Module Catalogue 2024/25

Pre Requisite Comment

For students enrolled on the K190 programme ONLY, APL2006 is a pre-requisite of participation in ARC2016.

Co Requisite Comment

For students enrolled on the K100 programme ONLY, ARC2001 is a co-requisite of participation in ARC2016.

Aims

The overarching aim of the module is to demonstrate that ‘design’ and ‘technology’ are intrinsically linked and complementary, and that in many respects they are mutually interdependent.

This module introduces construction methodologies related to medium- and large-scale buildings and outlines the principles and technologies of ‘Modern Method of Construction’ (MMC), i.e. construction methods based on systems and components, offsite prefabrication, and high performance envelopes (e.g. rainscreens and curtain walling).

Following critical examination of modern construction materials and processes, a wide range of lower environmental impact construction materials are introduced, and their potential intersection with MMC is considered.

The impact of codes of practice, BS/EN Standards, and Building Regulations on architectural design 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).

Outline Of Syllabus

This module builds upon work covered in Stage 1 and the homogenous construction methods of traditional, synthetic systems of building (e.g. in situ, loadbearing brickwork).

Structured Space, Performance Enclosure, Material, and Detail define the overarching topics of the module, which seeks to introduce the relationship between the part and the whole, the element and the component, Design and Construction process.

This module introduces construction methodologies related to medium- and large-scale buildings and outlines the principles and technologies of ‘Modern Method of Construction’ (MMC), i.e. construction methods based on systems and components, offsite prefabrication, and high performance envelopes (e.g. rainscreens and curtain walling).

Following critical examination of modern construction materials and processes, a wide range of lower environmental impact construction materials are introduced, and their potential intersection with MMC is considered.

The impact of codes of practice, standards, and statutory processes on architectural design will be outlined through a close reading of specific documents, including BS/EN Standards, and the Approved Document Building Regulations against a series of case studies.

Various common constructional systems and methodologies are considered and compared (including their history and development, material implications, common dimensional issues, reasons for their choice, and current and future applications).

Architectonics, the bringing together of elements and materials through design and construction processes, is introduced and examined carefully, with a focus on design process, whilst remaining responsible to Tolerance and Movement, Waterproofing, Thermal Performance, and Fire Protection in the framing of the lecture-based examination of precedent, and an examination of ‘Fabric-First’ thinking.

Structural assembly processes and sequences are considered, alongside the spatial implications that structural systems suggest or require of the design process.

The broader Design Team in the design and construction of the built environment, and the common roles and responsibilities are introduced to highlight the consequential need for clear and effective communication and coordination (often between many different parties and across cognate disciplines).

Intended Knowledge Outcomes

The pedagogy of this module meets, ‘Prescription of Qualifications: ARB Criteria at Parts 1, 2 and 3,’ ensuring students are able to develop ‘The General Criteria at Parts 1 and 2’ set out as follows:

GC4 Adequate knowledge of urban design, planning and the skills involved in the planning process.
The graduate will have knowledge of:
.3 Current planning policy and development control legislation, including social, environmental, and economic aspects, and the relevance of these to design development.

GC5 Understanding of the relationship between people and buildings, and between buildings and their environment, and the need to relate buildings and the spaces between them to human needs and scale.
The graduate will have an understanding of:
.1 The needs and aspirations of building users.
.2 The impact of buildings on the environment, and the precepts of sustainable design.
.3 The way in which buildings fit in to their local context.

GC6 Understanding of the profession of Architecture and the role of the Architect in society, in particular in preparing briefs that take account of social factors.
The graduate will have an understanding of:
.2 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.

GC7 Understanding of the methods of investigation and preparation of the brief for a design project.
The graduate will have an understanding of:
.1 The need to critically review precedents relevant to the function, organisation, and technological strategy of design proposals.

GC8 Understanding of the structural design, constructional and engineering problems associated with building design.
The graduate will have an understanding of:
.1 The investigation, critical appraisal of alternative structural, constructional, and material systems relevant to architectural design.
.2 Strategies for building construction, and ability to integrate knowledge of structural principles and construction techniques.
.3 The physical properties and characteristics of building materials, components and systems, and the environmental impact of specification choices.

GC9 Adequate knowledge of physical problems and technologies and the function of buildings so as to provide them with internal conditions of comfort and protection against the climate.
The graduate will have knowledge of:
.1 Principles associated with designing optimum visual, thermal, and acoustic environments.
.2 Systems for environmental comfort realised within relevant precepts of sustainable design.
.3 Strategies for building services, and ability to integrate these in a design project.

Intended Skill Outcomes

On successful completion of this module, students should be able to demonstrate developing skills enabling the identification and description, analysis, and interpretation of the following:

• Materiality and structural thinking in a completed project (what, why and how it is made of the materials and systems designed and/or selected).
• Thermal performance, and how a continuous thermal line is maintained at the intersection of elemental planes (e.g. wall and roof).
• Structural logic, and construction method (how the materials and systems intersect in three dimensions as design and performance elements).
• Understanding of the materiality, in two and three dimensions (e.g. widths, heights and thicknesses, and intersections/layers/offsets).
• Clear description of the section, analysis of the construction, and interpretation of the architectonic.

The pedagogy of this module meets, ‘Prescription of Qualifications: ARB Criteria at Parts 1, 2 and 3,’ ensuring students are able to develop ‘The General Criteria at Parts 1 and 2’ set out as follows:

GC1 Ability to create architectural designs that satisfy both aesthetic and technical requirements.
The graduate will have the ability to:
.2 Understand the constructional and structural systems, the environmental strategies, and the regulatory requirements that apply to the design and construction of a comprehensive design project.
.3 Develop 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.

GC10 The necessary design skills to meet building users' requirements within the constraints imposed by cost factors and building regulations.
The graduate will have the skills to:
.3 Prepare designs that will meet building users' requirements and comply with UK legislation, appropriate performance standards and health and safety requirements.

Teaching Rationale And Relationship

This module is taught through lectures and workshops, building on the links and community formed in studio.

The module builds upon knowledge, understanding and skill gained to date in Architectural Technology modules ARC1013 and ARC1014, and through knowledge and understanding gained more broadly across the BA Architecture programme.

The taught content facilitates the development of practical knowledge and understanding of the material and technical dimensions of building design, current trends in the construction industry, and collaborative modes of working, whilst the coursework facilitates skill development in the application of this knowledge to the group-based description, analysis, and interpretation of an allocated case study project.

Student investigations are focused upon deep analysis of three case study projects, selected to support the scale, complexity, themes, and concerns of the Architectural Design brief in module ARC2001 or APL2006.

Assessment Rationale And Relationship

There is a single component of coursework:

Group modelmaking: large scale, collaborative models, drawing out the lessons learned from an allocated case study.

This coursework seeks case-study based investigation of architecture, and its construction in detail, supported by lectures, workshops, and Q&A sessions. Working in groups, students build on the links and community formed in the Architectural Design Studio module ARC2001 or APL2006, conducting investigations focused upon deep analysis of case studies selected to support: the development of principles and paradigms for application to the studio project in ARC2001, or to equip reflection and analysis of the studio project in APL2006.

The key aim of the module is to demonstrate that ‘design’ and ‘technology’ are intrinsically linked and complementary, and that in many respects they are mutually interdependent.

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 are available at: http://www.arb.org.uk/qualifications/arb_criteria/arb_criteria.php