Module overview
This module strives to enable students to address climatic building design and develop the sustainable urban concepts required to achieve the significant energy and carbon reductions required in the future.
Aims and Objectives
Learning Outcomes
Subject Specific Intellectual and Research Skills
Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:
- Analyse the principles and evaluate the constraints to achieve more sustainable communities. [EA7M, D9M, D10M, D11M, EL11M, P10m]
- Analyse a design task. [EA6M]
- Formulate an integrated design / engineering concept and evaluate the solution in response to given requirements. [EA7M, D10M, D11M, P12M, P9m]
Subject Specific Practical Skills
Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:
- Demonstrate the ability to present and defend a projected urban development concept in a team. [G1, G4]
- Develop clear and concise presentation material to convey your design and engineering ideas. [G1, G4]
- Research appropriate technologies for your scoping study. [G1]
- Write and illustrate a scoping study with appropriate graphs. [G1]
Transferable and Generic Skills
Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:
- Concept and design development. [G1]
- Oral presentation. [G1, G4]
- Plan and organise both time and resources. [P11m, G4]
- Team work. [P11m, G4]
Knowledge and Understanding
Having successfully completed this module, you will be able to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of:
- The set-up of a scoping study for a selected topic including targets to achieve the goals of the study. [EA6M, D9M, D10M]
- The development of an urban sustainability concept integrating the various issues required to create a sustainable community. [SM7M, SM9M, D10M]
- The relationship between urban design, architecture, engineering and sustainability to develop a holistic approach. [SM7M, SM9M]
Syllabus
This module links the design of buildings and urban environments to the wider context of achieving sustainable communities and neighbourhoods. It will comprise the following:
1. Urban Systems, Sustainability and Communities
Introduction to urban metabolism, principles of urban sustainability, and the relationships between space, community, and the built environment. Exploration of how cities function as interconnected environmental, social, and economic systems.
2. Urban Design and Infrastructure
Principles of urban design, urban environmental quality, transportation planning, and integrated urban infrastructure. Examination of sustainable urban systems including water management, heat networks, and micro-wind technologies.
3. Healthy, Resilient and Liveable Cities
Investigation of wellbeing in cities through the design of healthy, resilient, and inclusive urban environments, considering environmental quality, public spaces, and community outcomes.
4. Low-Carbon Building Design
Fundamentals of integrated building design with a focus on achieving net-zero carbon outcomes. Topics include embodied carbon, passive solar design, passive ventilation, passive cooling, and the role of renewable energy technologies such as photovoltaics, solar thermal systems, and micro-wind.
5. Building Environmental Performance (comfort and energy)
Principles and application of building environmental systems to optimise occupant comfort and energy performance. Topics include daylighting, building acoustics, thermal comfort, and the integration of passive and active design strategies.
6. Carbon Assessment and Reporting
Methods for quantifying and reporting carbon emissions in the built environment. Students will develop an understanding of carbon accounting, performance assessment (BREEAM), and reporting frameworks to support sustainable design and regulatory compliance.
Learning and Teaching
Teaching and learning methods
The course will comprise of lectures and practical sessions related to the topics given above. Practical sessions will include impromptu design tasks on selected problems. This will be complemented by a 2 day workshop related to the group assessment and the individual scoping study report.
| Type | Hours |
|---|---|
| Lecture | 20 |
| Wider reading or practice | 60 |
| Preparation for scheduled sessions | 6 |
| External visits | 6 |
| Follow-up work | 4 |
| Practical classes and workshops | 24 |
| Completion of assessment task | 30 |
| Total study time | 150 |
Resources & Reading list
Internet Resources
.
Textbooks
Pelsmakers S., (2012). The Environmental Design Pocketbook. RIBA.
Halliday, S., (2008). Sustainable Construction. Oxford:. Oxford: Butterworth-Heinemann - An imprint of Elsevier..
Heywood H. (2013). 101 Rules of Thumb for Low Energy Architecture. RIBA.
Assessment
Summative
This is how we’ll formally assess what you have learned in this module.
| Method | Percentage contribution |
|---|---|
| Group presentation | 40% |
| Individual report | 60% |
Referral
This is how we’ll assess you if you don’t meet the criteria to pass this module.
| Method | Percentage contribution |
|---|---|
| Individual report | 100% |
Repeat Information
Repeat type: Internal