Content, progress and pedagogy of the module

Students completing the module acquire the following: 

Learning objectives

Knowledge

• Understanding of the dynamics of the urban climate and its effects on the built environment
• Knowledge of environmentally and socially sustainable techniques for densifying the urban environment
• Knowledge of potential resources in the contemporary built environment as a catalyst to finding sustainable engineering and design solutions
• Knowledge of synergies and conflicts in climate change planning

Skills

• Can identify a relevant research problem within the field of urban transformations and sustainable engineering
• Can design a research project and use relevant research methods in order to analyse the chosen problem
• Can justify and substantiate the relevance of the chosen research problem based on relevant theories
• Can independently structure project management activities and carry out subject specific and interdisciplinary study project
• Can analyse and conceptualise complex urban projects and environments from a number of perspectives related to the ‘compact city’, e.g. climate adaptation and mitigation, densification, re-use, inclusivity
• Can analyse the interaction between environmental factors such as wind, water and the built environment
• Can utilise theories and methods in order to analyse and evaluate contemporary built environments and notions of ‘compact cities’
• Can develop a proposal that integrates engineering techniques with conceptual and spatial design
• Can plan and manage a study project in a PBL learning environment
• Can apply spreadsheets for numerical analyses
• Can apply spreadsheets to make relevant numerical-based illustrations for the project
• Can apply a reference-handling software package to properly reference the project report (e.g. Mendeley or Refworks)

Competences

• Can work with techniques for adapting to climate change in densified built environments that compile technical, spatial, social and aesthetic qualities into an integrated design solution
• Can evaluate existing situations and utilise innovative and contemporary sustainable engineering techniques in the transformation of the built environment
• Can evaluate and communicate the effects of urban transformation as environmentally and socially sustainable
• Can independently take responsibility for own learning, professional development and specialisation
• Can reflect on the project process and identify development potentials for the next study project 

Type of instruction

Problem-based project work in groups. 

Exam

Exams