Climate Design of Buildings and Cities

Learning Outcomes

Knowledge and Understanding

Having successfully completed this module, you will be able to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of:

• 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]
• The set-up of a scoping study for a selected topic including targets to achieve the goals of the study. [EA6M, D9M, D10M]

Transferable and Generic Skills

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

• Plan and organise both time and resources. [P11m, G4]
• Concept and design development. [G1]
• Team work. [P11m, G4]
• Oral presentation. [G1, G4]

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:

• Research appropriate technologies for your scoping study. [G1]
• Develop clear and concise presentation material to convey your design and engineering ideas. [G1, G4]
• Write and illustrate a scoping study with appropriate graphs. [G1]
• Demonstrate the ability to present and defend a projected urban development concept in a team. [G1, G4]

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.

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.

Summative

This is how we’ll formally assess what you have learned in this module.

Referral

This is how we’ll assess you if you don’t meet the criteria to pass this module.