DESC9014: Semester 1, 2022

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Units DESC9014 Semester 1 2022 [Block mode]

Unit of study_

DESC9014: Sustainable Construction Technology

Semester 1, 2022 [Block mode] - Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney

Overview

This unit covers three related areas of investigation: basic building construction practices, advanced sustainable construction practices and environmental rating of building construction. It begins by introducing a number of recurrent themes in construction in Australia at the present time including the idea of building culture, the various modes of delivery and variety of classifications of buildings and building elements and rational construction. There follows a review of sustainable construction techniques of domestic scaled buildings using, where appropriate, examples of well documented and/or accessible exemplars. The second part of the unit reviews current approaches to sustainable building technologies employed in more complex public and commercial scaled buildings, particularly with regard to processes of structural system selection, facade systems design and construction and material performance. Aspects of the National Construction Code and integration of services into the building fabric relevant to building services engineers will also be reviewed. Finally the unit will review current issues related to environmental rating of building materials.

Unit details and rules

Unit code	DESC9014
Academic unit	Architectural and Design Science
Credit points	6
Prohibitions ?	None
Prerequisites ?	None
Corequisites ?	None
Assumed knowledge ?	None
Available to study abroad and exchange students	Yes

Teaching staff

Coordinator	Ozgur Gocer, ozgur.gocer@sydney.edu.au

Type	Description	Weight	Due	Length
Assignment	Sustainable assessment of a case-study Case study and report	40%	Week 08	A3 x 10 pages
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Smart Technical Report - material or component Design and report	60%	Week 13	A3 x 10 pages
Outcomes assessed:
= group assignment ?

Assessment summary

Sustainable assessment of a case-study: Locate a recently constructed small-scale building to analyse as a case study. You will need to source plans, elevations and sections and other construction documents to undertake your analysis on its environmental impact. You will need to synthesise your research material with a series of self-generated sketches and diagrams to show adopted technologies, materials and construction methods. Your case-study analysis must be completed with a series of self-generated graphics and charts to explain the impact and level of applied technologies and sustainability.
Smart Technical Report - material or component: Students are required to prepare a Smart Technical Report (STR) explaining developments and opportunities of a selected construction material or building component. You will design and elaborate an STR which will have to link technologies, construction methodology and sustainability to communicate current trends to specialist and non-specialist audiences. The STR will need to be designed to present your research in a simple and clear manner by using self-generated infographic design completed with sketches, diagrams, graphics and charts. Your infographic design will be based on an analysis of a broad range of academic and industry data. The STR report will be completed with a brief text for each paragraph accompanied by self-generated sketches and diagrams. The STR could also be integrated with photos.

Detailed information for each assessment can be found on Canvas.

Assessment criteria

The University awards common result grades, set out in the Coursework Policy 2014 (Schedule 1).

As a general guide, a high distinction indicates work of an exceptional standard, a distinction a very high standard, a credit a good standard, and a pass an acceptable standard.

Result name	Mark range	Description
High distinction	85 - 100
Distinction	75 - 84
Credit	65 - 74
Pass	50 - 64
Fail	0 - 49	When you don’t meet the learning outcomes of the unit to a satisfactory standard.

For more information see sydney.edu.au/students/guide-to-grades.

For more information see guide to grades.

Late submission

In accordance with University policy, these penalties apply when written work is submitted after 11:59pm on the due date:

Deduction of 5% of the maximum mark for each calendar day after the due date.
After ten calendar days late, a mark of zero will be awarded.

Academic integrity

The Current Student website provides information on academic integrity and the resources available to all students. The University expects students and staff to act ethically and honestly and will treat all allegations of academic integrity breaches seriously.

We use similarity detection software to detect potential instances of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breach. If such matches indicate evidence of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breaches, your teacher is required to report your work for further investigation.

You may only use artificial intelligence and writing assistance tools in assessment tasks if you are permitted to by your unit coordinator, and if you do use them, you must also acknowledge this in your work, either in a footnote or an acknowledgement section.

Studiosity is permitted for postgraduate units unless otherwise indicated by the unit coordinator. The use of this service must be acknowledged in your submission.

