Architecture Studio 1 PG (7628.7)

Required texts

Suggested Preliminary Texts and Readings:

will be prescribed in the Studio Option Handouts and on Canvas

Submission of assessment items

Special assessment requirements

Professional Behaviours:

This relates to the level of collaborative and professional behaviours exhibited in the Studio  including participation in class, working within a team, and at all times adhering to the code of professional conduct for Architects

Good Studio Practices – The following additional Discipline specific regulations and procedures are designed to ensure equity for students in the submission, feedback and assessment of projects.

It is a requirement for the successful completion of the learning outcomes, and for professional accreditation of this unit, that students attend on-campus and participate in all studio classes.  On-campus participation in scheduled studio classes is an essential part of the learning process. Engaging in academic discourse with other students and with the tutor/unit convener will provide a greater connection to learning, garner a range of opinions and knowledge in addition to providing the opportunity for greater clarity and assistance in achieving unit outcomes. It is expected that students maintain a minimum overall on-campus participation level of 80% or above, assessed as professional behaviour. It is the student's responsibility to contact the unit convener and tutor prior to class to let them know they are not coming to class and why. It is the student's responsibility to make up all missed information and learning from the class time.

Students are in particular required to attend on-campus and participate in all Studio Reviews/Critiques or Juries. Where a student is not able to come to such a session they will have to negotiate a new time with the unit convener at a time convenient to both. External work duties, assignments for other units and holidays do not constitute relevant reasons for missing class or Studio Reviews/Critiques or Juries.

Studio Clean Up/ Shared Use

Studios are to be cleared of work at the end of each class. Students are responsible for removing their materials, equipment, progress models and drawings as needed to ensure clear teaching spaces for subsequent studios.

Submission requirements and protocols

It is UC policy that students submit ALL written work on UCLearn in the appropriate assignment dropbox for this unit.  You should ensure that your name, student number, and unit name is provided on the front cover and as a running head on each page.

It is the student's responsibility to ensure that the correct version of any given assignment is submitted by the due date and time as indicated in the unit's UCLearn site and unit outline.

CD/DVD/USB/emailed assignment submissions will not be accepted. Submissions that do not meet the specified content, format or other requirements may be penalised through a reduction in marks.

Where students are required to submit models, drawings, posters or other physical artefacts that cannot be submitted electronically, students must create an electronic record (digital image, scanned copy, PDF version, or video) of the artefact and submit this in the appropriate assignment dropbox as evidence of their completed and on time submission.

Students will not be required to submit preparatory field notes, visual journals or design studio portfolios, unless specifically required as part of the unit assessment tasks. Students may be asked to provide evidence of these in class at the request of the unit tutor or unit convenor.

Late Submissions 

All assessments must be submitted at the due time and date and in the form and manner stated in the assessment outline.

Only in exceptional circumstances as stated in UC policy, will applications for an extension be considered. An extension needs to be applied for in writing and in advance of the submission date. The application must specify the length of the extension being sought and provide documentation such as counselling or medical certificates that cover this period. Extensions can only be given for the period stated in the documentation submitted. Counselling certificates are not a guarantee of an extension.

Late submissions, received after the published due date for assignments (or later than any approved extension due date), will be penalised.

A late submission will attract a penalty in acccordance with UC Policy.

All assessments must be submitted  in order to pass the unit. Under the UC Assessment Policy, re-submissions for failed work will not be accepted.

This assessment policy is designed to be fair to all students. Adherence to deadlines is essential in the design professions.

Students should aim to complete all work to a high standard.

In the event that the assessment is incomplete at the due date, students are encouraged to submit their work at the stage they are up to.

Special Consideration

If circumstances beyond your control prevent your submitting an assignment, notify your Unit Convener at the time they occur.  You can apply for an extension due to illness or other unavoidable and verifiable personal circumstances. Supporting documentation is required. Doctor's or Counsellor's Certificates, dated at the time of the difficulty, will be accepted as grounds for Special Consideration.

Critique Feedback 

Apart from the grades/marks/comments given for the progressive assignments through Canvas, feedback will be provided in the form of verbal comments and critique during studio classes and at review juries. A written summary of feedback will be provided for the progressive assessments by the relevant Studio Project Lead/ tutor.

An ability to present, explain and justify their work is an essential task of any design professional. Students will be required to stand up, pin up, and talk to their work, presenting their ideas and explaining the design to a group. Students will be given time slots with time for questions.  During a critique students should be able to discuss the aims, design process and how they have approached the design brief.

Verbal critiques are designed to provide iterative feedback to the students on their progress against the assessment outcomes of the Design Project. They are conducted a number of times a semester in front of peers, and students are encouraged to benchmark their work against that of others. It's often a good idea to jot down some key points for presentation and discussion and students are encouraged to enlist the help of a peer to take notes or record the feedback on their behalf during the presentation. 

The final critique, also known as a jury, is held in front of invited guests. During the final critique academics will usually undertake one of the following activities: seek information, test an argument, evaluate outcomes, or make contextual and theoretical comparisons. In return students are invited to present their own work and to evaluate their level of understanding of the learning outcomes. This two-way process necessarily elicits both positive and negative critique and can lead to misunderstandings about the process and outcomes. However, at all times, all participants can expect to be treated respectfully and ethically by staff, students and visitors, as they work in partnership to better the learning outcomes for all.

