Design Science (Sustainable Design)

What is this course about?

Sustainable design is concerned with both the process and outcomes of creating buildings to meet needs of a world that is growing increasingly conscious of the large impacts made by buildings on the worlds ecological systems and on human kind. As the world shifts to a more sustainable form of development in the coming millennium the task facing designers is uniquely challenging and different from previous eras.

The program aims to assist design professionals and allied practitioners to recalibrate their knowledge and skills to meet this challenge through emphasizing some core aspects of sustainable design. The course is a journey from ethical concerns for the ecology of the planet and the effects of building on its makeup to the concerns for the internal environment and developing principles to help guide and nature practice.

This involves gaining an understanding of the underlying ethical issues underpinning sustainable design thinking including resource efficiency as well as the core issues related to why we should sustain the natural environment through the appropriate design of our buildings.

The externalities and internalities of buildings are also explored, looking at both the context to sustainable design and indoor environmental quality in designing buildings that make better use of acoustics, heat and light, and harnessing the local climate conditions to provide comfort. Adaptive measures to combat the consequences of climate change and associated effects are covered.

Case studies are used to show how building/designer professionals have worked though the complexity, interest and enthusiasm for sustainable design in practice. The success stories and frustrations are part of design research, which feeds back into theory and provide a point of reflection.

Who should take this course?
The program is aimed at building design professionals and allied para-professionals wishing to gain further knowledge skills in the area of sustainable design. Increasingly sustainable design is forming a central part of architectural practice with niche areas in the environmental and social and economic parameters, to building procurement and delivery. Knowledge in these niche areas provides new opportunities in practice.

The program is aimed at providing professional knowledge in these niche areas through engagement with the staff and postgraduate students working in the program.

Program Director: Professor Richard Hyde

Admission Requirements

Masters and Graduate Diploma applicants should hold a bachelors degree. Graduate Certificate applicants should hold a bachelors degree or possess experience which is considered to demonstrate the knowledge and aptitude required to undertake the course.

Course structure

Total credit points required

How to apply

Applications for Postgraduate studies can now be completed easily online.

Please visit the Admissions page for more information on how to get started.

Just want to study one unit of study as professional development?

Visit the CPD page for more information on Professional Development courses.

Career Profile

Daniel Ryan - Sustainable Design Graduate
What’s your background?
I have a Bachelor of Architecture. I then spent three and a half years working as a graduate of architecture.

Being originally from Ireland, why did you choose to study in Sydney?
I was looking into different Masters with an emphasis on sustainable design in the UK which to an extent would be more convenient. Ultimately, it came down to a choice of one or two degrees and then I thought ‘what about Australia?’ - it was a no brainer. So I looked into it and received a very welcoming reply from Bruce Forwood, the coordinator at the time, and thought it seemed like a nice place with good people.

Were you always interested in sustainable design?
Yes, all my practical experiences have been in that field. From doing University, there was a stage in Italy with all the best people in Europe in sustainable design. I also had three and a half years of practice after graduating from architecture in Dublin. If anything, it was because of the practical experience I needed a stronger theoretical basis to continue. I thought ‘why not do a Masters?’ because there are so many nuances in terms of environmental design and I’d like to formulate my own take and have a structure for doing that.

Was there anything that surprised you about the degree?
Coming from a cold climate, this degree emphasised warmer climates. This seems obvious when you’re in Sydney but I suppose all the environmental degrees in Europe are mostly talking the environmental point of view of a cold climate but it actually opened up another way of thinking for me. Also the research, not that it was surprising, but before my idea of research was almost dinner party patter where you name-checked famous architects. There was a lot more rigour here with the research with the opportunity to test new ideas.

You’ve moved onto your PhD, what is your project on?
The project builds on research from the Master’s degree, in particular, looking at an early modern architect called Eileen Gray and trying to go back to that time and understand what the debates were about environmental design. If anything, sustainable design is not a new thing but that each period there were different environmental crises. So I’m trying to go back and look at these modern buildings and what was informing their environmental choices. So that’s meant doing things such as research trips in Paris. It’s nice that you can base yourself in Sydney and still have access to libraries and sites internationally.

Enquiries

For current student and application progress enquiries, please contact the Student Administration Centre:

Ph: +61 2 9351 3248.

For enquiries regarding program content and application procedures please contact: