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Travelling Studio (Guwahati, India) (ABPL90114)
Graduate courseworkPoints: 25Not available in 2021
Please refer to the return to campus page for more information on these delivery modes and students who can enrol in each mode based on their location.
Overview
Fees | Look up fees |
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Travelling studios are working laboratories for design thought and production and involve the exploration of complex, real-life issues. They expose students to unfamiliar cultures, places and people, and stimulate their ability to think creatively and solve problems.
These studios aim to bring together students from architecture, urban design, landscape and planning streams and encourage an interdisciplinary focus.
Pre-trip briefings or seminars will precede the travel component of the studio. The studio will incur travel costs, in addition to tuition fees. Faculty subsidies may be available.
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SPECIFIC INFORMATION ABOUT TRAVELLING STUDIO (GUWAHATI, INDIA)
The subject (25 points) will focus on investigation of the construction industry with an emphasis on understanding and evaluation of some of the ongoing public schemes around affordable housing, strategic selection of design alternatives, construction technologies, construction materials, construction methods, regulations, governance and control in the Smart Villages initiatives in Assam, India. As part of the current collaborative project between the University of Melbourne, Assam Engineering College Guwahati and Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Guwahati, students will be able to work on devising design solutions to numerous problems within the scope of the subject. In this subject, students will require to critically analyse some of key issues associated with rural housing and construction.
Some of the key areas of focus will include understanding, investigation and appreciation of:
- Houses, house design and community
- Housing and sustainability in rural housing
- History, tradition and local contexts
- Design, construction and performance
- Technology and construction techniques
- Building envelops, aesthetics and appearance
- Risks, vulnerability and resilience in rural housing - Costs of construction and delivery
- Maintenance and refurbishments
- Construction wastes and circular economy
- Skills, scalability and growth
- Construction and governance
These issues will be investigated and assessed focusing on construction projects in both Melbourne and Assam. As a result of India’s economic boom, a huge number of capital projects are currently underway across the sector. Study of these projects will allow students to compare or contrast the construction management processes across both countries and thereby contribute to body of knowledge in the construction management and rural development. Consisting of a seminar component and a travel component, the subject will expose students to unfamiliar cultures, places and people, thus stimulating ability to reflect critically on both Australian and Indian construction environments.
The key objectives of the subjects include:
- Understand the challenges and opportunities associated with the construction of low cost, affordable and smart houses under the auspice of Smart Villages research initiatives - To investigate and evaluate design alternatives for construction of sustainable houses for Smart Villages - To observe and record building industry operations in non-Australian contexts, and provide an international perspective in construction.
- Appreciate and understand the role and significance of construction management and built environment professions in the Smart Villages initiatives. - To enable comparisons of construction markets, technologies and processes, alternative construction materials and construction methods in different countries and regions.
- To help students understand contingent relationships between design selection, construction technologies and processes in relation to the local versus national cultures.
- To gauge the impact of cultural drivers within construction context.
-To encourage students to identify and engage critically with issues of geographic specificity in construction.
APPROXIMATE COSTS
Flights: $1600
Accommodation: $520 (13 nights, up to $40/night)
Local Travel: $100
Living expenses (meals and incidentals): $330 (11 days, $30/day)
Note: Prices listed are subject to change. Participating students will receive a one-off subsidy of $800 from the Faculty utilised towards student’s accommodation costs and may be eligible to receive a one off payment of up to $1,000 from Melbourne Global Mobility (conditions apply).
