Program Overview

Introduction to INDN 241: Sustainable Mediums

The course INDN 241, also known as Sustainable Mediums, is designed to stimulate students to explore and experiment with a range of design-focused mediums, materials, and techniques. The primary focus of this course is on sustainability, where students will gain competence in creating contextual design interventions and responsive objects.

Course Details

• Course Code: INDN 241
• Course Name: Ngā Huarahi Toitūtanga - Sustainable Mediums
• Duration: 18 weeks
• Start Date: 6 July 2026
• End Date: 8 November 2026
• Trimester: Trimester 2
• CRN: 28187
• Campus: Te Aro
• Lecture Time: Friday, 8:30 am
• Fees:
  • Domestic students: NZ$1,083.45
  • International students: NZ$5,235.75
• Points: 15
• Estimated Workload: Approximately 150 hours or 8.3 hours per week

Entry Restrictions

• Prerequisites: 75 points including 30 pts from the BDI or BAS schedules
• Corequisites: None
• Restrictions: None

Course Objectives

Students who pass this course should be able to:

1. Prepare a set of individual design criteria and apply them to analyse, critique, and reinterpret existing artefacts in relation to sustainability.
2. Differentiate and assess design materials, processes, and technologies in the context of sustainability.
3. Experiment with, employ, and evaluate sensory stimulation.

How the Course is Taught

• The course includes lectures, studios, and tutorials that require in-person attendance.
• Lecture recordings will be made available for subsequent revision.
• Demonstrations, design experiments, and discussions will occur during studio classes.
• The class will be divided into tutorial groups for discussions and feedback.

Assessment

• Physical Scale Model and Article with Visuals: 25% (expected workload: 25 hours outside of class time)
• Design Reinterpretation and Prospective Article: 35% (expected workload: 35 hours outside of class time)
• Model and Demonstration Video: 40% (expected workload: 42 hours outside of class time)

Mandatory Requirements

There are no mandatory requirements for this course.

What You'll Need to Get

• Students will need to provide all materials and equipment necessary for the completion of coursework.
• Students are required to find and source a variety of materials independently and experiment with them throughout the trimester.
• Understanding of technical and safety information about materials, equipment, and processes is necessary before starting any experiments.

About the Course

This course encourages students to see artefacts as tangible proposals that designers conceived, shaped, and materialized through deliberate and purposeful processes. Students will investigate materials, structures, patterns, and manufacturing techniques and contemplate possible design intent, purpose, message, and context embodied in an artefact. Building upon their discoveries and hypotheses, students will plan and construct a series of objects using uncommon materials under a certain set of design constraints and for a specific purpose or target audience.