Course overview
This course focuses on the relationship between humans, the environment and sustainable design at a building and site level. Topics covered include human thermal comfort, bioclimatic architecture, low energy design, water sensitive design, waste management, materials, on-site power generation, user issues, as well as environmental performance assessments and life-cycle energy and cost analysis. It provides the necessary skills to evaluate and knowledge to design a self-sufficient minimum or zero carbon small scale building. Building Performance Simulation tools (such as Design Builder, or Rhino/Grasshopper and related plugins) will be introduced in this course.
Course learning outcomes
- explain climate responsive design principles for a specific location, perform solar shading analysis and design shading devices suitable for the location
- perform environmental assessments of a small scale building design using a computer simulation program
- evaluate an existing design and develop a self-sufficient, minimum or zero carbon design proposal for a small scale building, supported by environmental and life cycle analyses