This subject is designed to provide students with the knowledge and skills necessary to develop elementary design skills and basic CAD (Computer Aided Design) proficiency suitable for application within the building industry. Students will learn to describe building designs in plan, section, elevation, isometric and perspective views. Basic drafting concepts and skills will be acquired in the context of individual detached housing designs. Students will also be required to develop appropriate analytical and problem solving skills in dealing with a realistic house building project.

This subject is designed to provide students with the knowledge and skills necessary to develop elementary design skills and basic CAD (Computer Aided Design) proficiency suitable for application within the building industry. Students will learn to describe building designs in plan, section, elevation, isometric and perspective views. Basic drafting concepts and skills will be acquired in the context of individual detached housing designs. Students will also be required to develop appropriate analytical and problem solving skills in dealing with a realistic house building project.

This subject will introduce students to fundamentals of spatial composition as it relates to visual and temporal experience in architectural contexts. Project-based assessments will involve the creation of 2D and 3D compositions that explore traditional organisational strategies, classical principles of geometry, materiality, experiential phenomena, and representation. Students will work with analogue and traditional tools including freehand drawing and conventional shop equipment. The subject will also provide an introduction to the history, theory, and discourse of architecture from 4000BC to the Enlightenment.

This subject introduces students to fundamentals of spatial organisation and human experience in the built environment. Principles of making will be practiced and analysed for their relationship to architectural outcomes, the study of Modern organisational strategies, materiality, experiential phenomena, and abstraction. Students work on project-based assessments that involve an iterative process of reflection and refinement, the use of digital techniques of 3D design including NURBS modelling and rapid prototyping to explore architectural concepts. This work is contextualised as students learn about the history, theory, and discourse of architecture from the Industrial Revolution to the Present.

This subject provides an overview of development control and associated legislation. These include: interpretation of planning law as it relates to the development application process; the assessment of applications for approval for development as an integrated process; the evaluation of the impact assessment process; appropriate consideration of urban design, streetscape, heritage and conservation issues; and the evaluation of the impact of parking, traffic, landscape and services in development proposals.

This subject will situate learning in the context of the Global City. Projects will be used to investigate scenarios that are common to the contemporary condition of the developing world and the expanding metropolis in various international contexts. Students will either travel to international sites, work with international partners, or work remotely on problems beyond the Australian context. Work integrated learning will be a key feature of the Global Cities studio and will involve relevant members of the professional community to help lead studio investigations. Assessments will include complex urban projects at a large scale, developed using the design, communications, technical, and theoretical studies that have underpinned their education. Assessments will be project-based in real world scenarios and will incorporate sustainable strategies of design. Studies will be supplemented by tuition in structural design and will also be informed by concurrent studies in building science.

This subject will extend the concept of Urban Transformation, where the architect is an agent of progress and change in the built environment. Students will refine their use of architectural design as a medium for speculation and advocacy in the public realm and in daily life of the city. Rethinking Urbanism will investigate architecture and civic space at the scale of public projects. Students will use various models of three-dimensional representation for communication and experimentation with new ways of building the urban fabric. Assessments will be project-based in real world scenarios and will incorporate sustainable strategies of design.

This subject will introduce the concept of Sub-urban Transformation, where the architect is an agent of progress and change in the built environment. Students will learn to use architectural design techniques as a medium for speculation and advocacy in the public realm and in daily life of the city. Rethinking the Sub-urban will investigate domesticity at the scale of residential projects and communities. Students will be concurrently trained in the use of Building Information Modelling (BIM) as a means to develop project work and collaborate as they explore new ways of building the suburban fabric. Assessments will be project-based in real world scenarios and will incorporate sustainable strategies of design.

This subject situates learning in the context of the major urban public projects that sit at the intersection of architecture, infrastructure, and urban design and which highlight the pressure of population growth, climate change, or other significant demographic, economic, political, or ecological transformations. Work integrated learning is a key feature of the Rethinking Infrastructure studio which involve relevant members of the professional community to help lead studio investigations and/or embed students in professional practices. Projects include architectural responses to complex urban and infrastructural projects at a large scale such as transit oriented development, high density housing, landscape urbanism. Students develop professional practice skills on these real world projects and incorporate sustainable strategies of design as well as learning skills in advocacy, entrepreneurship, and professional readiness.

