University of Technology Sydney

86023 Light, New Materials and Form 1

Warning: The information on this page is indicative. The subject outline for a particular session, location and mode of offering is the authoritative source of all information about the subject for that offering. Required texts, recommended texts and references in particular are likely to change. Students will be provided with a subject outline once they enrol in the subject.

Subject handbook information prior to 2024 is available in the Archives.

UTS: Design, Architecture and Building: Architecture
Credit points: 6 cp
Result type: Grade and marks

Requisite(s): 48 credit points of completed study in spk(s): C10271 Bachelor of Design Interior Architecture OR 48 credit points of completed study in spk(s): C10272 Bachelor of Design Interior Architecture Bachelor of International Studies OR 48 credit points of completed study in spk(s): C10322 Bachelor of Design Interior Architecture Bachelor of Creative Intelligence and Innovation OR 48 credit points of completed study in spk(s): C10423 Bachelor of Design Interior Architecture Bachelor of Languages and Cultures OR 48 credit points of completed study in spk(s): C10004 Bachelor of Design Architecture OR 48 credit points of completed study in spk(s): C10413 Bachelor of Design Architecture Master of Architecture OR 48 credit points of completed study in spk(s): C10325 Bachelor of Design Architecture Bachelor of Creative Intelligence and Innovation OR 48 credit points of completed study in spk(s): C09079 Bachelor of Landscape Architecture (Honours)
Anti-requisite(s): 86340 Light and Space

Recommended studies:

Architecture or Interior Architecture

Description

Light, materials, form and space are the primary elements that create and define human environments. Through the manipulation and enhancement of these elements, the human experience can be shifted, elevated, orientated and guided. Students explore the effects that spatial and elemental forms, lighting, colour and materials can have on the experience and interpretation of an interior space. The subject encourages students to undertake creative investigation of the way emerging materials and systems, form-making and lighting can question the standard approaches to design outcomes.

Subject learning objectives (SLOs)

On successful completion of this subject, students should be able to:

1. Demonstrate an understanding of the basic principles of light, photometry and colorimetry.
2. Analyse the characteristics of good lighting in interior design.
3. Understand the technical applications of artificial light to interior design.
4. Effectively select and use of lamps, light fixtures and controls for lighting installations.
5. Apply lateral thinking exercises and projects involving testing the effects of daylight on scale models.
6. Demonstrate awareness of new lighting and material technologies and material science advances that will have direct or indirect effects on the built environment.
7. Explore and explain the effects of illuminated objects in external public spaces.
8. Examine the effects of new material technologies on the spatial qualities of interior environments.
9. Demonstrate knowledge of the basic principles of the interaction of light and materials by laboratory research and practical application.
10. Clearly communicate design intent using two- and three-dimensional representation.

Course intended learning outcomes (CILOs)

This subject also contributes to the following Course Intended Learning Outcomes:

  • Ability to communicate ideas effectively, including oral, written, visual, analogue and digital presentations (2D and 3D) (C.2)
  • Ability to understand and generate design propositions across a diverse range of design scenarios and negotiate final propositions with multiple stakeholders (I.2)
  • Ability to rigorously explore, apply and extend multiple representational techniques (P.2)
  • Ability to apply and deploy disciplinary learning, with a continuing commitment to professional development (P.3)
  • Ability to analyse, formulate and synthesise complex ideas, arguments and rationales and use initiative to explore alternatives (R.2)
  • Ability to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of interior and spatial design precedent and to contextualise one's work within the extended discipline (R.3)
  • Ability to reflect on, challenge and interrogate theoretical speculation (R.4)

Contribution to the development of graduate attributes

The term CAPRI is used for the five Design, Architecture and Building faculty graduate attributes. The course content, learning strategies and assessment structure is explicitly designed with these in mind.

C = communication and group work
A = attributes and values
P = practical and professional
R = research and critiques
I = innovation and creativity

Teaching and learning strategies

LECTURES
Formal lectures are given online and/or in studio and the content is posted online for Student's access in due course.

STUDIO WORKSHOPS
Weekly studio contact operates as guided studio-based workshops. During these sessions, students experiment with materials, tools and techniques related to the subject content. Practical experimentation forms an important part of the subject to support the theory and assist participants in developing an intuitive knowledge and understanding of the nature of light and lighting phenomena.

SITE VISITS
This subject may include site visits to support learning. Students are to make their own way to industry locations. Field trips may be referred to in continual learning activities and/or assessment within the studio sessions.