CREDIT
This travelling studio can be taken as a multidisciplinary elective in any of the following courses:
- Master of Construction Management
- Master of Architecture
- Master of Landscape Architecture
- Master of Property
- Master of Urban Planning
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For additional information about this studio: http://edsc.unimelb.edu.au/travelling-studios
Intended learning outcomes
On completion of this subject, students should be able to:
- Be able to learn the considerations required for design and construction of low cost, sustainable houses for smart villages
- Be able to evaluate alternative construction methods, alternative construction materials, and implications in housing design and construction
- Be able to develop skills in cross-cultural contexts
Generic skills
- Interdisciplinary teamwork
- Understanding and navigating social and cultural difference
- Knowledge transfer
- Organisational collaboration
- Managing risk
Last updated: 30 January 2024
Eligibility and requirements
Prerequisites
Admission into one of the following:
- MC-CM Master of Construction Management
- MC-ARCH Master of Architecture
- MC-LARCH Master of Landscape Architecture
- MC-PROP Master of Property
- MC-URPL Master of Urban Planning
Corequisites
None
Non-allowed subjects
None
Inherent requirements (core participation requirements)
The University of Melbourne is committed to providing students with reasonable adjustments to assessment and participation under the Disability Standards for Education (2005), and the Assessment and Results Policy (MPF1326). Students are expected to meet the core participation requirements for their course. These can be viewed under Entry and Participation Requirements for the course outlines in the Handbook.
Further details on how to seek academic adjustments can be found on the Student Equity and Disability Support website: http://services.unimelb.edu.au/student-equity/home
Last updated: 30 January 2024
Assessment
Description | Timing | Percentage |
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1. Health and Safety Briefing Hurdle requirement: All enrolled students must attend the pre-trip Health and Safety briefing | Early in the teaching period | 0% |
2. Group work (in group of 2) Design proposal, equivalent to 2000 words per student (20%) plus 10 minute group presentation equivalent to 500 words per student (5%), due two weeks before field trip - Total 25%. Addresses ILOs 1, 3.
| Early in the teaching period | 25% |
3. Field research (in group of 2), equivalent to 1500 words per student during field trip - Total 15%. Addresses ILOs 2, 3.
| During the teaching period | 15% |
4. A 15-minute interim design presentation (in group of 2) equivalent to 1000 words per student during field trip - Total 10%. Addresses ILO 1,2,3
| During the teaching period | 10% |
5. Individual design, justification of design criteria equivalent to 3000 words (30%) plus 10 minute individual presentation (10%), due at the end of the assessment period - Total 40%. Addresses ILOs 1, 2.
| End of the assessment period | 40% |
6. Exhibition of work in group of 2, equivalent to 1000 words per student, due at the end of the assessment period - Total 10%. Addresses ILOs 1, 2, 3.
| End of the assessment period | 10% |
Last updated: 30 January 2024
Quotas apply to this subject
Dates & times
Not available in 2021
Time commitment details
220 hours in addition to contact hours
Additional delivery details
Quota: 16
This subject is a quota subject and places are limited. Students may provisionally enrol online. Places are not guaranteed until selection is completed.You will be notified in writing if you are selected.
Selection criteria: Selection is based upon expression of interest submitted in online application form via the EDSC Travelling Studio page.
For detailed information on the quota subject application process and due dates, refer to the EDSC Quota Subjects webpage: http://edsc.unimelb.edu.au/quota-subjects
Overseas participation dates: Please refer to the EDSC Travelling Studio page.
Last updated: 30 January 2024
Further information
- Texts
Prescribed texts
There are no prescribed texts for this subject
Recommended texts and other resources
1. Doloi H., Green, R and Donovan S. (2019), Planning, Housing and Infrastructure for Smart Villages, Routledge, UK.
2. Doloi H. (2019), Affordability and Affordable Housing for Smart Villages, Routledge, UK (Nov 2019)
3. Building Design, Construction and Performance in Tropical Climates, Edited by Mike Riley, Alison Cotgrave, Michael Farragher (2019), 1st Edition, Routledge - Off-campus study
This subject has an overseas component
Two weeks of travel, to Guwahati India to undertake research and fieldwork. Students will be visiting local institutions IIT and AEC located in Guwahati.
- Links to additional information
- Available to Study Abroad and/or Study Exchange Students
This subject is available to students studying at the University from eligible overseas institutions on exchange and study abroad. Students are required to satisfy any listed requirements, such as pre- and co-requisites, for enrolment in the subject.
Last updated: 30 January 2024