The subject aims to provide students with an understanding of the nature, role and relevance of urban design. It will examine the issue of urban design at both the micro and macro scale. It also aims to promote awareness of, and sensitivity to, design considerations, and to enable students to critically evaluate urban spaces and places. A key feature of the course will be the development of the graphical communication skills of students.

This subject will introduce students to urban architecture with complex brief requirements, site conditions and technological considerations. Emphasis is on design resolution considering historical, geographical and social aspects. Experimentation at various theoretical levels is expected and students are encouraged to deliver ambitious and imaginative architectural responses.

This subject builds on students' basic knowledge of architecture, construction, and environmental science to introduce principles of architectural sustainability and building science. Students are involved in activities developing essential knowledge of a building’s energy efficiency through the application of thermal, lighting, and acoustic design. This enables them to incorporate the construction strategies necessary to achieve indoor environmental quality and improve building users' comfort. The abilities that students develop in this subject will be appealing to organisations looking to expand optimisation and renewable energy strategies.

This subject will introduce students to urban architecture within complex contextual environments, site conditions and technological considerations. Emphasis is on the consideration of contextual, historical, geographical and social aspects. Students will be expected to apply various theoretical levels in the delivery of ambitious and imaginative urban architectural responses. This subject will provide students with a variety of opportunities to undertake a specific project in urban architecture which will prepare them for working in professional settings. Some of the well regarded opportunities that students may be eligible to participate in include the Urban Transformation Summer School and the Sydney Opera House BUILD Program.

An essential skill required by researchers is the ability to propose research, justify it in a persuasive manner, and undertake a project with rigor. Through interactive workshops, Urban Transformation Research Project helps students develop and refine a research proposal. The subject provides students will the opportunity to conduct either (a) a traditional written thesis or (b) a project based design research project. There is no class work, rather, students work individually alongside a supervisor with significant expertise in the area of researching and developing their individual project. After successful completion of this subject, students will have demonstrated an ability to design, justify, and undertake a research project in their discipline which will benefit them in their future careers.

This subject provides an understanding of environmental, economic and social issues arising from the effects of urban development within city regions and examines the relationship between sustainable development and metropolitan planning in the Australian and global context. It focuses on the concepts related to sustainability, sustainable development and sustainable cities. It also looks into recent initiatives towards the realisation of sustainable cities.

This subject explores the values behind, and practicalities regarding, heritage and planning, from federal and state perspectives in Australia. With a specific focus on Sydney, the subject explores how planning applications, within the urban development sphere, impact upon heritage assets, and how these impacts are mitigated through heritage planning legislation. The subject asks students to step into the shoes of heritage planning professionals and to identify and research a heritage asset that is to be impacted by a potential planning proposal and then to design an appropriate mitigation response within the bounds of relevant heritage legislation.

This subject concerns philosophical thought and critical thinking in public planning. It develops an understanding of planning theories and examines past and present trends in this area. It reviews the theoretical frameworks for an insight into planning processes and analyses the economic, spatial and socio-political dimensions of activities involved.

This subject describes the general planning issues relevant to developments in rural and urban areas. The content covers the factors important in determining the allocation and use of land and resources together with the contributions of development to the built and natural environment. Topics include: urban and rural design issues; the impact of the 3 tiers of Government process on development control, and the legal, political and technical issues relevant to impact assessments. Particular attention will be paid to the role of the private sector in developing controls, self-regulation and appeal processes. Planning in both the micro and macro environments is examined in the context of sustainability, indigenous culture and heritage, private land conservation, community resources and its strategic effects on the recycling of existing land and non-renewable natural resources.

Governance is a central but often overlooked issue in Urban Management. What is governance? What are the principles of good governance? What are some of the governance challenges in major metropolitan cities that cover multiple jurisdictions? How do statutory local governments engage with specialist state agencies in fields such as economic development, environmental planning, and infrastructure planning? This subject answers these questions, reviews governance practices in major cities across the world and provides students with knowledge of key governance tools. Students will prepare a research report dealing with a significant urban governance challenge, and provide recommendations about how to implement solutions to that challenge. The central objective of the course is to provide students with a sound framework and set of tools with which to address governance issues.

