11525 Demonstration Project
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particular session, location and mode of offering is the authoritative source
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Subject handbook information prior to 2024 is available in the Archives.
Credit points: 12 cp
Subject level:
Postgraduate
Result type: Grade and marksDescription
This subject concludes the Master of Advanced Architecture degree and is intended as an opportunity to critically respond to the challenges from the course through a negotiated research project. The project is formulated in consultation with external partners and is carried out by teams of students across the architecture degrees. The aim of the subject is to develop and profess a theoretical position, and to demonstrate its consequences through a concrete situation of public significance. Students demonstrate their capacity over the range of skills introduced throughout the degree, and work together in cross-disciplinary teams to defend their design research outcomes in a significant public forum for comment and review.
The research project must consolidate and extend learning in the area of urban design/design technologies and the themes considered throughout the degree. Students are responsible for identifying disciplinary specific research techniques, managing the research process and for publicly demonstrating the outcomes of their research project. Students table their research project brief at the end of the Spring session, formulate a plan for project management and regular meetings with their advisers over the Summer session, leading toward presentation in the week prior to the commencement of the following Autumn session.
Students are assessed on the creativity and legitimacy of their response to the negotiated project situation and their capacity to demonstrate the application of their learning to the practice context.
Subject learning objectives (SLOs)
On successful completion of this subject, students should be able to:
| 1. | demonstrate high order skills in analysis and critical self-evaluation towards the development of an independently led design research project |
|---|---|
| 2. | develop project management and improved collaborative skills by working as members of a design team across disciplinary boundaries |
| 3. | instigate and conduct creative research in computational architecture and urban design at an advanced level |
| 4. | demonstrate a high level of professional verbal, graphic and written presentation skills |
| 5. | develop and demonstrate a high level command of a range of computational processes and methods and their application towards a complex design project |
| 6. | apply research skills and techniques towards the formulation and demonstration of a design research project at a professional level across multiple modes of media |
| 7. | develop avenues for public and industry engagement in the project. |
Teaching and learning strategies
Project-based research undertaken with regular appointments with principal supervisors.
Internal and external design reviews and participation in postgraduate research forums.
Students will learn through a range of learning modes including, group-based project work, face-to-face meetings with multiple supervisors, public presentations and feedback sessions incorporating the preparation of print, digital and modelling (3d) media, and preparation of design and text based materials for print and web- publishing venues.
Content (topics)
The content of the course will be developed by the students and agreed to by the course directors, consisting of a design research topic of the students choosing related to the development of contemporary design technologies and/or urban design interests. The course will focus on a design research proposal prepared by the students on an area of their interest that extends their previous work done throughout the course in consultation with their supervising team. Typically, the project will culminate in a presentation of a design proposal through a range of presentation media including print, model, animation, text, web, and prototypes appropriate to the selected topic and public discussion and review.
Assessment
Assessment task 1: Preparation of Research Brief and student proposal including method, research area synopsis, as well as team and supervisory panel.
| Objective(s): | This task addresses the following subject learning objectives: 1, 2, 3, 6 and 7 |
|---|---|
| Weight: | 30% |
Assessment task 2: Presentation of research dossier, preliminary proposal and associated design materials for internal review and commentary
| Objective(s): | This task addresses the following subject learning objectives: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 |
|---|---|
| Weight: | 30% |
Assessment task 3: Presentation of final proposal and associated exhibition and publication materials for external review and commentary
| Objective(s): | This task addresses the following subject learning objectives: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 |
|---|---|
| Weight: | 40% |
Minimum requirements
As a minimum requirement, all students must undertake a public presentation and review of a design project, and have prepared and had approved an adequate research topic and plan for the project management and delivery of the project.
Required texts
• Borden, Iain The Dissertation, Second Edition: An Architecture Student's Handbook, Architectural Press, 2006.
• Bell, Bryan et al, Expanding Architecture: Design as Activism, Metropolis Books, 2008.
• Ghent Urban Studies Team (eds.), The Urban Condition: Space, Community, and Self in the Contemporary Metropolis, (010 Publishers, Rotterdam) 1999
• Graafland, A., Kavanaugh, J., (eds.), Crossover. Architecture, Urbanism, Technology, (010 Publishers, Rotterdam) 2006
• Hensel, M., Hight, C., Menges, A., (eds) Space Reader; Heterogeneous Space in Architecture, AD Reader (John Wiley and Sons, London) 2009
• Kolarevic, Branko (ed), Architecture in the Digital Age: Design and Manufacturing, (Spon Press, NY) 2003
• McCullough, Malcolm, Digital Ground: Architecture, Pervasive Computing and Environmental Knowing, (MIT Press, Cam. Mass.) 2004
• Sharples, Holden Pasquarelli (eds.) Versioning: Evolutionary Techniques in Architecture, AD 72, no. 5, sept/oct 2002 (Wiley Academy Press, London)
• Waldheim, C., The Landscape Urbanism Reader, (Princeton Architectural Press, NY) 2005
As part of the preparation of the student research topics, student groups will source their own bibliographies building on texts required in previous subjects such as 11521 Digital Theory and 11520 Spatial Research.
Other resources
This subject is based on the familiar model of an exit thesis project for a design degree, albeit with some modification that focus the course on industry connection and team and project management issues across an interdisciplinary group. No specific references were used in the preparation of this subject, however, exiting design research projects such as the Graduate Research Council (GRC) meetings at RMIT, AA final diploma unit design reviews, and other similar public thesis defence forums have been influential.