Course coordinator
Ms Skye Smith
Please contact me via email to book an appointment – skye.smith@uq.edu.au
Course overview
- Study period
- Semester 2, 2025 (28/07/2025 - 22/11/2025)
- 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 studio challenges students to critically investigate environmental issues related to material use, waste, and CO₂ emissions through the lens of the circular economy. Students select a focus area (fast fashion, building materials, electronics, or food systems) and explore its systemic impacts using tools like systems mapping, lifecycle analysis, and stakeholder mapping. Through this process, they critically identify both systemic barriers and meaningful opportunities for circular transformation within their chosen focus area, considering environmental, social, and economic dimensions. By developing a deep understanding of the cascading lifecycle of selected materials, students learn to design, refine, and present transformative circular design ideas that are grounded in research and tailored to real-world challenges.
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
Ms Skye Smith
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, Presentation |
Assessment 1. Roadmap to Circular Change
|
40% Group |
Submission: Report, Presentation slides, peer review form due 5pm 4/09/2025 Presentation in Class: 5/09/2025 |
| Paper/ Report/ Annotation, Presentation, Project |
Assessment 2. Designing for impact
|
60% Individual |
Digital Submission: Report, Presentation slides 5pm 30/10/2025 Presentation in Class 31/10/2025 |
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
- Identity Verified
- Team or group-based
- In-person
- Online
- Mode
- Oral, Written
- Category
- Paper/ Report/ Annotation, Presentation
- Weight
- 40% Group
- Due date
Submission: Report, Presentation slides, peer review form due 5pm 4/09/2025
Presentation in Class: 5/09/2025
- Other conditions
- Peer assessed, 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 designing for circularity across a range of sectors including fashion, the built environment, technology and food systems. Students will learn how to explore and analyse complex systems using systemic design, circular strategies and models of impact.
In teams of 4–6, students will produce a report on a specific material or product within their chosen focus area, with a particular emphasis on examining its full life cycle—from extraction and production through use and end-of-life. Using tools such as systems thinking, life cycle analysis, and stakeholder mapping, students will investigate the systemic impacts of the product and identify barriers and opportunities for circular transformation.
The outputs are as follows:
1. PDF report (curated multipage document).
2. Presentation Slides (PDF)
3. Verbal Presentation in class
4. Peer Review Digital Form
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. 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 14 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.
If one student has an extension then this student will receive the same mark as their other group members (with agreement from at least 50% of the members of the group, and recognition of potential impacts on the other group members). If 50% of group members do not agree, the extension will not be approved.
Oral Presentations
No extensions (student with valid extension request to receive team mark)
Late submission
Report / Presentation Slides / Peer review
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.
Group Presentation
100% Late Penalty, No grace period
Assessment 2. Designing for impact
- Hurdle
- Identity Verified
- In-person
- Online
- Mode
- Oral, Product/ Artefact/ Multimedia, Written
- Category
- Paper/ Report/ Annotation, Presentation, Project
- Weight
- 60% Individual
- Due date
Digital Submission: Report, Presentation slides 5pm 30/10/2025
Presentation in Class 31/10/2025
- Learning outcomes
- L01, L02, L03, L04
Task description
Assessment Rationale:
The second part of this design studio focuses on developing a design solution as per ideas identified in Assignment 1 (A01) that enable a ‘Circular Change’. In Assessment 2, students individually develop their own design solution using circular strategies identified in the A01 Roadmap. Studio activities and feedback will enable students to select appropriate design methods and tools to develop, prototype and deliver a detailed design solution for this Circular Design Project.
The outputs are as follows:
1. Report: Design Research and Ideation (curated multipage document).
3. Presentation Slides (PDF)
2. Verbal Presentation in class
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. 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 14 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. The maximum extension limit for assessment items in all design studio courses is 14 days.
Late submission
Report, Presentation Slides
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.
Presentation
100% Late Penalty, No grace period
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) -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.ﾠ
Supplementary assessment
Supplementary assessment is not available for this course.
Supplementary assessment will not be offered in Architectural Design courses to any student with a failing grade of 3 or less. 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.
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 12 |
Lecture |
Lecture For the weekly lecture plan please see the Blackboard course site. Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L04 |
Multiple weeks From Week 1 To Week 13 |
Studio |
Studio For the weekly studio plan please see the Blackboard course site. 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 for Students Policy and Procedure
Learn more about UQ policies on my.UQ and the Policy and Procedure Library.