3703167: Sustainable Design - Master-Thesis

Description

• Design of buildings, their sitting, their energy use, the choice of construction, materials and processes, as well as the quality of their internal environment and micro-climate focussing the issues of sustainability and the performance of the building envelope.
• Developpment of creative design skills integrating sustainable building technology.
• Guest lecturers and professors coming from an international context teaching alternating contents as compact projects, which complement the regular Projects Studios.
• Debate on current topics from practice, theory and research within the lecture series.

Lecture Goals

The module Master-Thesis Sustainable Design seeks to establish the theoretical and professional frame to an integrated, intellectual and specific architectural debate and project making within the concentration Sustainable Design.
The topics center on issues to develop critical positions towards subjective reasoning in the field of sustainable design and to further the ability to root these positions in the theory of building construction and technology, as well as in the political, sociological, and cultural context of contemporary architecture and society.
One or several excursions are complementary to the project studio work.

The aim of the module is to provide students with the necessary architectural tools and intellectual instruments and avareness to integrate the knowledge aquired in the entire MSc Degree-Program into a responsible and sustainable professional behaviour.
The Master-Thesis student is expected to submit a complete Thesis-Project that instigates the work of the students in the lower semesters and represents the architectural and intellectual culture of the concentration Sustainable Design.

Learning Outcomes

At the end of the module each student should have the ability to demonstrate and/or work with:

• Knowledge that covers and integrates most of the principle areas, features, boundaries, terminology and conventions of the discipline of architecture focused on the issues of sustainability and the performance of the building envelope.
• A researched understanding of sustainability in order to take a position as a designer reflected in the ability to devise and implement strategies for sitting, energy use, choice of construction, materials and processes, as well as for the quality of the internal environment and micro-climate.
• A researched and integrated knowledge of building construction and materials, structural design and energy transfer mechanisms synthesized in coherent design projects that express architectural intentions and considerations of a sustainable environment.
• Execute complex defined and self-defined projects of research, development or investigation and identify and implement relevant outcomes.
• Communicate and articulate ideas and informations fluently in english language and work comprehensively in visual, oraland written forms.
• Make formal presentations about specialist topics to informed audiences.
• Exercise autonomy and initiative in carrying out set project briefs and self-directed programme of study.
• Demonstrate ability to manage time and physicalresources in relation to set project briefs and self-direct programmes of study as an individual and a group member.
• Development of critical position as an individual designer and contribute this to the on-going studio debate. Deal with complex ethical and professional issues.

Lectures Method

Studio delivered and project based, with students being tutored individually and in groups. This is supported by lectures that explain the principles that underlie sustainable design and provide the intellectual cultural and technological context for the study in achitecture.
Lectures, seminars.

Admission Requirements

• Admission requirements for the Master of Science in Architecture Degree Program