HOME DESIGN APPRENTICE PROGRAM

Home Design Apprentice is our training website. This website is used to train North South Studio franchisees as well as general students who wish to further their studies. It was developed using the Moodle online teaching platform, as well as other online educational platforms such as Thinkific, Teachable, Udemy in the near future .

The program contains 18 courses with a total of  118 lectures, ranging in length from 30 minutes to 1 hour and 3 studios. Assignments, test, quizzes, and design projects are used to evaluate each student.

Training program

 

ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN 1 -  ( 9 lectures)

This is our introductory course to residential architectural design. In this course you will learn the basics of architectural design within a residential context. You will first be introduced to various styles of residential design over the last few centuries from 18th century homes to modern architecture concepts.

The course then progresses to basic concepts of the design process including things like design brief and design development. You will also be required to develop freehand sketching skills as well as a sense scale, visualization and 3-dimensional thinking

The course will then conclude with a final design project incorporating the concepts taught throughout the course.

ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN 2 -  ( 3 studios)

In this course you will apply the skills and knowledge acquired in ARCH101 to produce complete residential designs through three design studios.  

REVIT INTRODUCTION - ( 9 lectures)

This is the introductory course to Autodesk's Revit Architecture. In the course you will be introduced to the Revit interface by covering the basic features of Revit. Each lecture in this introductory course introduces the student the various features of Revit to maximize efficiency and accuracy. You will be introduced to the basic concepts in BIM (Building Information Modelling)   

 

REVIT MODELLING FUNDAMENTALS - ( 8 lectures)

In this course you will begin to implement your knowledge of BIM fundamentals acquired in REV 201 to construct Revit models. Through a series of lectures and exercises you will draw an entire model from start to finish using the assemblies and families created in the first Revit course.

 

REVIT CONSTRUCTION DRAWING FUNDAMENTALS - ( 7 lectures)

In this course you will learn how to create effective and dynamic construction drawings using Revit. Using the models created in REV202, you will learn how to customize Revit to produce clear and detailed construction drawings to industry standards. Lectures covers topics ranging from floor plan, sections to annotations and sheet setup. 

 

REVIT DETAILING FUNDAMENTALS - ( 5 lectures)

In this course you will expand his skills to produce more detailed and technical construction drawings. Focusing on detailing, this course will expand your Revit knowledge and skills to near expert level. Topics will include plan detailing, drafting views and third-party detail importing.  

 

RESIDENTIAL CONSTRUCTION THEORY 1 - ( 10 lectures)

This is the introductory course to residential construction. You will be introduced to the fundamental concepts in residential construction. This course serves to prepare you to understand the underlining concepts of how a building works and behaves. Without getting too technical the course will prepare you for future technical courses that include building codes and advanced construction concepts. 

RESIDENTIAL CONSTRUCTION THEORY 2 - ( 9 lectures)

In this course you will expand your knowledge of residential construction and tackle topics and concepts of increasing complexity. Like it's prerequisite course RCT 301, RCT302 is a theoretical course dealing more with concepts and general construction practices and the methodology behind each subject covered. The course does not delve into the minute detail components of the subject matter like the building code courses do, but rather the theory and rational behind each concept. 

BUILDING CODES 1 - ( 11 lectures)

In this course you will be introduced to the building regulatory industry along with associated legislation that governs residential construction. You will learn where to obtain and how to interpret various technical documents relating to residential construction and design. Documents covered will the building code and various standards.

BUILDING CODES 2 - ( 9 lectures)

In this course you will expand his/her knowledge of building codes with the introduction of increasing more technical and advanced building code legislation and technical standards. These will include bracing legislation and design, advanced cladding methodologies and how building codes relate to renovations and additions.

 

BUILDING SERVICES - ( 6 lectures)

In this course you will be introduced to the various building services required during residential design and construction. Topics will include plumbing, electrical and mechanical services as well other concepts such septic systems and sustainable services. This course is both theoretical, technical and practical. You will learn how to understand, research legislation and design a complete MEP system for a typical residential building.  

SITE SERVICES - ( 6 lectures)

In this course you will be introduced to various documents and information that are required to prepare an accurate site plan within a residential context. Documents reviewed will include site surveys topographical surveys municipal as built drawings. You will learn how to access these documents and services from various sources. This course is both theoretical and practical. You will be required to prepare a full site plan with topographical features both existing and proposed as well as site services.

URBAN PLANNING AND ZONING FUNDAMENTALS - ( 6 lectures)

In this Course you will be given a quick introduction to the concepts of urban planning and zoning. Documents studied and reviewed will include district plans and their rules and how they affect residential design and construction. Touching on the brief introduction given in our first architectural course you will research the proper district plan requirements for a specific site. A full site analysis will be performed as well as a luminary site layout. Other topics will include various documentation required when applying for resource consents with councils.

 

SPECIFICATION WRITING AND ESTIMATING - ( 8 lectures)

In this course you will be introduced to the concepts of specification writing and residential construction estimating. Topics will include specific specification language, product research, supporting documentation and cost analysis of various residential construction products. Smart spec specification writing software will be introduced. A full specification and supporting documentation document will be prepared. The course will also touch on construction scheduling via Microsoft project.

CONSTRUCTION LAW - ( 7 lectures)

In this course you will be introduced to the legal aspect of residential construction and design. Topics will include the participants in the construction industry, types of contracts, construction documentation, litigation and arbitration, land acquisition and real estate law. This course is a purely theoretical course and will involve assignments and a final exam.

 

 

SUSTAINABLE DESIGN - ( 8 lectures)

In this course you will be introduced to the concept of sustainable design. Topics will include sustainable sites, sustainable landscaping, microclimates, active systems, passive cooling and heating. This course is both theoretical and practical. A sustainable site and preliminary drawings for a sustainable home will be prepared as part of a final assignment.