This course was one of my favourites. I really enjoyed the interdisciplinary, hands-on approach; which was almost diametrically opposite to the teaching approach used in most courses I have studied. This course is particularly recommended for those who may be interested in working in the built environment sector, e.g. as an architect, engineer (civil, mechanical, electrical, renewable, hydraulic, structural, facades, and more), planning, project management, and more. It covers many aspects of improving the overall performance of buildings--from a triple-bottom line perspective--environmental sustainability, social sustainability, and economic sustainability. When I did it, the first assignment involved going in person individually to various apartments for sale, researching them, then putting together a presentation in landscape with mostly visuals and little text to present the findings. The second assignment involved forming a team and going to the proposed development site for Ashmore precinct, and investigating the place n person or otherwise) in terms of factors such as climate, soil, water (including the water table and flooding), drainage, elevation, transport, amenity, prospect, and aspect. The third assignment involved working in the same team as the third assignment, bidding on a site in the precinct, and developing a proposal for the site--with architectural diagrams in plan, section/profile, perspective; all while considering influences from climate, aspect, prospect, surrounding sites, the need for catering to a diverse range of prospective customers (e.g. single students and professionals, families both with single parents or nuclear, couples, empty nesters, and entertainers).

Anonymous, Semester 1, 2014