Learning support

Simple extensions

If you encounter a problem submitting your work on time, you may be able to apply for an extension of five calendar days through a simple extension.  The application process will be different depending on the type of assessment and extensions cannot be granted for some assessment types like exams.

Special consideration

If exceptional circumstances mean you can’t complete an assessment, you need consideration for a longer period of time, or if you have essential commitments which impact your performance in an assessment, you may be eligible for special consideration or special arrangements.

Special consideration applications will not be affected by a simple extension application.

Using AI responsibly

Co-created with students, AI in Education includes lots of helpful examples of how students use generative AI tools to support their learning. It explains how generative AI works, the different tools available and how to use them responsibly and productively.

Weekly schedule

WK	Topic	Learning activity
Week 03	Introduction to the unit Introduction to Sustainable construction & LCA Construction sustainability in Australia: possibilities, regulations and main drivers in construction industry	Lecture (3 hr)
	Building Classification & Introduction to eTool Introduction to Assignment 1	Seminar (2 hr)
	Building case-study (analysis)	Tutorial (2 hr)
Week 05	LCA in Construction Sector- eTool Workshop	Lecture (3 hr)
	Low Environmental Impact materials- Ecological Materials-Embodied Energy and carbon footprint in Construction	Seminar (2 hr)
	Building case-study (reading graphs and charts, check of self-selected case study)	Tutorial (2 hr)
Week 08	LCA and the construction Circular Economy (The impact of each building phase and opportunity of reducing a building environmental impact on the environment- Explaining 3Rs)-Green Star Regulations-Case studies	Lecture (3 hr)
	Building Technologies 1 (Heavyweight materials) Introduction to Assignment 2	Seminar (2 hr)
	Presentation-Assignment1	Presentation (2 hr)
Week 09	Building Technologies 1 (Lightweight materials) Materiality 1- Glass	Lecture (3 hr)
	Guest Lecturers: The use of concrete in AU construction sector & Sustainability of Concrete Engineered Wood Solutions	Seminar (2 hr)
	Smart technical report (reading performance and proprieties)	Tutorial (2 hr)
Week 11	Materiality: Energy Codes/Standards for buildings (Thermal insulation materials) Procurement and Delivery Methods Conclusion of the unit	Lecture (3 hr)
	Guest Lecturer: Complex Construction Systems Excellence in sustainable building practices	Seminar (2 hr)
	Smart Technical Report (comparison studies)	Tutorial (2 hr)

Attendance and class requirements

1. Please refer to the Resolutions of the University School: http://sydney.edu.au/handbooks/architecture/rules/faculty_resolutions.shtml

2.Students are required to submit an application for special consideration if they need an extension for an assignment.

3.Special consideration is only applicable for short-term circumstances that are beyond your control, such as illness, injury or misadventure. UoS Coordinators can permit a simple 2-day extension under special circumstances.

4.More information and details available at:
http://sydney.edu.au/students/special-consideration-and-arrangements.html

5.Unless a special consideration is approved or a disability adjustment is granted, penalties apply to late submissions: http://sydney.edu.au/architecture/documents/CS/forms/latesubattendance.pdf

6.Turnitin similarity matching software must be used for all assignments. It can only accept files 40 MB or less

7.Reference any material that is not yours.

8. All instances of Academic dishonesty will be reported.

9. For more details on Academic Appeals, please see: http://sydney.edu.au/student_affairs/academic_appeals/process.shtml

10. Students must acknowledge all sources of feedback, editing, and proof-reading.

11. More information and details available at:
http://sydney.edu.au/handbooks/architecture/rules/faculty_resolutions.shtml

Study commitment

Typically, there is a minimum expectation of 1.5-2 hours of student effort per week per credit point for units of study offered over a full semester. For a 6 credit point unit, this equates to roughly 120-150 hours of student effort in total.

