Module Catalogue 2024/25

Pre Requisite Comment

N/A

Co Requisite Comment

For students enrolled on the K100 programme ONLY, ARC3001 is a co-requisite of participation in ARC3016.
For students enrolled on the K190 programme ONLY, ARC8090 is a co-requisite of participation in ARC3016.

Aims

ARC3016 introduces a range of sophisticated concepts, strategies, and technical responses in relation to the design of Net-Zero Carbon and Ultra-Low Energy Buildings including the introduction, knowledge, and application of the wider ecologies and impacts of resource use in the built environment and the role of buildings in delivering future sustainable, equitable, Net-Zero Carbon communities. It also consolidates concepts and understandings of the business and management principles of architectural practice, the architect's role and responsibilities in relation to the wider building industry, planning frameworks, building control and health and safety legislation.

The course builds on the foundations established in BA Architecture Stage 2 and Stage 3 M-AUP as well as directly informs the BA Architecture Stage 3 and Stage 4 M-AUP graduation design project. It tests students’ personal thinking and approaches in response to how to resolve and integrate strategies and responses within the design of more complex buildings and building massing – sustainable zero-carbon building concepts, sustainable material and construction practices, and wider environmental and ecological strategies.

This requires students to think philosophically and strategically and apply in detail technical concepts and solutions as an integral part of the design decision making process and as a generator and driver for the conceptual ideas in the ARC3001 Design Project.

The main aims throughout the course are to:

• Build on the role that Net-Zero Carbon technologies and Net-Zero Energy building design impacts future sustainable building construction practice as it relates to more complex urban formations and medium- to large-scale buildings of increased programmatic, spatial, and environmental complexity covering a range of material, structural, environmental, and tectonic strategies.

• Enable students to understand building technology as being an integrated ‘strand’ of the iterative process of design from inception through to completion, rather than something which is ‘bolted-on’ or considered ‘at the end’, and thereby encourage each student to develop a personal philosophical position in relation to a range of more complex issues related to sustainable environment, society, technology, economy, and policy.

• Enable students to gain a wide and in-depth knowledge of relevant legislation, codes of practice, and issues surrounding sustainability, net-zero carbon design and construction, circular economy, mitigation and adaptation measures, fire safety, and design and constructional health and safety, and the competing and often contradictory demands these impose on architectural practice.

• Introduce ideas of 'choice' as they relate to net-zero carbon building design and sustainable specification, with a view to enabling students to understand the value of buildings, materials and constructions, with a particular emphasis on energy, waste reduction, human behaviour, and ecological impacts.

• Encourage the integration of both ‘strategic’ and ‘detailed’ approaches to sustainable building design and net-zero carbon technologies via the conceptualisation of formal, material and structural responses and to further examine the extent to which ‘detail’ and ‘constructional’ design can convey and complement a wider architectural intent and an ethical position in relation to future sustainable development.

Outline Of Syllabus

The course contains several interrelated components designed to give a strong foundation in the design of net-zero carbon buildings, sustainable materials and technologies, and the wider environmental, social, economic, and political contexts in support of the development, from concept to detail of technical strategies for the BA Architecture Stage 3 and Stage 4 M-AUP Graduation Project.

The course is delivered through a Lecture Series, Engineering Symposium, Technical Tutorials, and a Detailed Design Review. Lectures are delivered across Semesters 1 and 2 and are organised around the technical symposia and detail design reviews and take place in three mini-block delivery formats. The mini-Technical Symposia take place in Semester 2 and establish more in depth and applied technical principles which focus on the application and integration of technology from a conceptual to detail level. These are co-delivered with external practicing architects and specialist consultants in a series of technical workshops.

BLOCK 1: THEORY, CONCEPTS & PRACTICE CONTEXT

Semester 1 lectures establish a context in the parallel development of theory, design and technology related to sustainable building innovation, introducing a knowledge and understanding of:

• Circular economy, efficiency of means, industrialisation and prefabrication in relation to resources, materials, components, assemblies and entire buildings.

• These are considered in relation to the broader issue of ‘value’ (societal, personal, monetary, and ethical).

• Sustainable building assessment methodologies are introduced – including the architect’s role, and an awareness that the demonstration of a certain standard of performance is not a neutral act.

• These are understood within the wider context of the sustainable development goals, natural capital, and ecosystem services and underpin the basis for a sustainability toolkit for design.

• This is used to inform the development of a personal sustainability position for the ongoing development of the individual Graduation Project design proposal.

BLOCK 2 & 3: STRUCTURE, FIRE, ENVIRONMENT & ENVELOPE

The lectures, engineering mini-symposia and practical demonstrations introduce more in-depth issues covering various interrelated topics that govern the sustainable design of buildings and their technical resolution and support the technical concepts and detailed resolution of individual design proposals. Topics covered will include:

• Concepts for structuring space including strategies for load transfer, stability and structural efficiency, integration and organisation of space, across a range of structural materials.

• Fire and life safety design including regulations and design principles for minimisation of fire, smoke generation and spread, means of escape, access for emergency services, performance specifications and detailing, protecting of building users, and ethics.

