Program Overview

Course Overview

The course SARC 212, Furniture Design, Construction and Technologies, is a studio-based survey of concepts, processes, and materials used in the furniture industry and their creative application in the design of furniture and furnished environments.

Course Details

• Dates: 6 July 2026 to 8 November 2026
• Starts: Trimester 2
• Fees:
  • NZ$1,205.55 for domestic students
  • NZ$5,558.70 for international students
• Lecture Start Times:
  • Wednesday 9:30am
  • Friday 9:30am
• Campus: Te Aro
• Estimated Workload: Approximately 150 hours or 8.3 hours per week for 18 weeks
• Points: 15

Entry Restrictions

• Prerequisites: DSDN 111 or SARC 112
• Corequisites: None
• Restrictions: None

Taught By

The School of Architecture — Faculty of Architecture and Design Innovation

Disclaimer

This course outline may be subject to change.

Key Dates

Find important dates, including mid-trimester teaching breaks, on the University's key dates calendar. Assessment dates will be provided once the course has begun.

About This Course

This on-campus course explores fundamental elements of furniture design in relation to materials and manufacturing techniques. Students will undertake project work from early concept iterations to a finalized concept design stage, including relevant construction details and pre-production drawings.

Course Learning Objectives

Students who pass this course should be able to:

1. Research and interrogate the role of modeling, materials, construction, and structure in developing and supporting design concepts.
2. Gain insight into the cultural, social, and economic parameters for generating furniture design concepts.
3. Incorporate pragmatic factors (structural, material, human, contextual) of furniture into a poetic, sensitive, aesthetic design response.

How This Course Is Taught

The course material will be delivered through lectures, group reviews, tutorials, and prototyping tutorials in the workshop. Tutorials are designed to help students progress their assignment work.

Assessment

• Assignment 1: Individual, 20%
• Assignment 2 (a): Concept and Design Process, Individual, 15%
• Assignment 2 (b): Mock-up, Individual, 20%
• Assignment 3: Individual, 45%

Mandatory Requirements

To pass this course, students must:

1. Complete the Workshop Orientation before the course starts or within the first two weeks.
2. Achieve an overall pass mark of at least 50%.

Lecture Times and Rooms

• 6 July 2026 to 16 August 2026
• 31 August 2026 to 11 October 2026

What You'll Need to Get

Students will need to provide all materials and equipment necessary for the completion of coursework.