This Urban Planning Placement Project subject provides Master of Urban Management and Planning and Master of Planning students with an understanding of the planning/urban management workplace. Students are placed with local planning or urban management employers to work on a variety of planning tasks. Placements are structured for student engagement in professional work in planning. Placement agencies ensure that students are supervised by experienced planners, are mentored through site visits and work on planning projects in a professional capacity. Agreements with supervisors and clear communication lines are set to clarify student engagement and their involvement in meaningful professional tasks that contribute to an authentic learning experience, rather than simply unpaid or irrelevant labour.

Advanced Design Communication is a core architecture seminar in the Master of Architecture (Urban Transformation) program that will explore contemporary methods of design generation and visualisation, representation techniques, and collaboration tools, including but not limited to digital fabrication, computational and algorithmic design, simulation, virtual and augmented reality, building information modelling, parametric design, and scripting. Students will undertake case studies from the community of practice and precedents in this disciplinary domain, including an investigation of how emerging technologies are used in existing professional settings locally and internationally. Students will develop their own design-based enquiry to apply knowledge and skills acquired in the seminar that result in a project and report of their work.

Integrated Building Technology is a core subject in the Master of Architecture (Urban Transformation) course that will introduce students to the range of specialist consultants in structural and civil engineering, mechanical, electrical, communications, and transport systems, fire safety and egress, and environmental systems (acoustics, lighting, thermal) that are required to complete real projects in practice. Students gain an insight into the principles and concepts of each discipline which provides sufficient depth of knowledge and understanding of the role of the architect to meaningfully engage and collaborate with the allied specialists. Understanding how to communicate and document the integration and coordination of systems in a building is developed through exposure to case studies, specialist presentations, and field trips. Students apply concepts introduced in the subject to the design studio project they are concurrently developing in subject Practice Research Studio Housing and demonstrate their understanding of system integration through graphic representation techniques and a design report.

Planning for health and wellbeing is essential for ensuring human flourishing in our cities and regions. This subject investigates geographies of health, wellbeing and place through analysis of physical, mental and environmental health and spaces of wellbeing. Drawing on insights from geography, planning and related disciplines it asks how built environment professionals can create healthy futures through place making. Through local, national and international case studies the subject will explore how cities can be better designed to counter growing lifestyle epidemics, motivate active living and respond to the opportunities of population ageing and challenges of environmental change.

Urban Transformation Studio Environments focuses on the research and design aspects of a complex architectural project. It aims to teach students strategies to address crucial topics like whole life carbon, resilience, climate change, and environmental sustainability, emphasising the pivotal role of architects in tackling these issues. Through immersive studio work, students will gain insight into contemporary architectural practices and contemporary precedents, while actively collaborating with an extensive network of professionals, stakeholders, and site conditions. Students will be expected to apply knowledge of strategies and precedents to develop high-quality architectural projects, emphasising spatial, experiential, and technical excellence, alongside a robust understanding of key environmental issues.

Practice Research Studio Housing shall focus upon the research and design of a comprehensive architectural project over the duration of the semester through either a civic, residential, or hybrid project type (as distinct from Practice Research Studio Civic in the preceding semester). Students will explore topics related to the umbrella of urban transformation and to contemporary architectural practices through the studio work, and will engage with a broad community of professionals, stakeholders, and programmatic situations. Projects shall be representative of the often-contested intersection of competing interests of the urban environment, where the designer must conduct rigorous analysis and research to inform high-quality design outcomes that are attendant to social, ethical, regulatory, technical, procurement, and environmental issues. Students will undertake projects that involve international sites, project contexts, programs, or collaborations. Students are expected to develop project work to a high degree of resolution in terms of spatial and experiential quality, demonstrating through clear communication and representation techniques the technical proficiency, conceptual rigour, and theoretical and historical knowledge that support the project outcomes. Projects in the studio will vary in scale, setting, building type, and complexity from year to year, with a thematic emphasis that contributes to the overall research direction of the architecture program at WSU. Students will be expected to engage in the studio with a high degree of individual motivation, resourcefulness, and inquisitiveness as would be expected of professional level studies.

