Sustainable development is now a well-accepted approach to decision making in many sectors of community and professional life. It is a concern to which not only all tiers of government and industry are responding but also the community at large, as demonstrated through consumer preferences. The trend is global and will undoubtedly have a lasting impact on how we design and build our houses, cities and other infrastructure as well as on how we educate and train our professionals and the community.

In response to the glowing need for knowledge and skills in this area, UNSW offers the Master of Built Environment in Sustainable Development for graduates from a wide range of backgrounds such as architecture, landscape architecture, urban planning, building, property development and civil engineering.

Buildings and urban environments represent a major source of human impact on natural ecosystems and sustainable development has now become a major concern of urban policy and development. There is an increased demand for built environment and related professionals to develop knowledge and skills appropriate to sustainable development, and an expansion of specialised career opportunities in both the public and private sector. The Master of Built Environment (Sustainable Development) is an advanced interdisciplinary coursework program which provides opportunities for professionals to improve their knowledge and skills in the application of the principles of sustainable development to the planning, design, construction and management of buildings and the urban environment. While approached from an international perspective, the program places special emphasis on the rapidly developing South East Asian region.

The program aims to:

• improve understanding of the issues in sustainability, their interconnectedness and interdependencies at building, neighbourhood, city and regional scales
• develop skills in energy/ environmental modelling, assessment tools, Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), sustainable planning and design, Triple Bottom Line (TBL)
• develop understanding of human factors and urban planning considerations
• create specialisation through a graduate project and electives

The Master, Graduate Diploma and Graduate Certificate of Built Environment in Sustainable Development are fully articulated programs, which allow for flexibility in course selection and progression. It is possible for students to start with a Graduate Certificate and progress to a Graduate Diploma or Master, dependant on results.

The programs are supported by industry specialists and academics who assist students in developing a broad understanding of key issues as they affect the built environment, as well as in building key sets of skills to serve growing professional needs.

A recognised Bachelor degree with grades of credit average or above. Where an applicant’s qualifications are not considered adequate, admission may be permitted into the Graduate Certificate, with the possibility of upgrading to the Master program, subject to satisfactory performance.

The program comprises 4 core courses, a Research Project or a Design Studio, and a number of electives for a total of 72 units of credit (UOC). Students may specialise by completing a Research Project or a Design Studio. The Design Studio pathway gives students from design disciplines the opportunity to apply and develop their knowledge base with a studio class of professional practitioners, including students from the Master of Urban Development and Design and Master of Architecture programs.

SUSD0001 Sustainable Development and Urban Environment 6

SUSD0002 Resources, Materials and Sustainability 6

SUSD0003 Energy and the Built Environment 6

SUSD0004 Human Factors, Sustainability and Habitability 6

Plus

SUSD0006 Research Design Methods 6

SUSD0005 Graduate Research Project 18

Elective Courses 24

Or

SUSD0007 Design Studio 12

Note: SUSD0007 Design Studio may be substituted by one of the following with the approval of the Program Director.

ARCH7103 Architectural Design Project 1

ARCH7104 Architectural Design Project 2

UDES0002 Urban Design Studio 2

UDES0003 Urban Design Studio 3

Elective Courses 36