024 Design Process Report 3/09/2024 4:00 pm
Weeks 2 - 6: Outputs due Tuesdays by 4pm |
| Paper/ Report/ Annotation, Presentation, Poster, Project, Reflection |
Assessment 2. Circular Timber Enabler
|
60% Individual Assessment |
Report, Poster & Audio 22/10/2024 4:00 pm Presentation & Review 23/10/2024 12:00 pm
Weeks 8 - 12: Outputs due Tuesdays by 4pm |
A hurdle is an assessment requirement that must be satisfied in order to receive a specific grade for the course. Check the assessment details for more information about hurdle requirements.
Assessment details
Assessment 1. Roadmap to Circular Change
- Team or group-based
- Mode
- Oral, Product/ Artefact/ Multimedia, Written
- Category
- Paper/ Report/ Annotation, Project
- Weight
- 40% Group Assessment
- Due date
Verbal presentation 28/08/2024
Design Process Report 3/09/2024 4:00 pm
Weeks 2 - 6: Outputs due Tuesdays by 4pm
- Other conditions
- Peer assessment factor.
- Learning outcomes
- L01, L02, L03
Task description
Assessment Rationale:
The first part of this design studio introduces students to the process of design for circularity in the timber building sector, with a focus on end-of-life (EOL) scenarios through reuse/refurbish/remanufacture/repurpose/recycle processes (Rs). In Assessment Task 1 (A01), students investigate successful case studies of various organisations—commercial, non-profit, and community-driven—that address wood-based products EOL from a circular design perspective. This analysis helps identify gaps and opportunities for similar organisations that operate in the current Australian timber construction market, aiding them in transitioning to a circular economy (CE) model through the adoption of 'Rs' strategies.
In teams of four, students will redefine EOL scenarios for a real-life timber building and accordingly propose a transformative business/organisation structure for a wood-based product EOL organisation to enable its transition to a CE within the timber construction industry. This involves identifying an innovative and relevant focus for the proposed organisation within a defined scope, demonstrating a thorough understanding of key stakeholders, and developing effective design strategies, tools, and outputs to enable the organisation's circularity goals.
The outputs for are as follows:
1. Weekly outputs - 10% (to be submitted via padlet on the day before class in weeks 2 - 6, by 4pm)
Through structured studio sessions, students in their groups will engage in critical reading and discussions, along with background research. Students will collaborate to produce weekly outputs allowing them to progress towards their final submission.
2. Industry Pitch Verbal Presentation to industry in class (Week 6) for formative feedback.
3. Design Process Report (curated booklet)
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 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.
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 - A 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.
Weekly tasks (10%): Students must submit at least 3 of the 5 weekly submissions, otherwise a mark of 0 will be applied.
Assessment 2. Circular Timber Enabler
- Hurdle
- In-person
- Mode
- Oral, Product/ Artefact/ Multimedia, Written
- Category
- Paper/ Report/ Annotation, Presentation, Poster, Project, Reflection
- Weight
- 60% Individual Assessment
- Due date
Report, Poster & Audio 22/10/2024 4:00 pm
Presentation & Review 23/10/2024 12:00 pm
Weeks 8 - 12: Outputs due Tuesdays by 4pm
- Learning outcomes
- L01, L02, L03, L04
Task description
Assessment Rationale:
The second part of this studio focuses on tools and design outputs identified in A01 that enable the ‘Circular Change’ of the EOL organisation. In Assessment Task 2, students individually develop one of the ‘enablers’ to Circular Change (tools/design outputs) identified in the A01 Roadmap. Through industry workshops, structured studio sessions (individually, within a team tutoring session) and peer feedback, students select, develop (using various design methods and prototyping) and deliver a detailed design proposition for a ‘Circular Timber Enabler’ (CTE), and then present it to industry and peers in a poster exhibition (Week 13).
The outputs for A02 - Circular Timber Enabler are as follows:
1. Weekly outputs - 10% (to be submitted via padlet on the day before class, weeks 8 - 12, by 4pm)
Through structured studio sessions, students produce weekly outputs allowing them to progress towards their final submission.
2. Design Process Report (curated booklet, A4 portrait, colour)
3. Poster (A1 portrait, colour)
4. Audio presentation (max 5 min)
The Report, Poster, and Audio presentation are to be submitted via Blackboard on the day before class in Week 13, by 4pm.
A printed copy of the Poster is to be submitted for pin up and presentation in class, in Week 13.
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.
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.
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 - A 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.
Weekly tasks (10%): Students must submit at least 3 of the 5 weekly submissions, otherwise a mark of 0 will be applied.
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 (IVA) - Design Courses
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 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.
Other course materials
If we've listed something under further requirement, you'll need to provide your own.
Required
| Item | Description | Further Requirement |
|---|---|---|
| Personal ipad or laptop | Personal digital devices for graphic and written work during class time. | own item needed |
Recommended
| Item | Description | Further Requirement |
|---|---|---|
| Stationery | Materials (such as paper, pens, and ink) that are used for design activities during class time. |
Additional learning resources information
The list of Learning Resources includes only a selection of the vast body of literature available on the topic. Specific publications and websites will be provided during the semester and, when possible, made available to download from 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 |
Lecture |
Lecture Week 1 - Course Introduction; Effective Teamwork Week 2 - Circular Economy and Design; Introduction to A01 Week 3 - Supply Chain: R-strategies Week 4 - Australian reclaimed timber: Case Study (Site Visit) Week 5 - Concept Development (Vision, Stakeholders and Material Flows) Week 6 - No Lecture (Presentation) Week 7 - Introduction to A02; Toolbox of Methods Week 8 - User Scenarios Week 9 - Prototyping Week 10 - No Lecture (Formative Feedback) Week 11 - Effective Communication and Design Presentation Week 12 - No Lecture Week 13 - No Lecture (Poster pin-up and Presentation) Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L04 |
Multiple weeks From Week 1 To Week 13 |
Studio |
Studio Week 1 - Team Building; Material Flow Diagram Week 2 - Case Study SWOT Analysis Week 3 - Understand Rs strategies; Re-define the Problem and the System (Workshop) Week 4 - Site visit Week 5 - Develop the Roadmap to Circular Change Week 6 - Team Pitch to Industry; Finalise the Roadmap to Circular Change Week 7 - Enabler Selection Week 8 - Individual Project Development (System and Stakeholder Mapping + User Scenarios) Week 9 - Prototyping and Testing (Feedback) Week 10 - Prototyping and Testing Week 11 - Develop a Communication Plan Week 12 - Finalise the Design Proposition Week 13 - Exhibition Poster pin-up and Presentation Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L04 |
Week 4 (12 Aug - 18 Aug) |
Fieldwork |
Site Visit Learning outcomes: L02 |
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.