Urban Transformation Studio Indigenous introduces students to concepts and processes relating to project planning, working with country and perspectives of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, consulting with First Nations groups, engaging with Indigenous knowledge in the Australian context and working collaboratively with stakeholders to understand site, brief and budget requirements from multiple perspectives. The studio will engage with a real-world design project supported by First Nations consultation and expert mentoring giving students opportunities to implement aspects of Indigenous knowledge in their design process, project development, feasibility and design outcome. Students will gain skills in project development that includes intensive site analyses, the evaluation of multiple design options, designing the program through consultation and then implementing approaches with stakeholder feedback to satisfy the site and spatial requirements of the community. Students will learn about existing forms of knowledge and cultural histories in regard to site, as well as the ethical and cultural tools to engage with meaningful and appropriate consultation and co-design for major public projects. Through the design process, students will apply creative imagination, an understanding of design precedents, emergent knowledge, and skills in critical evaluation to create a detailed proposal for the given site and its community.

This subject introduces students to the expectations and the requirements that are needed for a professional practice in Architecture. As such students will require to critically examine a broad range of real life professional, legal, business and ethical challenges that are likely to face in practice and apply critical thinking in order to resolve these problems. The intention here is to assist students in navigating through complex real life challenges and to bring a common sense and real world approach to solving a problem. Transitioning from university to the workplace can be quite daunting thus, the aim here is to allow students to gain the knowledge and skills to make informed decisions but most importantly to build confidence in themselves as they move forward with their career.

In this high-level, project unit, students apply theory and practice to their urban transformation project relating to Greater Western Sydney region while being mentored in developing ethical and aesthetic judgement, creative imagination, independent and critical reasoning skills. Students learn to present a project design that is well resolved integrating spatial and experiential quality, contextual, cultural, social and environmental considerations, technical proficiency, and conceptual rigour. The design contributes to the students' portfolio of work demonstrating concept, resolution and presentation design skills leading towards ethical architectural practice as well as showcasing a civic project for Australia's greatest megatropolis.

Climate change, urban expansion and densification result in hotter microclimates and loss of green infrastructure. The increasing frequency and severity of heatwaves, floods and droughts require changes to how we design and retrofit existing neighbourhoods and build new suburbs. Contemporary urban planning and design principles recognise blue and green infrastructure as a 'must have'. Blue and green infrastructure is key to building cool and resilient cities capable of functioning well within the social, environmental and economic challenges of the 21st century. This subject provides knowledge about what it takes to deliver cool green cities. Focusing on practical applications at precinct or suburb scale, it enables students to implement learned principles in their professional practice.

This subject will introduce students to real world urban transformation design scenarios and clients in an intensive and site-based manner. Architecture Studio Autumn Intensive focusses on architectural interventions for complex urban scenarios, giving students exposure to issues of scale, spatial design, design detailing and fabrication. With a focus on small-scale buildable interventions, students will be expected to apply skills in design, brief development, user analysis, communication and collaboration in the context of complex urban environments. The subject provides students with an immersive multi-disciplinary design studio experience, introducing them to skills in conceptual thinking and developed design that can be applied to the design of urban interventions. Students will also be introduced to clients, users and consultants in an environment that will prepare them for working in professional architecture and design settings. In order to communicate their design to a range of audiences, students will learn skills in communication, architectural modelling and visualisation in the representation of design solutions for multiple audiences.

This subject will introduce students to real world adaptive re-use design scenarios in an intensive and site-based manner. Architecture Studio Spring Intensive focuses on industrial or urban heritage sites at a range of scales, giving students exposure to issues of recycling, whole life carbon and heritage preservation. As well as developing skills in research and site analysis, students will be expected to develop conceptual and developed design proposals for complex adaptive re-use scenarios with an understanding of the cycles of post-industrialisation. Working in immersive multi-disciplinary design teams, students will develop an awareness of the environmental, social and structural role that architectural heritage plays in urban transformation. Students will work across a range of complex architectural sites which are sometimes derelict, contaminated, heritage-protected or in need of renewal, to learn about the role of adaptive re-use in future architectural and climate scenarios. Students will also be introduced to regulations, clients and consultants in an environment that will prepare them for working in professional architecture and design settings. In order to communicate their design to a range of audiences, students will learn skills in communication, architectural modelling, documentation and visualisation in the representation of design solutions for multiple audiences.