BLAR13051 - Design Documentation

Showing: 2026 HE Term 2
General Information

Unit Synopsis

This unit will focus on developing skill required for successful project briefing and design phase development. It will require the establishment of a project brief and a demonstrated understanding of activities required as a part of the design phase of a project. Determining client needs; Establishing the project brief; Developing tools for developing and communication options throughout design phase of a project; Coordination and involvement in the design team; Developing communications mechanisms for design phases; Developing and maintaining a continuous learning strategy for practice as a design professional.

Details

Level Undergraduate
Unit Level 3
Credit Points 6
Student Contribution Band SCA Band 2
Fraction of Full-Time Student Load 0.125
Pre-requisites or Co-requisites

Prerequisite: BLAR13037 Building Design 2

Important note: Students enrolled in a subsequent unit who failed their pre-requisite unit, should drop the subsequent unit before the census date or within 10 working days of Fail grade notification. Students who do not drop the unit in this timeframe cannot later drop the unit without academic and financial liability. See details in the Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework).

Class Timetable View Unit Timetable
Residential School No Residential School

Unit Availabilities from Term 2 - 2026


Attendance Requirements

All on-campus students are expected to attend scheduled classes - in some units, these classes are identified as a mandatory (pass/fail) component and attendance is compulsory. International students, on a student visa, must maintain a full time study load and meet both attendance and academic progress requirements in each study period (satisfactory attendance for International students is defined as maintaining at least an 80% attendance record).

Assessment Overview

Recommended Student Time Commitment

Each 6-credit Undergraduate unit at CQUniversity requires an overall time commitment of an average of 12.5 hours of study per week, making a total of 150 hours for the unit.

Assessment Tasks

Assessment Task Weighting
1. Written Assessment 40%
2. Presentation and Written Assessment 35%
3. Presentation and Written Assessment 25%

This is a graded unit: your overall grade will be calculated from the marks or grades for each assessment task, based on the relative weightings shown in the table above. You must obtain an overall mark for the unit of at least 50%, or an overall grade of ‘pass’ in order to pass the unit. If any ‘pass/fail’ tasks are shown in the table above they must also be completed successfully (‘pass’ grade). You must also meet any minimum mark requirements specified for a particular assessment task, as detailed in the ‘assessment task’ section (note that in some instances, the minimum mark for a task may be greater than 50%).

Consult the University's Grades and Results Policy for more details of interim results and final grades

Past Exams

Previous Feedback

Feedback, Recommendations and Responses

Every unit is reviewed for enhancement each year. At the most recent review, the following staff and student feedback items were identified and recommendations were made.

Source: The teaching team reflections based on student design submissions and engagement in the unit forums
Feedback:
 Students may need to receive further support to create a community of learners and skills of a reflective practitioners through the design processes.

Recommendation:
 Embed tools and adopt strategies to support online design critique practices

Action Taken:
 One-on-one consultations were offered to students in at least three weekly online sessions, during which students would bring their design-in-progress and receive feedback from fellow students and the lecturer.
Source: The teaching team reflections based on student discussion in the unit weekly online sessions
Feedback:
 Students found the presentation of case studies of similar design projects in the unit weekly online sessions useful.

Recommendation:
 Continue to include case studies of best and innovative practices of relevant building types

Action Taken:
 Discussions of case studies on best practices in the design of residential aged care facilities were included in the weekly lectures dedicated to the unit's main topics.
Source: Students' written comments in SUTE survey
Feedback:
 Students suggested that a residential school to complete design critique sessions would be useful for some of the final-year subjects in building design programs, including this unit.

Recommendation:
 The option of offering an intensive, a few-day-long residential school is being discussed among the Bult Environment Leadership Team. A feasibility study is underway for a possible trial in 2028, if any.

Action Taken:
 In Progress
Source: Students' written comments in SUTE survey
Feedback:
 Students reported positive experiences with their lecturer's teaching practices, indicating that she helped them think outside the box in their designs and supported their learning throughout.

Recommendation:
 We continue to invest in strategies to support online design critique in our building design studio units. This will include engaging lecturers who provide timely, constructive formative feedback on students' design-in-progress while encouraging students to develop critical thinking and creative design skills.

Action Taken:
 In Progress
Unit Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:

  1. Formulate a strategy for obtaining the information required for a client brief and a design brief
  2. Produce design documentation including drawings from a site plan and brief
  3. Develop a continuous learning strategy as a design professional
  4. Solve routine and unfamiliar problems using information, technology, logic and ethical decision making
  5. Practice personal and interpersonal skills
  6. Use effectively a range of appropriate communication modes.
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes
Assessment Tasks Learning Outcomes
1 2 3 4 5 6
1 - Written Assessment • • • • • •
2 - Presentation and Written Assessment • • • • • •
3 - Presentation and Written Assessment • • • • • •
Alignment of Graduate Attributes to Learning Outcomes
• Introductory Level
• Intermediate Level
• Graduate Level
Graduate Attributes Learning Outcomes
1 2 3 4 5 6
1 - Communication • • • • • •
2 - Problem Solving • • • • • •
3 - Critical Thinking • • • • • •
4 - Information Literacy • • • • • •
6 - Information Technology Competence • • • • • •
8 - Ethical practice • • • • • •
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Graduate Attributes
• Introductory Level
• Intermediate Level
• Graduate Level
Assessment Tasks Graduate Attributes
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 10
1 - Written Assessment • • • • •
2 - Presentation and Written Assessment • • • • • •
3 - Presentation and Written Assessment • • • • • •