University of Technology Sydney

86223 Design Studio: Interior Architecture Major Project

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: 12 cp
Result type: Grade and marks

Requisite(s): 86533 Design Studio: Spatial Agency AND 86530 Design Studio: Knowledge Spaces AND 86529 Design Studio: Scenographic Spaces AND 86005 Design Studio: Inhabitations AND 86004 Design Studio: Foundations in Interior Architecture
These requisites may not apply to students in certain courses.
There are course requisites for this subject. See access conditions.

Description

This is the final design subject of the interior architecture program and combines all prior conceptual, technical and representational knowledge and skills. These skills support the development and exploration of individual themes and languages applied to the studio project. Through the interrogation of the design brief, students are encouraged to negotiate spatial strategies through the clear articulation of design outcomes that support the conceptual position of the final project.

This subject encourages students to engage with a contemporary thematic to test and explore design processes, as well as develop a sensibility toward the formal and theoretical qualities of interior space. Framed by a theoretical text/s, students examine spatial typologies while revising their programmatic intent to establish a position on the interior. Students develop this conceptual position by translating it into a thought-provoking design proposal that intensifies the relations between the interior and its spatial configurations whilst supporting theoretical speculations on the contemporary city.

Design studios are the primary vehicle for student learning and development throughout the interior architecture program. At the beginning of the session, students ballot for a studio presented by the studio leaders. Studio leaders outline their individual studio brief, project type, themes and theoretical and historical frameworks. While the scope of the subject varies, all studios are framed by a common theme. Studios combine design tutorials, lectures, workshops, symposia, presentations and critical feedback.

Subject learning objectives (SLOs)

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

1. Actively conceptualise the content within design briefs.
2. Effectively articulate and evaluate spatial typologies and programmatic attributes
3. Examine the networks between ideas, information and space.
4. Understand, create and resolve space through two and three dimensional planning techniques.
5. Formulate an understanding of both formal and theoretical spatial attributes.
6. Present a resolved and cohesive final design project.
7. Demonstrate proficiency in advanced and engaging communication.

Course intended learning outcomes (CILOs)

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

  • Ability to take autonomous responsibility for actions and decisions (A.1)
  • 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 initiate and execute meaningful self-directed iterative processes (I.3)
  • Ability to apply and utilise appropriate communication techniques, knowledge and understanding to enable practical applications in spatial design (P.1)
  • Ability to rigorously explore, apply and extend multiple representational techniques (P.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 attributes in mind.

C= communication and group work

A= attributes and values

P= practical and professional

R= research and critique

I= innovation and creativity.

Teaching and learning strategies

Tuesday: 1 hr interactive lecture session, 3 hr studio

Friday: 3 hr studio

This an interactive studio-based subject requiring inquiry-based learning and design practice. An essential skill applicable to industry, inquiry-based learning encourages students to proactively and thoughtfully engage in all the stages of the design process; concept development, decision-making, design resolution, and document production whilst demonstrating leadership and the ability to steer their own project.

Industry professionals, together with UTS academics, develop conceptual thinking in the studio to provoke and advance spatial knowledge. This is supported by a series of assignments that instil iterative design methodologies; a necessary practice in industry to ensure precise spatial, programmatic, and technical outcomes at every stage of the design process.

Students will receive regular feedback from tutors in each studio session. It is expected that students make modifications and advance their projects in between each session. It is expected that students are working and engaged in each session. It is the students responsibility to record any feedback delivered during class time. This expectation is the equivalent to real-life practice where projects are discussed collectively and developed autonomously in a studio environment. This method of practice is essential in iterative design processes.

Students are required to produce two and three dimensional representations of their design projects in the form of drawings, diagrams, and architectural models. These are documents aligned to the expectations for document production in practice and to accurately and effectively communicate the project.

Assessment Feedback

In this subject students will be given ongoing feedback from tutors and other students on the development of the research and the project. This will take place through a number of informal in-class feedback sessions and through online peer-to-peer activities. It is the students responsibility to record feedback.

Grades, marks and feedback on final submissions and assessments will be provided through REVIEW. The grades and assessment criteria will be available to students via the REVIEW assessment system no more than two weeks after the submission date. A notification will be sent out from the subject co-ordinator informing students of the published feedback and results. REVIEW can be accessed via the link on Canvas or https://review.uts.edu.au/. To login you require your UTS username or student number and your password.

Group work with individual marking will utilize the peer-to-peer assessment software SPARK (Self-and-Peer Assessment Resource Kit). A briefing session for SPARK and how to use it, will be held in the lecture before presentations. An online tutorial will also be available on UTS Online.

Content (topics)

This subject addresses the following issues and topics:

1. Iterative design processes that aim to test the programmatic agenda of spatial typologies;

2. Design theory and analysis framed by the designated text/s;

3. Exploration of programmatic requirements and an applied innovation to reconfigure existing archetypes;

4. Representation of design concept through orthographic drawings and three-dimensional spatial models;

5. Cohesive resolution of final spatial design scheme.

Assessment

Assessment task 1: Research and Position

Intent:

Students are to generate a position on:

  1. The designated theoretical text/s
  2. The interior
  3. Spatial typologies
  4. The contemporary city

(Drawings + collages + written text)

Objective(s):

This task addresses the following subject learning objectives:

1, 2, 3 and 7

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.):

A.1, I.2, P.1, R.3 and R.4

Type: Presentation
Groupwork: Group, individually assessed
Weight: 20%
Criteria linkages:
Criteria Weight (%) SLOs CILOs
Ability to conceptualise, and respond to, the theoretical content of the design brief 20 1 R.4
Demonstrated understanding of spatial typologies and programmatic attributes 20 2 R.3
Ability to examine and articulate the connections between information, ideas and space 20 3 I.2
Demonstrated capacity to effectively communicate research outcomes 20 7 P.1
Comprehensive understanding and interpretation of the design brief 20 1 A.1
SLOs: subject learning objectives
CILOs: course intended learning outcomes

Assessment task 2: Design Proposition

Intent:

Students are to develop their concept and present their project derived from Assessment 01 as a complete design proposition.

(Full draft of all required documents – orthographic drawings, three-dimensional physical model/s, imagery, written text)

Objective(s):

This task addresses the following subject learning objectives:

1, 4, 5 and 7

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.1, P.2 and R.4

Type: Presentation
Groupwork: Individual
Weight: 40%
Criteria linkages:
Criteria Weight (%) SLOs CILOs
Ability to conceptualise, and respond to, the theoretical content of the design brief 25 1 R.4
Demonstrated understanding of interior space, typologies and programmatic attributes through orthographic drawings 25 5 I.2
Ability to explore the connections between information, ideas and space through drawings and physical models 25 4 P.2
Demonstrated capacity to effectively communicate and represent research and design outcomes 25 7 P.1
SLOs: subject learning objectives
CILOs: course intended learning outcomes

Assessment task 3: Final Project

Intent:

In the final project, students are to present their resolved design proposition through the rigorous exploration and representation of interior space, its ideas and concepts, typologies and program.

(Orthographic drawings, three-dimensional physical model/s, imagery, written text)

Objective(s):

This task addresses the following subject learning objectives:

1 and 6

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.3, R.3 and R.4

Type: Presentation
Groupwork: Individual
Weight: 40%
Criteria linkages:
Criteria Weight (%) SLOs CILOs
Clarity of concept and response to theoretical content of the design brief 20 1 R.3
Ability to examine and articulate the spatial typologies, programmatic attributes, material tectonics, and design elements of interior space through orthographic drawings. 40 6 R.4
Ability to effectively represent the connections between concept, information, ideas, and space through drawings and physical models 40 6 I.3
SLOs: subject learning objectives
CILOs: course intended learning outcomes

Minimum requirements

1.0 The Faculty of DAB expects students to attend 80% of all classes for all enrolled subjects. Achievement of the subject’s aims is difficult if classes are not attended. Where assessment tasks are to be presented personally in class attendance is mandatory.

2.0 Pursuant to UTS rule 2.5.1 students who do not satisfy attendance requirements may be refused permission by the Responsible Academic Officer to be considered for assessment for this subject.

It is highly recommended that students attend all on-campus engagements. Attendance means active participation and overall engagement. Records of attendance, participation and overall engagement will be kept.

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.

Required texts

Refer to CANVAS.

Readings for each project and task will be uploaded to CANVAS.

Weekly Readings associated with the lectures will be uploaded to CANVAS.