module specification

This module focuses in detail on how different aspects of technology interact within the context of larger and more complex buildings. The module introduces methods, terms and techniques that can be used to evaluate the range of different relationships that appear under the heading of technology.  In particular the module investigates buildings and interiors that may involve multiple clients, for example public buildings and/or medium-density housing. It examines how and why standards are developed as well as the remit for research and experiment. The module expands the knowledge of structures, materials, construction and detailing, environmental performance and comfort and building services, with particular attention given to sustainability as an ethical framework of values and responsibilities shaping the design of buildings and interiors.

The module introduces as a framework the professional practice and academic framework of architecture as outlined by the Architects Registration Board’s Prescription of Qualifications Criteria (GC1-GC11)

The module aims to develop the student’s confidence in making design decisions. It extends their ability to identify strategies and assess the values involved in technological issues through the preparation and presentation of technical proposition at a range of drawing scales. The module enhances the student’s knowledge and understanding of building technologies and familiarizes them with the process of how to make well considered judgments, on the premise that relationships between various items or even categories of technological knowledge can be modelled and evaluated in  different ways. The module aims to develop a student's repertoire of practical and conceptual skills – including vocabulary – that can keep pace with their growing knowledge of the subject and help realise their design projects in technological terms.

Completion and pass (120 credits) of Level 4 equivalent. Co-requisites AR5001A Design Skills 2.1; AR5002A Design Project 2.2

A series of lectures, seminars and workshops will be taught across some of the 5 principal learning areas that explore the complexities inherent in technological strategies, technical details and design solutions listed below. The knowledge gained will be further developed and implemented through a technical analysis of contemporary case study projects, providing a practical framework through which to evaluate building technologies, environmental performance and broader aspects of sustainability whilst further offering an insight into best practice approaches to sustainable design and construction detailing. The core learning areas are:

A) Structure
• the ability to analyse, design and evaluate a variety of structural systems and the significance of their contribution to a design proposal;
• the regulatory requirements applying to structures and their components;
• the consequences of the choice between alternative structural systems and awareness of its environmental impact as part of a comprehensive design proposal;

B) Materials
• the ability to analyse, and evaluate materials, their properties, their combinations, and the possibilities of their uses as part of a design proposal;
• the critical appraisal of material choice with respect to their appropriateness compared to available alternatives;

C) Construction
• the critical analysis of architectural precedent to inform the selection and design of appropriate structural, material and constructional systems;
• the ability to devise strategies for the construction process and the integration of structural components into the overall;
• the review of precedents relevant to the technological strategies employed; their underlying principles or the specific functions of components within the proposal;
• the regulatory requirements applying to the construction process;

D) Environment
• the principles of architectural design in response to local climatic conditions;
• the design and integration of building services into a comprehensive design approach;
• the principles of designing architectural environments with regard to day lighting, thermal comfort and acoustics;
• the use of passive, active and mixed-mode strategies of environmental comfort and control to reduce a building’s energy requirements and lower carbon footprints;
• the role of the architect to effectively communicate the scope, build-up and complexity of a project sufficient to satisfy statutory requirements and to meet the environmental performance requirements of the end-user;

E) Services
• the ability to analyse, design and evaluate building services as a significant part of the design proposal;
• the review of precedents relevant service strategies employed; their underlying principles, and the integration of their specific functions within the proposal;
• the ability to analyse, design and evaluate urban infrastructure and their components and their significance within the design proposal.

Scheduled teaching ensures that independent study is effective and addresses the learning outcomes and assessment tasks. Students are expected to, and have the opportunity to, continue with their studies outside of scheduled classes. There will be a range of learning strategies deployed and individual learning styles will be accommodated. The module’s learning outcomes, its contents and delivery, have been scrutinised and will be regularly reviewed to ensure an inclusive approach to pedagogic practice.

The module and course utilise the University’s blended learning platform to support and reinforce learning, to foster peer-to-peer communication and to facilitate tutorial support for students. Reflective learning is promoted through assessment items and interim formative feedback points that ask students to reflect on their progress, seek help where they identify the opportunity for improvement in learning strategies and outcomes, and make recommendations to themselves for future development. Throughout the module, students build a body of work, including reflections on progress and achievement.

The School’s programme of employability events and embedded work-related learning within the curriculum supports students’ personal development planning. Through these initiatives, students are increasingly able, as they progress from year to year, to understand the professional environment of their disciplines, the various opportunities available to them, and how to shape their learning according to their ambitions.

On successful completion of this module students will be able to:

1. demonstrate an awareness of the professional practice and academic framework of architecture;
2. show a basic understanding of the complex and dynamic relationships involved in building technology, in particular the structural design, constructional and engineering problems associated with larger-scale building design;
3. use different techniques and media to model and communicate technological relationships in order to examine, analyse, explain, compare, and evaluate particular solutions to design problems;
4. utilise an increased knowledge of physical problems and technologies and the function of buildings in the design of sustainable internal conditions of comfort and protection against the climate;
5. show a understanding of alternative materials, processes and techniques that apply to architectural design and building construction within contemporary practice.

Technology Book
A collated document demonstrating an organised knowledge and understanding of the principles of the core syllabus areas: structures, materials and construction, building services, environmental comfort and sustainability. The Technology Book documents each student’s participation in the core lectures and workshops and consists of text, photographs (scanned, labelled and annotated), sketches, diagrams, scaled drawings and a set of references for all texts consulted.

Core Text:

Ching, F. D. K., (2013) Building structures illustrated: patterns, systems, and design, John Wiley & Sons
Deplazes, A., (2008) Constructing Architecture, Birkhäuser
Greeno, R., and Hall, F., (2009) Building services handbook, Routledge
Heywood, H., (2012) 101 rules of thumb for low energy architecture, Riba Publishing
Lyons, A., (2014) Materials for architects and builders, Routledge
McLean, W., Silver, P. and Evans, P. (2013) Structural engineering for architects: a handbook, Laurence King
McMullin, P. W. and Price, J. S. (eds) Introduction to Structures, Routledge
Moxon, S., (2012) Sustainability in interior design, Laurence King
Pelsmakers, S., (2014) The Environmental Design Pocketbook, Riba Publishing
Silver, P., and McLean,. E., (2013) Introduction to architectural technology, Laurence King

Other Texts:
Herzog, T., et al., (2004) Timber construction manual, Walter de Gruyter
Kind-Barkauskas, F., et al., (2002) Concrete construction manual, Walter de Gruyter
Schittich, C., et al., (2007) Glass construction manual, Walter de Gruyter
Schulitz, H. C., Sobek, W. and Habermann, K. J. (2002) Steel Construction Manual. Walter de Gruyter

Journals: 
Architects Journal
Architectural Record
Architectural Review
Architecture and Urbanism
Architecture Today
Blueprint
Croquis (El)
Detail,
Domus,
RIBA Journal

Websites:
alfed.org.uk
arb.org.uk
architecture.com
brick.org.uk
bssa.org.uk
concretecentre.com
copperalliance.org.uk
environment-agency.gov.uk
glassonweb.com
historicengland.org.uk
hse.gov.uk
london.gov.uk
netcomposites.com/guide-tools/guide/
planningportal.gov.uk
rics.org.uk
steelconstruction.info/The_Steel_Construction_Information_System
trada.co.uk
wrap.org.uk

Electronic Databases:
CIS (Construction Information Service)