All grades will be posted on the dedicated studio unit on UCLearn. Work will be available for collection at the nominated return time/ date. Students must retain a digital copy of their assessable work; this includes the electronic copy of physical artefacts. Students should expect that tutors may write on or otherwise alter their work as a part of the assessment and feedback process.

Non-Conforming Submissions of Assessment Items

 Submissions that do not meet the specified content, format or other requirements will be penalised through a reduction in the grade.

 3 dimensional physical models

 Scale modelling is a primary medium of environmental design, essential to an understanding of form, materials and structure.  Modelling need not be concerned entirely with  realism or authenticity – some level of abstraction of site features or materials may be more effective.  You will need to provide most of your own purchased, recycled or salvaged materials. 

 Drawings and other graphics

 Presentations will usually require site plans, floor plans, sections and details, elevations and perspective drawings. These can be hand drawn or digital, depending on the particular assignment. Design technical drawings should generally be to scale and labelled as such.  Presentation of earlier concept and site sketching can also be useful. Always ensure the scale of graphics is suitable for the presentation, usually viewed at a distance of around 2–3 metres.

‘Stand up' presentations

An ability to present, explain and justify your work is an essential task of any design professional. Students will be required to stand up, pin up, and ‘talk to your work,' presenting your ideas and explaining your design to a group. You will be given time slots with time for questions.  You should be able to discuss your aims, design process and how you have approached the design. It's often a good idea to jot down some key points for presentation and discussion.  If it is a research presentation, it may be beneficial to include some visual materials, rather than purely verbal narrations.

Often presentations will be to a panel of visiting critics.  This requires special consideration.  You will need to design your presentation assuming the guest has no prior knowledge of the project site, program or your previous design work.

Students should sit in on all other student's presentations and ask questions. Final presentations should provide an opportunity for group learning, and a satisfying conclusion to each project. It makes sense to have this experience before entering the workplace.

Students must apply academic integrity in their learning and research activities at UC. This includes submitting authentic and original work for assessments and properly acknowledging any sources used.

Academic integrity involves the ethical, honest and responsible use, creation and sharing of information. It is critical to the quality of higher education. Our academic integrity values are honesty, trust, fairness, respect, responsibility and courage.

UC students have to complete the Academic Integrity Module annually to learn about academic integrity and to understand the consequences of academic integrity breaches (or academic misconduct).

UC uses various strategies and systems, including detection software, to identify potential breaches of academic integrity. Suspected breaches may be investigated, and action can be taken when misconduct is found to have occurred.

Information is provided in the Academic Integrity Policy, Academic Integrity Procedure, and University of Canberra (Student Conduct) Rules 2023. For further advice, visit Study Skills.

Participation requirements

Attendance at scheduled classes and contribution over the semester is expected. Presentation and discussion of your work in progress is essential for the development of your design skills in meeting the learning outcomes of the subject and for your architectural education. Participation in studio sessions and reviews provides important opportunities for feedback and demonstrates that the submitted work is your own.

In order to receive a grade of Pass or better, students must bring their work in progress to studio sessions, reviews and juries as detailed in the unit outline. Assessment items that have not been presented for review during the semester as required may not be submitted for final assessment.

Please advise the Unit Convener if you are unable to attend a particular class or studio.

Required IT skills

As necessary to facilitate architectural studio submission and presentation, and use the unit learn on line  site.

In-unit costs

Materials and equipment needed to undertake the projects, such as drawing and model making materials, and costs associated with any site visits, are generally the responsibility of each individual student.  This could be in the order of $300-$500 per semester.

(Note: To calculate your unit fees see: How do I calculate my fees?.

The online UC Co-op Textbook Search is available for purchasing text books.)

Work placement, internships or practicums

Work-integrated-learning (WIL) is not applicable to this unit.

Additional information

Additional information, including assignment and submission requirements will be provided in separate studio handouts. Reading and complying with this information and instruction is a requirement for students enrolled in this unit.

Announcements

Announcements made during studios, seminars or lectures, or sent to your University of Canberra student email address, will be deemed to have been made to the whole group. Students are responsible for regularly checking their UC student email.

Consultation with Staff

Contact with staff should generally be within the allocated class times.  Consultation outside of these hours shall be by prior appointment, and in addition to, not in lieu of, the scheduled class time. Students who fail to attend classes, and who do not have a Medical or Counsellor's Certificate or other genuine reason for missing classes, should not expect additional tutorial or consultation time.   

Please note: staff are not able to return calls after normal hours or on weekends or holidays. Emails are normally not checked or answered at nights, on weekends or on public holidays.

Teaching staff  (and particularly part-time staff) may not be able to attend to phone calls or reply to emails immediately. Please ensure any urgent matters are brought to their attention within the studio session or request assistance in notifying the Convener through the Administrative Assistant for the Course.

Retained Work

Due to the requirements of professional accreditation samples of student work will be retained and stored at the School for periods of up to three years. Where possible, each student should make a copy of any assignment (prior to submission) as that work may be retained and inaccessible thereafter.

Late Collection of Assignments

Architects, and architecture students, are expected to take responsibility for their work. In the context of the design studios, this is considered to include both submitting the work on time, and collecting it following assessment.

Collection times will be advised for submissions where appropriate. Where a project/assignment is not collected by that time, the project is subject to a 5% grade penalty. The project may be discarded without further notice.   This penalty will not apply when prior arrangements have been made with the Unit Convener, or when the work is being retained, such as for accreditation.

End of Semester Clean Up

Studios are to be cleared of work and generally cleaned up at the end of each semester. Projects not removed by the advertised date may be discarded without further notice.

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