I extend a warm welcome to all new Bachelor of Environments students. I also welcome back those returning after a well-deserved holiday break. I wish you all the very best for a successful and rewarding year.

I am writing from the Heads and Deans’ Conference where some employers have described what they look for in new graduates. Your learning experiences within the Bachelor of Environments will position you well. Employers need graduates who can work across discipline boundaries dealing with complex issues. But be proactive within your education and more broadly within the university. There are opportunities available for you to develop a unique palette of skills that will make you stand out. You might go on exchange or take a language. You might develop strength in music or business as well as your major.

If you are new to university, don’t underestimate how hard it is to do well. You will be negotiating new ways of learning about new materials. Take advantage of our mentor program. Be careful as submission dates often collide at the end of semester. But also have fun with the many extracurricular activities and clubs available.

Clare Newton
Acting Program Director
Bachelor of Environments

Exhibition dates: 17 February - 7 March 2014
Venue: Wunderlich Gallery, 757 Swanston

The 2nd Skin exhibition showcases wearable volumes, deploy-able envelopes and structures that accommodate the complex geometry of the body. Designed and made by first year students of the Bachelor of Environments, Virtual Environments subject during Semester 2 of 2013, each project develops techniques of measuring and defining personal spaces through the manipulation of material systems.

Working through the material systems, each project is modeled digitally using 3d modelling software and fabricated from a 2d cutting template which is output directly through CNC card or laser cutter. The fabricated components are then hand folded and assembled; fusing digital technology with craft sensibility.

Congratulations to new Bachelor of Environments student and Winter Olympian Brodie Summers who has placed 13th in the Men’s Moguls Freestyle Skiing in Sochi, Russia.

As a two-year-old Brodie started skiing with his family in the Victorian Alps. He first competed in moguls at Interschool Championships in 2005 and formed an instant love for the event.

We are excited to have Brodie join the 2014 Bachelor of Environments cohort.

If you need to rearrange your timetable, remember that undergraduate subjects will have extra places available in workshops, tutorials and studios, to be released on Monday 24 February.

If after 24 February you have a timetable clash, first check to see if it can be resolved using the Clash Resolution Document. If you require assistance, please call 13MELB (13 6352) or visit the Environments and Design Student Centre.

Want chance a win a 13” MacBook Pro OR a 16GB iPad mini Wi-Fi + Cellular OR one of five $100 Co-op bookshop vouchers? Spend just 10-15 minutes to complete the 2014 Commencing Student Survey.

The survey is open to all newly enrolled, first year undergraduate and graduate coursework students.

Share your skills, passion and enthusiasm and really make a difference in the communities where we live, work and study.

As part of the University’s partnership with the Carlton Community, we have a number of student volunteer opportunities throughout the year. From events like Harmony Day and the increasingly popular Carlton Community Sports Carnival to homework clubs and links with the local primary and secondary school children, you can connect, contribute and develop valuable skills – and most importantly, have fun while you’re at it!

Volunteer hours contributed to the Carlton Community Partnership can be used towards gaining a Leaders in Communities Award.

Register your interest by email or by calling Mary Robb on (03) 9035 8503.

Get ready for 2014 by working on your English language skills before classes start.

Academic Skills are running a series of workshops for ESL students between 18 & 20 February 2014.

• Grammar Essentials
• Speaking Clearly
• Improve your English in 10 minutes a day
• Writing Longer Assignments

To enrol: login to SAS and find the workshops in the Events tab.

Presentation: 'Between Green and Sustainable: Emerging Ideas for Asia and Australia' by Nirmal Kishnani

Date: Monday 24 Frebruary 2014, 6:30 - 8:30pm
Venue: Carrillo Gantner Theatre, Sidney Myer Asia Centre
Register: RSVP online

Together with Holcim, Melbourne School of Design will host a keynote lecture and panel discussion by Dr. Nirmal Kishnani, internationally-known advocate for sustainable architecture.

Dr. Nirmal Kishnani is Assistant Dean and Program Director at the School of Design and Environment at the National University of Singapore, where he formulates curriculum and teaches sustainable design. Dr. Kishnani is also Chief Editor of FuturArc.

The lecture will develop many of the themes and insights presented in Kishnani’s recent book, Greening Asia - Emerging Principles of Sustainable Architecture, regarded as the first book to critique the rising tide of Green in Asia and propose principles for sustainable design that are Asia-centric.

AA Autumn Semester Programme 2014: London
Applications due:  25 July 2014

The AA Semester Programme is a full-time 15-week studio-based course open to undergraduate and graduate students from around the world. The programme is integrated with the AA’s undergraduate history and theory seminars and media studies courses, and is designed to allow transferable study credits and the AA School awards a Certificate of Completion.

An emerging urban scale redefines the London city outline while on the same ground heritage policies protect listed urban environments. The reading of a character of the place and the definition of a new city image becomes a challenging design task which would base the units agenda.

Competition closing date: 24 March 2014
Prize: Total of USD 2 million

The Holcim Awards is an international competition that recognizes innovative projects and future-oriented concepts on regional and global levels. A total of USD 2 million in prize money is awarded in each three-year cycle.

The competition seeks projects that demonstrate an ability to stretch conventional notions about sustainable building and also balance environmental, social and economic performance – while also exemplifying architectural excellence and a high degree of transferability.

The competition has two categories:

• The Holcim Awards: open to architects, planners, engineers, project owners, builders and construction firms
• The Holcim Awards “Next Generation”: open to young professionals and university students where all project authors are no older than 30 years of age.