Program Overview

Course Overview

The course ARCI 411, also known as Architecture Design Research I, is a studio-based advanced design project. It requires students to pursue an area of disciplinary specialization through a research question, with project options including domestic, institutional, and urban scales. The emphasis is on architecture as the creative solution to an identified problem.

Course Details

• Dates: 23 February 2026 to 21 June 2026
• Starts: Trimester 1
• Fees:
  • NZ$1,376.40 for domestic students
  • NZ$6,048.90 for international students
• Lecture Start Times:
  • Monday 12:40 pm
  • Thursday 12:40 pm
• Campus: Te Aro
• Estimated Workload: Approximately 150 hours or 8.8 hours per week for 17 weeks
• Points: 15

Entry Restrictions

• Prerequisites: ARCI 312
• 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

Important dates, including mid-trimester teaching breaks, can be found on the University's key dates calendar. Assessment dates will be communicated once the course has begun.

About This Course

The central aim of ARCI 411 is to develop design-led research expertise in a studio context. Students explore a significant architectural design question in an advanced response to environmental and technological aspects of a problem. The course is not available for distance study and is delivered on-campus at the Te Aro Campus.

Course Learning Objectives

Students who pass this course should be able to:

1. Demonstrate applied research approaches applicable to the identification, development, and execution of a focused design project.
2. Demonstrate critical thinking and the ability to integrate architectural elements.
3. Develop effective design proposals from a range of alternatives.

How This Course Is Taught

• Studio Teaching: Through tutorial presentations, critical review, group discussions, and exercises. Tutorials involve self-directed and tutorial-directed study, with an emphasis on group participation.
• Lectures: Notified ahead of time, with recordings available in Nuku for revision.
• Workshops: May be offered for learning software, with Rhino considered the default modeling tool.

Assessment

• Phase 1: Pre-Design / Concept Development (10%): Individual
• Phase 2: Concept Design (40%): Individual
• Phase 3: Developed Design (50%): Individual Assessment dates and information about extensions can be found in Nuku.

Mandatory Requirements

There are no mandatory requirements for this course.

Group Work

There is no group assessment, but some studio streams may include a component of group work, with details provided in project descriptions. Group assessment marks may not exceed 15% of the final course grade.

Lecture Times and Rooms

• 23 February 2026 to 5 April 2026
• 20 April 2026 to 31 May 2026

What You'll Need to Get

No specific texts or equipment are required for this course.

Course Administration

The course is administered by:

• Professor Daniel Brown, Course Coordinator
• Dr. Sam Kebbell, Course Administrator
• Daniele Abreu e Lima, Course Administrator
• Tane Moleta, Course Administrator