• The relationship between buildings, settlements and communities, and supporting infrastructures in terms of heat, electricity, water, and waste including human behaviour, resource minimisation, and strategies for supporting and enhancing biodiversity and local ecologies.

• Principles for designing Net-Zero Energy Buildings including designing for physiological, psychological and embodied experience, passive and active design, low and zero-carbon energy generation and storage, ventilating, heating, cooling, and services integration.

• Low Embodied Carbon and Whole Life Carbon construction principles including material choices and specifications in relation to embodied energy, thermal mass, design for deconstruction, thermal envelope quantification, and embodied energy analysis.

• These elements of learning are designed to further emphasise the importance of material choices both technical and aesthetic, the junctions and the process of assembly, both constructional and with a focus on tectonic intent.

Intended Knowledge Outcomes

The module provides students with an introduction to and knowledge of:

• Various key issues relating to sustainable lifecycle including understanding of different approaches to reducing embodied carbon, net-zero energy construction as well as strategies for waste minimisation through reduction, reuse, and recycling.

• A knowledge of current development control legislation particularly with regard to sustainability, embodied energy, circular economy, environmental performance, as well as an overview of sustainable building assessment tools and metrics and the relevance of these to design development.

• The needs and aspirations of building users together with the impact of buildings on the environment, and the precepts of sustainable design, particularly as they relate to more complex non-domestic uses, larger building assemblages and settlements including multi-storey, medium- to long-span systems as well as adaptive reuse and retrofit.

• The nature of professionalism and the duties and responsibilities of architects to clients, building users, constructors, co-professionals, the wider society, and environment as these relate to architectural technology and construction – particularly in regard to preparing and questioning project briefs and formulating an individual ethical position.

* The business and management principles of architectural practice including the role and responsibilities of architects within the wider building industry; the management of projects and risks, and the processes and approvals for delivering construction projects

• The investigation, critical appraisal, and integration of knowledge of alternative structural, constructional systems, and the physical properties and characteristics of different sustainable building materials and components relevant to architectural design, and the ability to assess and minimise the environmental impact of these specification choices.

• Understanding of different approaches to reducing CO2 emissions from energy in-use including alternative hybrid, mixed mode environmental, and servicing strategies for medium- to large-scale buildings, the integration and balancing of low and zero carbon generating technologies including the use of storage and larger infrastructures for energy balancing.

• Understanding of the impact that fire and life safety legislation has on architectural design, from strategic planning to technology, construction, specification choices, and protection of users.

Intended Skill Outcomes

The module should enable students to:

• Develop knowledge and the ability to integrate principles of net-zero carbon environmental design concepts, sustainable building technologies, structural and constructional systems, fire and life safety design and methods into on-going studio projects in relation to programmatically complex new-build and retrofit applications.

• Develop understandings of relevant elements of UK, European, and worldwide legislation and drivers concerning leading sustainability and environmental performance standards, wellbeing, safety, and ethical requirements.

• Use the conventions of architectural representation, together with written and visual communication methods and appropriate media (including sketching, modelling, digital and electronic techniques), to clearly and effectively convey and critically appraise technology related design ideas, choices, and proposals.

• Manage, appraise, and critically reflect on aspects of student’s own working practices and design choices.

Teaching Rationale And Relationship

Teaching is primarily by practicals in workshops and studio supported by a-synchronous lectures which establish a framework for learning.

A mixture of scheduled and structured activities, including recorded mini-lectures, reading, and skills-based tasks are carried out individually and in small student groups in three delivery-blocks over the course of two weeks each, in order for students to build their knowledge of advanced architectural technology, develop the skills to locate and evaluate information independently, and synthesise this within their individual graduation project designs. These are supported by directed reading and skills practice between module activity days, and towards the end of the Semester 2 in an Interim Technical Review and assessment preparation.

Students are encouraged to undertake independent research within an area of personal interest drawing from material introduced in lectures in the formulation of the technical report. The students’ learning is supported by synchronous activities such as module talks, surgeries, and studio-based practicals and seminars.

Assessment Rationale And Relationship

The Coursework involves the development of a technical report focusing on integrated technical design within the graduation projects of ARC3001 or ARC8090. Graphical report of about 1000 words and 30 pages in length formatted in relation to the graduation portfolio.

In the light of the intended knowledge and skills outcomes the 100% coursework assessment allows a strong linkage between technology understanding and the personally developed design work in the studio and fosters an integrated approach to the synthesis of design and technology.

If a student fails the assessment, they will be required to resubmit and achieve a passing mark at the second attempt in order to pass the module.

General Notes

This module contributes towards delivering the following RIBA 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; GC11.1/3

This module contributes towards delivering the following ARB Prescription Criteria for Qualifications:

FB4, FC2/3/4/5, SA1/2/3/4, SB1/2/3/4/5, SC1/2/3/4, SD1/2/3

Details of the Criteria are available at: http://www.arb.org.uk/qualifications/arb_criteria/arb_criteria.php