Construction Methods A

This subject has the following teaching availabilities in 2011:

For the purposes of considering requests for Reasonable Adjustments under the Disability Standards for Education (Cwth 2005), and Students Experiencing Academic Disadvantage Policy, academic requirements for this subject are articulated in the Subject Description, Subject Objectives, Generic Skills and Assessment Requirements of this entry.

The University is dedicated to provide support to those with special requirements. Further details on the disability support scheme can be found at the Disability Liaison Unit website: http://www.services.unimelb.edu.au/disability/

This subject explores the idea of construction as a process linking specific principles, materials, elements, systems and techniques strategically. Using a set of individual buildings as case studies, Construction Methods A will review and explain the physical anatomy of given technological types, emphasizing parameters concerned with connectedness, stability, assembly and performance.

The objectives of the class are as follows:

• to relate basic building principles to small to medium scale construction projects;
• to understand logics, conventions and challenges of technical representations;
• to appreciate both the relationship and the distance between building conception and building implementation;
• to transform this appreciation into an interpretative framework for the organization of small to medium scale architectural practice.

• Written and/or graphic submissions (e.g. tutorial exercises, class presentations, materials, construction or site reports, construction drawings and models) due from weeks 3 to 12 (totalling 60%) to the equivalent of 3000 words.
• A two hour end of semester examination (40%).

Assessment may relate to work undertaken in other core subjects.

Regardless of assignment results, a minimum of 40% must be achieved in the examination in order to pass the subject.

This subject is not available as a breadth subject.

On completion of this subject students will have the ability to:

• identify and follow the logics of construction;
• communicate with peers and the community at large concerning construction matters;
• select materials and systems to achieve coherent three dimensional designs;
• select and work with constructional types suitable to building scale and function;
• identify and access necessary areas of knowledge.