Understand
User, lifestyle & needs
Academic Portfolio · Design Studio I
Residential
Design Studio
The First Design Journey
Course overview
Learning to design a home for the first time.
A foundation studio where students move from understanding a resident to organising a complete home. The emphasis is on process: asking the right questions, building relationships, planning zones, and communicating a coherent first proposal.
- Level
- Design Studio I
- Format
- Foundation Studio
- Focus
- User · Function · Space · Home
- Role
- Lecturer · Studio Guidance · Assessment
The first design journey
One clear process turns needs into space.
Students learn that a successful home begins with people—not decoration.
Analyse
Site, activities & relationships
Plan
Zones, circulation & furniture
Develop
Concept, colour & materials
Communicate
Plans, sketches & elevations
From client to space
Listen first. Design second.
Daily routines, privacy, hobbies, family structure, storage, and future needs become the brief that guides every later decision.
Who lives here?→How do they live?→What must the home support?
01
Residential zoning
Three zones organise the home.
Grouping related activities helps students balance connection, privacy, access, and everyday efficiency.
Social
Living · Dining · Reception
Private
Bedrooms · Bathrooms · Retreat
Service
Kitchen · Laundry · Storage
Space planning
Relationships become a workable plan.
Each drawing answers a different question, moving from loose thinking to a resolved arrangement.
Function Chart
What belongs together?
Bubble Diagram
How should spaces connect?
Zoning
Where should each group sit?
Floor Plan
How does it work at scale?
Planning the rooms
Comfort begins with use.
Kitchen
Work sequence · storage · safe movement
Living
Conversation · views · flexible gathering
Bedroom
Privacy · rest · clear circulation
Clearances
Human scale · access · everyday comfort
Project 01
Featured foundation project
A Warm, Organised Family Home
A young couple's routines, shared work needs, small gatherings, and preference for natural warmth guide an earthy residential concept with clear functional zoning.
Choosing finishes
Materials must look right—and live well.
Function
Fit for the room
Durability
Made for daily use
Maintenance
Practical to care for
Aesthetics
Supports the concept
Project 02
Concept-led outcome
Coastal Calm Apartment
A sea-inspired concept moves from sensory references and a restrained palette into zoning, a rendered plan, and expressive room sketches.
Project 03
Family-home outcome
Soft Contemporary Family Home
A multifunctional home planned around family routines, children, gathering, and a calm pastel material language.
Teaching approach
Guide the process.
Build the confidence.
01Question02Research03Diagram04Plan05Sketch06Resolve
Learning outcomes
A practical foundation
for every studio ahead.
Client
Translate a user profile into clear spatial needs
Zones
Organise social, private, and service functions
Flow
Plan practical circulation and furniture relationships
Scale
Apply basic dimensions, ergonomics, and clearances
Concept
Build a coherent residential mood and material language
Drawings
Communicate ideas through plans, sketches, and elevations
Design Studio I
Where design thinking begins.
Academic portfolio