Module Catalogue 2024/25

Pre Requisite Comment

N/A

Co Requisite Comment

N/A

Aims

This module seeks to develop climate literacy in architectural practice, and support the ongoing development towards the competency and confidence to practice architectural design with material, technical, environmental and structural responsibility, awareness and understanding.

This module builds upon the foundations of knowledge, understanding and skill established in Stage 1 of the BA Architecture degree programme, to develop understanding of the embodied and operational energy associated with design and construction of the built environment, and foster skill in the material and technical aspects of architectural practice.

This module runs in parallel to the ARC2001 Architectural Design module, ie concurrently, and at a similar pace in terms of complexity, process, and project stages. The intention is that knowledge and understanding gained from the module will be applied to the technical development of the architectural design project (eg structure, material, enclosure) through workshop-based practice of professional competencies and skills.

Outline Of Syllabus

The syllabus covers the following topics through in-class analysis of exemplar case studies, statutory documents and governing bodies, architectural project documentation, methods and practices, and textbook extracts:

Embodied and operational energy in the design and construction of the built environment;
Fabric First design principles for passive low-energy environmental design, including Cradle to Cradle design;
Principles for Passivhaus design and construction;
Structural logic, materials, systems, and paradigms for the design of structured space;
Principles of Fire Safety Design: ignition, development and spread of fire; fire performance of construction materials; design for fire safety;
Site-wide and building-specific principles for water management, reuse, and Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems (SUDs);
Dimensioning and setting-out of works on site, spatial geometries, and material arrangements;
Technical, environmental and creative criteria for material selection, processing/fabrication, and construction;
Methods of integrating material matters in spatial design development (both written, eg annotation and specification writing, and drawn/modelled, eg geometry and linework).

The relationship between statutory processes and routes to approval, codes of practice, BS/EN Standards and Building Regulations and architectural design practices will be outlined, and the ethos of holistic sustainability reinforced [from the energy embodied in the building fabric, to the operational energy of the constructed building].

Knowledge of the syllabus is developed in a core lecture format, each introduced by reading extracts prepared for study in advance. Understanding and skill is developed through discussion of the topics, and application of the models and methods in small group workshops, and non-assessed, formative sessions.

Intended Knowledge Outcomes

On successful completion of the module, students will gain knowledge of:

the relationship between design and construction of the built environment, embodied and operational energy;
efficient building technologies, materials, structure and construction logics and systems, and their relationship to context and site, environment and climate, and impact upon population and individual user;

Additionally, this module will enable students to gain an understanding of:

the constructional and structural systems, the environmental strategies and the regulatory requirements that apply to the design and construction of a comprehensive design project (ARB GC1.2);
the needs and aspirations of building users (ARB GC5.1);
the impact of buildings on the environment, and the precepts of sustainable design (ARB GC5.2);
the way in which buildings fit in to their local context (ARB GC5.3);
the role of the architect within the design team and construction industry, recognising the importance of current methods and trends in the construction of the built environment (ARB GC6.2);
the need to critically review precedents relevant to the function, organisation and technological strategy of design proposals (ARB GC7.1);
the investigation, critical appraisal and selection of alternative structural, constructional and material systems relevant to architectural design (ARB GC8.1);
strategies for building construction, and ability to integrate knowledge of structural principles and construction techniques (ARB GC8.2);
the physical properties and characteristics of building materials, components and systems, and the environmental impact of specification choices (ARB GC8.3).

Intended Skill Outcomes

On successful completion of the module, this module will enable students to develop the skills and ability to:

practice a conceptual and critical approach to architectural design that integrates and satisfies the aesthetic aspects of a building and the technical requirements of its construction and the needs of the user (ARB GC1.3);
propose designs that will meet building users’ requirements and comply with UK legislation, appropriate performance standards and health and safety requirements (ARB GC10.3);
critically evaluate the architectonic processes, practices and constructions of contemporary architectural practice;
apply principles of low embodied and operational energy building to the architectural design project;
develop the architectural design project through material, structural and environmental knowledge, and to demonstrate this through the following:
1. diagrams and drawings establishing cross-referencing between site, material, space and environmental concerns (eg sun path, wind rose, flood zones, through to structural load path, thermal line, airtightness line, weatherproofing line, acoustic separation and servicing routes);
2. text-based dimensioning, annotation, and outline, descriptive specification writing;
3. modelling-based simulation and performance calculation;
4. drawings and models setting out spatial geometry and material arrangements.

Teaching Rationale And Relationship

The module seeks to support technically rigorous, climate literate architectural design practice, employing practical workshops to support the students' application of knowledge and understanding to the design project, and the development of skill through formative practice.

Teaching fosters development of the confidence and competency to work across the sites of meaning-production in contemporary architectural practice – drawing, building, model, text – which are many and varied in form, content, process, and practice.

Teaching and learning is delivered in a variety of formats to create a field of study at the intersection of these sites, and foster the development of knowledge, understanding and skill in spatial design processes informed by climate literacy and developing technical competence by seeking application of technical processes to an architectural design project. The nature of this symbiotic practice is introduced in the teaching through critical discussion of archive design material (working drawings, specifications etc), environmental simulation (modelling and calculation), documented translation (fabrication and construction processes), and a series of case studies and constructed assets (prototypes, finished buildings, landscapes and infrastructure elements).

Clear, succinct assessment criteria are introduced, setting out the intended learning outcomes and signposted throughout the teaching in order to frame the subjects and objects of study both practically and intellectually.

Assessment Rationale And Relationship

The assessment rationale is founded on the principle that architectural practice represents the exchange of ideas, methods, and lessons of creative material practice and the technical aspects of material matters.

The assessment calls for students to synthesise research and practice, to develop individual design through weekly technical skills workshops and to prepare a report which intellectually and contextually frames, documents, and evaluates workshop-based practice in defined and discrete ways.

The assessment criteria require students to demonstrate practical knowledge and understanding of the material and technical dimensions of building design, and to demonstrate developing skills related to exemplar levels of building performance, responsible material sourcing, efficient structural systems, and to understand the relationship between embodied and operational energy in the design and construction of the built environment.

General Notes

This module contributes towards delivering the following RIBA/ARB Prescription Criteria for Qualifications: GC1.2/3; GC4.3; GC5.1/2/3; GC6.2; GC7.1; GC8.1/2/3; GC9.1/2/3;GC10.3

Details of the Criteria can be obtained from the link below:

http://www.arb.org.uk/qualifications/arb_criteria/arb_criteria.php