Making the sustainability learning

and assessment experience real for

undergraduate construction students.

Linda Kestle and Roger Birchmore

>>FACULTY OF TECHNOLOGY AND BUILT ENVIRONMENT

Examine/explore certain SDC concepts and apply them in a real world context:• Environmentally Sustainable Design and Construction; Passive

Solar Design(designing for the actual site, natural lighting ventilation and orientation to the sun), et al. Green buildings.

• Systems that aid a reduction in the impacts of the built environment in use.

• Energy consumption, thermal storage, and sources of pollution in the construction process and built environment in use.

• Water consumption and conservation.

• Life cycle impacts and sustainability of materials selection and use.

• Construction Environmental Management Plans

• Approaches to costs in use, life cycle costing and life cycle analysis.

Sustainable design and construction course overall topics and aims.

DEPARTMENT OF CONSTRUCTION

>>FACULTY OF TECHNOLOGY AND BUILT ENVIRONMENT

• A different conceptual scenario has been set each year requiring the students to work in self selected groups of 3 to apply the majority of the concepts introduced to them during the course, to a hypothetical project consisting of skeletal layout plan, section and elevations and stakeholder criteria.

• Each of the groups is then allocated to one of a wide range of different north and south island regions, as they need to investigate what challenges need to be satisfied to actually locate and build the project in their allocated region from an SDC and RMA perspective.

• The groups each have to be able to publicly and academically justify their choices, decisions, calcs et al whilst also providing realistic responses to the assessment criteria set, including meeting a strict yet affordable budget .

The focus and nature of the real-time project assignment(s)set

DEPARTMENT OF CONSTRUCTION

>>FACULTY OF TECHNOLOGY AND BUILT ENVIRONMENT

2012 concept skeleton for SDC assignment

>>DEPARTMENT TITLE EDIT IN HEADER & FOOTER

>>DEPARTMENT TITLE EDIT IN HEADER & FOOTER

>>FACULTY OF TECHNOLOGY AND BUILT ENVIRONMENT

2013 concept skeleton for SDC assignment

DEPARTMENTOF CONSTRUCTION

>>DEPARTMENT TITLE EDIT IN HEADER & FOOTER

>>FACULTY OF TECHNOLOGY AND BUILT ENVIRONMENT

• The assignment aims to test their ability to grasp the various concepts on the course, involve them in investigative research appropriate for a level 6 degree course, and apply this knowledge to a project that is as real as possible in terms of its demands and challenges.

• The groups make a summative presentation to their peers and hypothetical stakeholders (RB and LK) and they also submit a 6-7000 word report and an A2 poster (but in 2013 it will be a worked up ‘sketchup 3D model’ and report).The marking criteria and focus changes each year to ensure uniqueness and to minimise the risk of plagiarism.

• We run an open workshop on the assignment at least once during the course, and remain available to answer any questions via moodle forums and email.

Submission requirements and approach

DEPARTMENT OF CONSTRUCTION

>>FACULTY OF TECHNOLOGY AND BUILT ENVIRONMENT

Overall:

• The students (CM and QS) are at first a bit overawed, by the challenges, but then they get enthused and inquisitive and engaged…and enjoy working with the ALF and sketchup models too.

• They are quite competitive with the other groups

• There are some that always question the budget and whether it will be feasible, and every year they find to their surprise it is

• The value of the learning and its use in their ‘real world’ always seems to be mentioned as a definite plus every year.

Students feedback informal and formal

DEPARTMENTOF CONSTRUCTION