We live in the world by design. Creating the everyday environment in which we live involves complex systems of cultural meaning, visual communication and the use of tools, technology and materials. As a field of study, Environmental Design encompasses the built, natural, and human environments and focuses on fashioning physical and social interventions informed by human behaviour and environmental processes.

Design asks us to find answers to the most fundamental of human questions: how should we live in the world and what should inform our actions? This complex endeavour requires an interdisciplinary approach, so the Faculty’s activities involve co-operative research and professional education ventures with governments, the private sector, professional associations and local communities.

The professional degree programs in Environmental Design work together to provide the skills and knowledge required to participate in a wide range of existing employment sectors, and to pioneer in new fields. Architects, Planners, Industrial Designers, Environmental and Urban Designers and Environmental Scientists can be found in architectural and urban design, construction, land development, environmental planning, ecotourism, energy management, wildlife and resource management, computer graphics and visual simulation, environmental modelling, urban management and finance, sustainable development, community planning, product design and manufacturing, transportation planning, building science, biotechnology, environmental health, environmental law and government policy roles.