COURSE CURRICULUM

Year One begins with Launch Week, where you’ll get acquainted with your course staff, peers, and the School community. In Design 01 – Sketch and Build, you’ll be introduced to essential skills in concept development and representation through sketching, model making, and time-based media. Design for Equity 01 will address technological principles, civil regulations, and societal challenges such as social justice and the climate crisis, with a focus on equitable design. In Briefs and Positions 01, you’ll prepare briefing materials to guide your small-scale design proposal in the next unit, Design 02 – Iterate and Adapt, where you’ll explore design practice through spatial or product analysis and documentation. Opportunity Week is an intensive week of collaboration with external partners, broadening your knowledge and skills. Critical Analysis 01 challenges you to understand how design ideas are influenced by social, historical, and cultural contexts. Material and Digital Practices introduces you to representation theories and small-scale object production, helping you build your visual communication and technological skills. ATOM activities offer opportunities for interdisciplinary learning.Year Two kicks off with Launch Week, preparing you for the next stage of your studies. In Design 03 – Fabricate and Form, you’ll refine your skills in sketching, model making, and digital representation while researching the relationship between place, product, and user. Design for Equity 02 continues to explore low-carbon approaches and non-Western perspectives in design. Briefs and Positions 02 involves preparing briefing materials for a medium-scale design proposal for Design 04 – Fabricate and Form. Opportunity Week provides another opportunity for intensive external collaboration. In Context and Constraint, you’ll tackle a detailed design project that integrates ideation, testing, and narrative production. Pathways and Mentors encourages reflection on your acquired skills and career paths, offering mentoring sessions with design professionals. Critical Analysis 02 deepens your theoretical understanding of how ideas are connected to broader cultural and social contexts. ATOM activities remain a key part of the curriculum, allowing for personalized interdisciplinary learning.Year Three begins with Launch Week, setting the stage for your final year. In Design 05 – Pitch and Prototype, you’ll engage with new technologies to create compelling prototypes while developing individual and group working skills. Critical Analysis 03 is a self-directed research project focused on historical, theoretical, and critical aspects of your discipline. Briefs and Positions 03 prepares you for your Final Major Project by developing advanced briefing materials and considering a larger spatial or material context. Opportunity Week provides another external collaboration experience. The Major Project is your opportunity to define your own brief and develop a large-scale design proposal that showcases your comprehensive understanding of contemporary design practice.