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ARCT20050

Academic Year 2024/2025

Architectural Design III (ARCT20050)

Subject:
Architecture
College:
Engineering & Architecture
School:
Architecture, Plan & Env Pol
Level:
2 (Intermediate)
Credits:
15
Module Coordinator:
Dr Chiara Cocco
Trimester:
Autumn
Mode of Delivery:
On Campus
Internship Module:
No
Module Type:
Studio Module
How will I be graded?
Pass/Fail (GPA Neutral)

Curricular information is subject to change.

Common ground: Campus, Community and Climate

This semester we will expand our architectural thinking to the scale of the city and its complex layers of infrastructure, ecology and inhabitation. Our study will engage with the economic, environmental, political and sociological conditions of the suburbs, their implications and potentialities for generating architecture as Climate Action in the Anthropocene.
Our area of study will be the campus of University College Dublin and its neighbouring communities. We will investigate the areas where the campus borders meet the surrounding communities, and examine the permeability of these boundaries. Historically, the suburbs have been perceived as a slack periphery condition of urban centres. Suburbia, despite this perceived slackness, is a persistent typological settlement pattern with attributes and constraints that have global relevance for Climate Justice.
The semester will be split into 3 Cycles, each with a unique set of interests, questions and problems to unpack and solve. Each Cycle will require different types of architectural thinking, operating at different scales of inquiry and utilising different analytical tools particular to the existing and future conditions of the site. In this way we will explore architecture’s capacity to programme agile, responsive and inclusive futures.
A platform will be created for UCD communities and neighbours to share ideas and perspectives on reimagining the campus edges. The project will facilitate a two-way exchange of knowledge and experiences as a key aspect of our approach, while promoting socially engaged architectural practice.

About this Module

Learning Outcomes:

On completion of this module, the student should be able to:

1. Utilise digital tools to demonstrate analytic understanding of the broader context of urban and suburban environments, including infrastructural, ecological and social dynamics.
2. Develop proficiency in cartographic representation techniques to effectively communicate analysis and design concepts.
3. Development of a clear design methodology based on research of course material and precedents, design proposals developed and refined through iteration in drawing and model.

4. Evidence of investigating interaction between landscape / territory and community. Integration of this understanding in design work.
5. Display evidence of integrating community needs into design strategies using community inputs as foundational elements for development of architectural design response.
6. Develop critical reflection skills on design process, integrating feedback from workshops and site-based observations to further architectural design process.

7. Understand the broader context of urban / suburban environments, including infrastructure, ecology, heritage and social dynamics.
8. Analyse the economic, environmental, political, and social factors that inform architectural design as climate action.
9. Development of architectural design skills to address social and technical challenges.
10. Integrate research and analysis into the development of contextualy relevant design methodology.

Indicative Module Content:

Weekly programme and studio brief are available on Brightspace.

Student Effort Hours:
Student Effort Type Hours
Studio

192

Autonomous Student Learning

108

Total

300


Approaches to Teaching and Learning:
This module combines studio work, workshops, and guest lectures to support active/task-based learning, enquiry-based learning, and case-based study. Students will collaborate in peer and group work, with opportunities to engage with master's students and visiting professionals through workshops and seminars. Representation skills will be developed through drawing, model-making, and digital techniques, with an emphasis on reflecting, editing, and presenting research and design for presentation and exhibition. Students will also learn to communicate their design proposals and research findings effectively to both academic and non-academic audiences through written reports, presentations, and visual displays.

Requirements, Exclusions and Recommendations
Learning Requirements:

Minimum of D- in ARCT 10020 Architectural Design II


Module Requisites and Incompatibles
Pre-requisite:
ARCT10010 - Architectural Design I, ARCT10020 - Architectural Design II


 

Assessment Strategy
Description Timing Component Scale Must Pass Component % of Final Grade In Module Component Repeat Offered
Portfolio: A comprehensive portfolio, comprising a full and critical presentation of the semester's work, is submitted following the end of the trimester. Week 14 Pass/Fail Grade Scale No
100
Yes

Carry forward of passed components
No
 

Remediation Type Remediation Timing
In-Module Resit Prior to relevant Programme Exam Board
Please see Student Jargon Buster for more information about remediation types and timing. 

Feedback Strategy/Strategies

• Feedback individually to students, on an activity or draft prior to summative assessment
• Feedback individually to students, post-assessment
• Group/class feedback, post-assessment
• Peer review activities

How will my Feedback be Delivered?

Not yet recorded.

Name Role
Ms Tabassum Ahmed Lecturer / Co-Lecturer
Professor Hugh Campbell Lecturer / Co-Lecturer
Ms Claire Chawke Lecturer / Co-Lecturer
Dr Chiara Cocco Lecturer / Co-Lecturer
Mr John-Barry Lowe Lecturer / Co-Lecturer
Mr Peter Tansey Lecturer / Co-Lecturer
Ms Nathalie Weadick Lecturer / Co-Lecturer
Ms Merlo Kelly Tutor
Mr Benjamin Mullen Tutor

Timetabling information is displayed only for guidance purposes, relates to the current Academic Year only and is subject to change.
Autumn Studio Offering 1 Week(s) - Autumn: All Weeks Fri 09:00 - 12:50
Autumn Studio Offering 1 Week(s) - Autumn: All Weeks Fri 14:00 - 17:50
Autumn Studio Offering 1 Week(s) - Autumn: All Weeks Mon 14:00 - 17:50
Autumn Studio Offering 1 Week(s) - Autumn: All Weeks Wed 14:00 - 17:50