Required readings

Ching, Francis D K. Building Construction Illustrated. 5th ed. Hoboken : Wiley, 2014.
Hegger, Manfred (et al.). Construction Materials Manual. English ed. Munich : Edition Detail, 2006.
Schittich, Christian (Ed.). Building Skins. Basel : Birkhauser, 2012.
Hyde, Richard. Climate Responsive Design : A Study of Buildings in Moderate and Hot Humid Climates. New York : E & F N Spon, 2000.
Lawson B. Building materials, energy and environment: towards ecologically sustainable development, Royal Australian Institue of Architects, Red Hill ACT
El Khouli, Viola, Martin Construction techniques : from structural design to material selection : assessing and improving the environmental impact of buildings, GmbH & Co., KG, 2015
Watts, Andrew. Modern Construction Handbook, Berlin: Abra, 2013.
Crawford, Robert. Life cycle assessment in the built environment. Routledge, 2011.
Curran, Mary Ann, ed. Life cycle assessment handbook: a guide for environmentally sustainable products. John Wiley & Sons, 2012.
Horne, Ralph, Tim Grant, and Karli Verghese. Life cycle assessment: principles, practice and prospects. Csiro Publishing, 2009. (3) Assessment title

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes are what students know, understand and are able to do on completion of a unit of study. They are aligned with the University's graduate qualities and are assessed as part of the curriculum.

Outcomes
Graduate qualities

At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:

LO1. appreciate the broader context of the construction industry in Australia
LO2. understand broadly the basic principles and current best-practice building technologies
LO3. identify technological components to produce analyses with sketches and diagrams
LO4. collect and analyse information in relation to building technologies with sustainable design and clearly communicate results and conclusions in report and infographic form
LO5. investigate case studies to independently develop your knowledge of building technologies and sustainable construction techniques
LO6. evaluate opinions, make decisions and reflect critically on technical decisions and their impact on the environment.
LO7. understand the key aspects of sustainable construction and basic principles of life cycle assessments
LO8. use efficiently a life-cycle assessment software

Graduate qualities

The graduate qualities are the qualities and skills that all University of Sydney graduates must demonstrate on successful completion of an award course. As a future Sydney graduate, the set of qualities have been designed to equip you for the contemporary world.

GQ1	Depth of disciplinary expertise Deep disciplinary expertise is the ability to integrate and rigorously apply knowledge, understanding and skills of a recognised discipline defined by scholarly activity, as well as familiarity with evolving practice of the discipline.
GQ2	Critical thinking and problem solving Critical thinking and problem solving are the questioning of ideas, evidence and assumptions in order to propose and evaluate hypotheses or alternative arguments before formulating a conclusion or a solution to an identified problem.
GQ3	Oral and written communication Effective communication, in both oral and written form, is the clear exchange of meaning in a manner that is appropriate to audience and context.
GQ4	Information and digital literacy Information and digital literacy is the ability to locate, interpret, evaluate, manage, adapt, integrate, create and convey information using appropriate resources, tools and strategies.
GQ5	Inventiveness Generating novel ideas and solutions.
GQ6	Cultural competence Cultural Competence is the ability to actively, ethically, respectfully, and successfully engage across and between cultures. In the Australian context, this includes and celebrates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, knowledge systems, and a mature understanding of contemporary issues.
GQ7	Interdisciplinary effectiveness Interdisciplinary effectiveness is the integration and synthesis of multiple viewpoints and practices, working effectively across disciplinary boundaries.
GQ8	Integrated professional, ethical, and personal identity An integrated professional, ethical and personal identity is understanding the interaction between one’s personal and professional selves in an ethical context.
GQ9	Influence Engaging others in a process, idea or vision.

Outcome map

Learning outcomes	Graduate qualities
Learning outcomes

Responding to student feedback

This section outlines changes made to this unit following staff and student reviews.

The lectures were redesigned according to feedback.

Disclaimer

The University reserves the right to amend units of study or no longer offer certain units, including where there are low enrolment numbers.

To help you understand common terms that we use at the University, we offer an online glossary.

Current students

Overview

Overview

Unit details and rules

Teaching staff

Assessment

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment criteria

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

Weekly schedule

Weekly schedule

Attendance and class requirements

Study commitment

Required readings

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Disclaimer

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