Sustainable Tropical Housing

This subject has the following teaching availabilities in 2012:

This subject is a quota subject and places are limited to 12. Students may provisionally enroll via the Student Portal, but places are not guaranteed until selection is completed. You will be notified in writing by the Student Centre if you are selected.

Should the number of applications for this subject exceed the number of places available, applicants will be ranked on the basis of a 300 word statement asking them to outline how they see this subject aligning with their broader educational goals.

(A panel of a minimum of two academic staff members will be involved in the selection process and selection outcomes will be recorded using a matrix of criteria).

120 hours, including studio time, seminars and site visits.

702-450 Sustainable Tropical Housing (UG)

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 will introduce the principles for designing and constructing sustainable housing in the tropics. It addresses the effects of both sociological and technical issues and discusses affordability, liveability, environmental impacts, sociality and relationships between community networks and space. The first part of the subject addresses these issues on both a theoretical and case study basis while the second part takes this background material ‘into the field’ to address real life problems via the design studio (and where possible design and construct studios) in Southeast Asia or northern Australia.

On completion of this subject, students should be able to:

• identify and engage critically with issues of social and environmental sustainability;
• demonstrate a critical understanding of the design and construction processes governing tropical housing.

• Class participation 10%.
• Seminar presentation equivalent to 2000 words 30%.
• Design proposals, projects and workshop exercises equivalent to at least 3000 words 60%.

Assessment and submissions will be made progressively after return from the field trip.

This subject is not available as a breadth subject.

• Ability to engage in interdisciplinary work.
• An understanding of ethical responses to issues.
• Presentation of projects verbally and graphically.
• Analysis and synthesis of data.
• Ability to analyse social and cultural contexts.
• Spatial analysis.
• Creative response to complex problems.
• Ability to work in a cross-cultural design team and to manage group and individual contributions.