The course SBEA2138 Design 3 focuses on developing students’ sensitivity to architectural design by exploring the relationship between architecture and its cultural, social, and environmental contexts. It emphasizes space-making and place-making, encouraging students to create designs that are responsive to the surrounding context. A key focus is on timber construction and its sustainability, with students learning how to integrate traditional and modern timber techniques into their designs.

In Project 1: Revitalizing Heritage Through Timber Innovation, students work in groups to study timber heritage buildings, examining their construction methods and proposing design improvements while maintaining their historical significance. This project also includes the creation of scale models to demonstrate their innovative redesigns.

Project 2: Individual Design challenges students to design a small-to-medium scale building with at least 70% timber construction. This project involves conducting comprehensive site analysis, considering factors such as the environment, cultural context, and user needs, and translating these into a design that is both functional and contextually appropriate.

Throughout the course, students will use various architectural communication tools, including sketches, digital drawings, and models, to present their ideas effectively. Sustainability is a core element, with a focus on timber’s environmental benefits, such as its renewability and carbon sequestration properties.

Course integration:

• SBEA2713 Environmental Science and Sustainability

• SBEA3853 Architectural Heritage and Conservation

SBEA2138 DESIGN 3 INDIVIDUAL PROJECT BRIEF

SBEA2138 DESIGN 3 FULL BRIEF

SITE VISIT TRIP BRIEF