Students undertaking this module will be given the opportunity through an elective option to develop their design knowledge and skills in a critical, reflective and collaborative manner. A priority of the module is to demonstrate to the student through a broad range of project options, how an architectural skill set and knowhow can be applied to diverse project challenges. Students will critically reflect on their architectural experience, both educational and professional, and choose a project option which allows them an opportunity to refine an existing area of strength or develop a new set of skills.
Projects will be offered which facilitate a broadening of the student’s understanding of the diverse role of architecture and architects in society. These projects will roughly fall into the following categories:
Participatory Design Processes
Design / Build Project
Architecture and Resilience
Society and Technology
Students will develop, in a collaborative manner, a solution or methodology which addresses a particular design or research challenge. Alongside critical design skills and reflective thinking, students will be given the opportunity to develop their transferable ‘soft’ professional skills such as communication, negotiation, adaptive leadership, teamwork and project management.
The module aims to provide an opportunity, at this key stage in their architectural education for students to learn about themselves as learners and begin to map their own path to professional status.
Participatory Design Processes:
Students will work with a community partner to identify a spatial or architectural need and develop a detailed design brief which addresses this need. This design brief will be arrived at through a series of fully collaborative participatory design exercises with the partner. Examples of projects to be undertaken would be investigations into new housing typologies with a Voluntary Housing Association or the design and development of the School Yearbook.
Design Build Project:
Students will work in collaborative groups to design and build a temporary or small scale permanent solution to an established design problem. Students will learn how to develop design proposals into working drawings and develop the necessary construction, fabrication and teamwork skills to translate these ideas into built reality.
Architecture and Resilience:
Students will work in a community of practice to develop a design solution or body of research in response to an environmental, heritage, urban or other design challenge. The project will explore how communities can develop resilience in the face of sustainability challenges such as increased energy costs, increased risk of flooding, town centre degradation etc. This strand could also incorporate research projects which research how communities have developed strategies for resilience in the past.
Society and Technology:
Students will work with a community partner or in a community of practice to Delivered over 1 Semester
12no 1 hour lecture /seminar sessions
| Participatory Design Processes: Students will work with a community partner to identify a spatial or architectural need and develop a detailed design brief which addresses this need. This design brief will be arrived at through a series of fully collaborative participatory design exercises with the partner. Examples of projects to be undertaken would be investigations into new housing typologies with a Voluntary Housing Association or the design and development of the School Yearbook.
Design Build Project: Students will work in collaborative groups to design and build a temporary or small scale permanent solution to an established design problem. Students will learn how to develop design proposals into working drawings and develop the necessary construction, fabrication and teamwork skills to translate these ideas into built reality.
Architecture and Resilience: Students will work in a community of practice to develop a design solution or body of research in response to an environmental, heritage, urban or other design challenge. The project will explore how communities can develop resilience in the face of sustainability challenges such as increased energy costs, increased risk of flooding, town centre degradation etc. This strand could also incorporate research projects which research how communities have developed strategies for resilience in the past.
Society and Technology: Students will work with a community partner or in a community of practice to Delivered over 1 Semester 12no 1 hour lecture /seminar sessions 12 no 2 hour workshop/skills sessions identify a specific societal challenge which may be interrogated via technology. Students will engage with digital tools to analyse and evaluate solutions to this challenge. Examples would be the use of Advanced Building Information Modelling in a collaborative manner to undertake Life Cycle Analysis of a proposed design. |
| The students will work in peer groups and undertake projects through consultation and collaboration. This pedagogical approach will be supported by a number of sessions/workshops, including:
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| Module Content & Assessment | |
|---|---|
| Assessment Breakdown | % |
| Other Assessment(s) | 100 |