Graduation Studio (Interior) (8957.4)

Required texts

Recommended readings:

The Memory Palace

By Edward Hollis

2013

The Secret Lives of Buildings

By Edward Hollis

2009

Architecture: Form, Space, and Order

By Francis D.K Ching

2007 (Third Edition)

2014 (Fourth Edition)

Submission of assessment items

Extensions & Late submissions

Note: For further details on project requirements see full handouts on the units' Canvas Site.

A PDF copy of all assignments is required to be submitted online via this unit's Canvas site on the same day and time including photographed or scanned images of any drawings or 3d models.

Each online assessment submission should include the following information:

Student Name:
Student ID:
Assessment Name:
Date of Submission:
Word Count (if applicable)

Retrieval of Assessment Items

Students are expected to take responsibility for their work. Collection times will be advised for submissions where appropriate. Where a project/assignment is not collected by that time it may be discarded without further notice and a Grade Penalty may be applied. 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. This is of particular relevance for studio where teaching and presentation space is shared.

Plan ahead! You are expected to come to each studio prepared with your work in progress, and all materials and equipment needed for that day at the beginning of studio.

Special assessment requirements

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.

Submissions may require:

‘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.

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 labeled 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.

Visual Journals

A sketch folio (A3 or A4) should be brought to every studio class and should be the means by which you record your thoughts, concept sketches, notes and research related to the projects.

Good Studio Practices

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.

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. 

Critique Feedback and return of material

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 juries. An ability to present, explain and justify her/his 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 Brief. 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 is 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. The critique is always about the work presented and is never about the person.

All grades will be posted on the dedicated studio unit on Canvas. Work will not be available for collection before the nominated return date. Students must retain a digital copy of their assessable work; this includes the electronic copy of physical artefacts. Students should expect that tutors will write on or otherwise alter their work as a part of the assessment and feedback process.

Student Records of Verbal Feedback 

In design education and practice a fundamental vehicle for receiving feedback is the verbal response or critique. Designers are expected to listen carefully and dispassionately to what is said and respond accordingly. It is therefore important that you develop the facility for recording what is said - this may include enlisting a fellow student to take notes of what is said during your presentation and then you do the same in return.

Announcements and Additional information

Additional information, including assignment and submission requirements will be provided in separate 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 to long distance or mobile telephone numbers 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 Unit Convener through the Administrative Assistant for the Course.

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. University of Canberra staff and sessional studio tutors are not responsible for submission materials. Students are required to retrieve submission at the end of the jury day as noted. Unless special arrangements have been made with the convener, items that are not collected as required may be discarded without further notice. This is particularly important at the end of semester, when the studios and pin-up spaces must be cleared for graduation exhibitions.

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

Students who attend campus for class or other purposes must play their part in keeping our campus and community safe by following these basic guidelines to reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission:

• Practise good hand hygiene, washing hands regularly;
• If you do happen to cough or sneeze, please do so into the crook of your elbow, dispose of tissues immediately and wash hands immediately
• Practise effective physical distancing;
• Follow all directions of teaching and other UC staff regarding safety measures;
• Stay off campus if you are unwell and get tested according to Queensland Government guidelines, and
• Follow TAFE Queensland communications for current health and campus advice https://tafeqld.edu.au/current-students/health-advice.html?

Required IT skills

Students are expected to have advanced skills in word processing, report compilation and digital presentation programs such as Revit, AutoCAD, SketchUp, Illustrator, Photoshop and InDesign.

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 per semester.

Work placement, internships or practicums

None.

• Semester 2, 2020, On-campus, UC - TAFE Queensland, South Bank (195457)
• Semester 2, 2019, On-campus, UC - TAFE Queensland, South Bank (190923)