ONLINE RESOURCES
The lecture series for this subject is accessed online through the links provided by the lecturer. In addition, there are a number of other online resources used to support the learning objectives of this subject. A detailed overview of the pedagogy and associated tasks and assessment items are included in the subject documents, as well as required and recommended readings. The readings support both lecture series and workshop sessions by providing students with an overview of design issues that result from applications of new materials. The online resources introduce students to independent analysis of lecture content with a view to annotating and highlighting important concepts and ideas.

INDEPENDENT LEARNING
Lectures and workshops are complemented by independent student engagement with projects through recommended readings, iterative exploration of design propositions, research and development.

COLLABORATIVE LEARNING – GROUP WORK
UTS believes that collaborative peer learning enhances learning. You are required to work in groups from time to time during the course of the subject. Collaboration through group work and practical cooperation is an important part of the course as it involves design and fabrication of large scale works and their installation in public spaces.

ASSESSMENT
Assessment is typically project focussed with continual creative direction from studio leader and peers. Informal studio feedback encourages refinement through iteration, reflected in the student’s documentation of a process of design undertaken to complete all subject tasks.

FEEDBACK
Students will have several opportunities to receive feedback during the subject. The feedback provided will vary in form, purpose and in its degree of formality:

Formative feedback will be provided during the learning process, typically provided verbally by the subject's teaching staff. It will address the content of work and a student's approach to learning, both in general and more specific ‘assessment orientated’ terms. It is designed to help students improve their performance in time for the submission of an assessment item. For this to occur students need to respond constructively to the feedback provided. This involves critically reflecting on advice given and in response altering the approach taken to a given assessment. Formative feedback may also, on occasion, be provided by other students. It is delivered informally, either in conversation during a tutorial or in the course of discussion at the scale of the whole class. It is the student’s responsibility to record any feedback given during meetings or studio sessions.

Summative feedback is provided in written form with all assessed work. It is published along with indicative grades online at UTS REVIEW. Summative feedback focuses on assessment outcomes. It is used to indicate how successfully a student has performed in terms of specific assessment criteria.

Content (topics)

This subject addresses the following issues and topics:

  1. Basic principles of light, electro-magnetic energy, photometry, colorimetry and the units of lighting;
  2. The past and future development of artificial light sources;
  3. Basic types and characteristics of electric lamps and controls;
  4. Basic design, types and characteristics of luminaires and lighting systems;
  5. Lighting interiors; characteristics of good lighting; spaces, materials and surface characteristics;
  6. Inter-relationship of materials in the built environment.
  7. Examination of the new advances in material technologies and related manufacturing processes.
  8. Exploration of form within an interior space; and
  9. Examination of the effects of lighting and material technologies on the perception of the form and spatial qualities of interior space.

Assessment

Assessment task 1: Interior lighting project

Intent:

Design and document a lighting scheme for a given interior space.

Objective(s):

This task addresses the following subject learning objectives:

10, 2, 3, 6 and 8

This task also addresses the following course intended learning outcomes that are linked with a code to indicate one of the five CAPRI graduate attribute categories (e.g. C.1, A.3, P.4, etc.):

C.2, I.2, P.3, R.3 and R.4

Type: Case study
Groupwork: Group, group and individually assessed
Weight: 40%

Assessment task 2: Hands-On Collaborative Lighting Installation

Intent:

This project investigates the effects of light sources and recycled materials to create a luminaire for installation for a public event.

Objective(s):

This task addresses the following subject learning objectives:

4, 7, 8 and 9

This task also addresses the following course intended learning outcomes that are linked with a code to indicate one of the five CAPRI graduate attribute categories (e.g. C.1, A.3, P.4, etc.):

I.2, P.2, P.3 and R.4

Type: Case study
Groupwork: Group, group and individually assessed
Weight: 40%

Assessment task 3: Daylight Research Project

Intent:

The goal is to investigate the effects of daylight on a scale model of a public interior space over a period of several weeks at three different times of day. Associated research will involve precedent studies and site visits.

Objective(s):

This task addresses the following subject learning objectives:

1, 10, 5 and 9

This task also addresses the following course intended learning outcomes that are linked with a code to indicate one of the five CAPRI graduate attribute categories (e.g. C.1, A.3, P.4, etc.):

C.2, P.2, R.2 and R.4

Type: Laboratory/practical
Groupwork: Individual
Weight: 20%

Minimum requirements

The DAB attendance policy requires students to attend no less than 80% of formal teaching sessions (lectures and tutorials) for each class they are enrolled in to remain eligible for assessment.