Course Title: Architecture Professional Practice 3

Part A: Course Overview

Course Title: Architecture Professional Practice 3

Credit Points: 12.00

Terms

Course Code

Campus

Career

School

Learning Mode

Teaching Period(s)

ARCH1039

City Campus

Undergraduate

315H Architecture & Design

Face-to-Face

Sem 1 2006,
Sem 1 2007

ARCH1336

City Campus

Postgraduate

315H Architecture & Design

Face-to-Face

Sem 1 2009,
Sem 1 2011,
Sem 2 2011,
Sem 1 2012,
Sem 1 2013

ARCH1336

City Campus

Postgraduate

320H Architecture & Urban Design

Face-to-Face

Sem 1 2014,
Sem 1 2015,
Sem 2 2015,
Sem 1 2016,
Sem 2 2016,
Sem 1 2018,
Sem 2 2018,
Sem 1 2019,
Sem 2 2019,
Sem 1 2020,
Sem 2 2020,
Sem 1 2022,
Sem 2 2022,
Sem 1 2023,
Sem 2 2023,
Sem 1 2024

Course Coordinator: Ben Milbourne

Course Coordinator Phone: Via email

Course Coordinator Email: ben.milbourne@rmit.edu.au

Course Coordinator Location: B100

Course Coordinator Availability: Appointment via email


Pre-requisite Courses and Assumed Knowledge and Capabilities

Assumed Knowledge and Capabilities

You should have satisfactorily completed Architecture Professional Practice 1 (ARCH1331) and Architecture Professional Practice 2 (ARCH1334) before you commence this course. Alternatively, you may be able to demonstrate the required skills and knowledge before you start this course. Contact your course coordinator if you think you may be eligible for recognition of prior learning.


Course Description

The Professional Practice stream of courses is a core area of study within the architecture program and forms a key study stream supporting design studio learning and the School of Architecture and Design’s integrated practice research model.

Together, the three compulsory courses develop competencies and skills outlined in the ACCA competency standards for accreditation as well as the Australian Institute of Architects (AIA) Education policy, and will enable you to enter practice under the supervision of an architect and to apply for registration following completion of required practical experience. The professional practice stream also prepares you for working more broadly within an expanded field of practice and in shaping the built environment by developing an understanding of the complex systems within which the built environment is shaped, funded and procured.

Architecture Professional Practice 3 is the final course in the Professional Practice stream of courses in the Master of Architecture program. It consolidates and builds upon knowledge introduced through the two earlier courses. This course is specifically focused on the development of entrepreneurial skills in identifying and translating innovations in architectural practice into sustainable business models for the provision of design services, while developing literacy of business language, standard forms of representation of financial information and methods for analysing this information.

Practicing architecture and delivering good design outcomes requires financially sustainable business models that deliver value for business owners, clients, key project stakeholders and the wider community. However the design service business models of the past are no longer suitable for the emerging practice environment that graduates of architecture are entering into. These changing practice environment conditions are a result of shifts in the nature of client expectations,  consultant specialisation, new technologies in the production of design services and the delivery of buildings, regulatory environments, new building procurement modes and contract forms, demographic changes and other forces in the business of design environment.

In the context of this course students identify and critically examine a range of domestic and international design practices a that are innovating in response to emerging practice conditions and the opportunities that these changes present. Students then describe their own innovative business idea and develop their own business model to translate this idea, identifying; the proposed market for the practice; value proposition of the proposed services for their identified market, market demand for their proposed service, strategies for communicating the value proposition to their chosen market, competitor analysis/unique selling point, cost and pricing strategies, start-up cost analysis, profit & loss projections, break-even analysis, and analysis of risks specific to their chosen business innovation. 

Students are encouraged to think creatively and to apply design thinking skills established in other courses of the program to the problem of designing a practice & business model. The entrepreneurial skills & business literacy developed in the course are critical for emerging graduates in understanding the context and value of their roles in established practices and as prospective future business leaders.


Objectives/Learning Outcomes/Capability Development

Program Learning Outcomes

This course specifically addresses the following Program Learning Outlines of the Master of Architecture, this course contributes to your ability to:

  • Critically analyse, evaluate and make informed arguments on a complex range of architectural problems and situations
  • Research and examine a large range of local and international architectural works, cultural movements and ideas, their theoretical and cultural context and relevance to design in order to form a reasoned position and apply this through design
  • Professionally communicate, transmit and defend complex design ideas through verbal, visual and written media to specialist and non-specialist audiences
  • Identify, critique and apply a comprehensive body of knowledge in relation to the legal, economic, social and political context of the practice of architecture and its regulation as a profession 


Upon successful completion of this course, you will be able to: 
1. Demonstrate an understanding of innovation in contemporary architectural practice.
2. Demonstrate literacy regarding business concepts and language
3. Understand the role of entrepreneurship in the business of design and how this integrate with the professional obligations of architects.
4. Develop an innovative business idea for the provision of design services in response to emerging practice conditions and opportunities.
5. Develop skills for translation of a business idea into a sustainable business model proposal, including market analysis, value proposition, communication strategies, cost and pricing strategies, start-up cost analysis, profit and loss projections, break-even analysis, and risk analysis.
6. Present a comprehensive business model proposal in verbal and written report formats.


Overview of Learning Activities

Professional Practice is taught in a combination face to face mode and online content. The online materials are extended with individual & group projects and regular feedback and review sessions.

Learning activities include weekly teaching sessions consisting face to face tutorials with tutors drawn from architectural practice or related fields. The tutorial and review sessions will review ongoing and completed assessment tasks. These sessions offer the opportunity for discussion and questions. You will spend additional time each week working in organised groups on project work to develop collaboration, communication and management skills relevant to a professional setting.

Professional Practice courses incorporate high levels of work integration through assessment tasks and learning activities. You will simulate the resolution of practice and professional issues with assistance from the core staff and sessional tutors who are predominantly practicing architects. 

You will be engaged in learning that involves a range of activities including:

- Self-directed research and presentation of findings
- Attending tutorials and participating in class discussion
- Research through library holdings and online sources, indirect and primary sources
- Written, visual and verbal presentation of research presented in progress and through a detailed final report
- Critical and constructive feedback to peers
- Online communication

 


Overview of Learning Resources

The Professional Practice subject area has an extensive backup of online resources with a dedicated library web portal including an interface with the AIA’s Acumen, the BCA and other related professional links. The course has a dedicated Canvas site where you can access course notes, handouts, assignments and additional resources.


Overview of Assessment

You will be assessed on how well you meet the course’s learning outcomes and on your development against the program learning outcomes.

Professional practice courses require you to apply content of lectures, online course materials and research to simulated practice-based assignments. You will be assessed on how well you meet the course learning outcomes and on your development against the program learning outcomes.

Assessment will include a series of case studies investigating innovative design practices, and the development of a proposed business model that leverages an identified innovation in design practice. 

If you have a long term medical condition and/or disability it may be possible to negotiate to vary aspects of the learning or assessment methods. You can contact the program coordinator or Equitable Learning Services if you would like to find out more.

Your course assessment conforms to RMIT assessment principles, regulations, policies, procedures and instructions.

Feedback will be given on all assessment tasks.