The degree to which a building is 'sustainable' is the subject of much debate. This course contributes to understanding how to best approach issues of sustainability in architectural design. One approach is to set a range of agreed ecological indicators and to assess the design against these and other similar buildings. Conducting such an assessment is increasingly being demanded of architects by local, state and national regulatory authorities and clients prior to development approval and construction. Architects are required to provide an accurate and quantifiable assessment of the environmental credentials of their design proposals. This assessment should be inclusive of the aesthetic intentions of the design without resorting to generic ESD solutions. This course is concerned with exploring opportunities provided by the environmentally sustainable credentials of a design proposal to generate architectural ideas that inform design thinking and practices. This course will allow students to assess a previous studio design proposal in terms of thermal performance, energy used in manufacturing of materials, the ability of the building to be self sufficient for its resource requirements and waste reduction. Design assessment will be conducted using spreadsheets, the Ecotect simulation program, Airpak, Radiance and/or LCAid, life cycle assessment software. Interaction between the design modifications made as a result of the assessment process and the original design will be explored and documented using CAD. Course material will be presented as lectures (in the computing lab) and on line technical tutorials. Students are expected to undertake the tutorials independently so that allocated lab hours can be used effectively. There will be 3 assessment tasks requiring students to undertake individual and groupwork. This course is open to Architecture students who wish to explore the nexus between environmental sustainability and informed architectural design.