The Design Make Live module asks students to design, prototype and test by living in an original and innovative 1:1 project. Working in groups, the students design and make the project in studio and workshop spaces, with weekly design tutorials and timetabled reviews. The project is to be inhabited in a particular way by the students and critically assessed before and after. The module acts as a microcosm for the construction industry and also serves as a test-bed for more detailed individual learning and critical inquiry in the related modules Design Make Information and Materials, Mechanics and Making.

The aims of the module are:

 To engage students in a live design and make project from initial conception, via a unit brief and iterative design development process leading to prototyping stages, to final fabrication, inhabitation and post-occupancy analysis, and thus feedback on the whole process.

 Designing and Making is central to this module, with the aim for students to develop design acumen, group working abilities, the ability to critically reflect on design decisions made during the process, and on how they might be improved upon in future circumstances with the benefit of hindsight.

 To support the learning outcomes outlined below.

On successful completion of the course, each student will have achieved the following learning outcomes:

 Understanding of key design skills and how to place them into a live experimental project.

 Understanding of how to work well in a team to deliver the best outcome for the project.

 By inhabiting the project in some capacity, students learn first-hand the importance of good design and are then well-placed to critically reflect on their design, fabrication and assembly strategies and skills.

 Developed a deeper understanding of skills and abilities taught in the Making Information Module through the application of these techniques on the Design Make Live project.

 Other modules are also able to use this project as a test-bed and scenario for their specific learning outcomes.

 Synthesise the broad range of methods for Design Make Information Masterclasses, from free-hand drawing techniques through to CAD, GIS and G-Code.