AR50450: Non-conventional materials and technologies
 Academic Year: | 2019/0 |
| Owning Department/School: | Department of Architecture & Civil Engineering |
| Credits: | 6 [equivalent to 12 CATS credits] |
| Notional Study Hours: | 120 |
| Level: | Masters UG & PG (FHEQ level 7) |
| Period: |
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| Assessment Summary:
| CW 100% |
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| Supplementary Assessment: |
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| Description:
| Aims: This unit aims to equip students with: * An intellectual understanding of the nature and behaviour of non-conventional materials and technologies. * The ability to appropriately apply knowledge on non-conventional materials and technologies in the provision and delivery of sustainable and holistic construction. * Development of systematic and independent thought and learning. * Knowledge and appreciation of significant contemporary issues in non-conventional materials and technology research. Learning Outcomes: On successful completion of the unit the student will be able to: * Identify suitable non-conventional building materials and technology solutions for a range of structural and architectural projects. * Compare and contrast different materials in terms of their characteristics and performance. * Analyse and characterise non-conventional materials through experimentation and data analysis. * Evaluate and recommend non-conventional material solutions for different applications. * Undertake structural building design with confidence using a range of non-conventional materials, including bamboo, straw bale, rammed earth, adobe and hemp-lime construction. Skills: Knowledge and Understanding: * A systematic and thorough understanding of existing knowledge in the application of non-conventional materials and technologies. * An understanding that enables students to evaluate critically and select appropriately from the range of available non-conventional materials for engineering and architectural purposes. * An ability to analyse, interpret, and criticise information applicable to non-conventional materials. Intellectual skills: * Develop a critical awareness of current issues in order to use non-conventional materials and technologies in structural design effectively. * Evaluate and interpret information, and engage in problem solving, about a range of contemporary issues in materials selection and structural design. * Evaluate innovative structural materials research and to use and synthesise a variety of types of information from a number of sources. Professional practical skills: * Act autonomously in planning and implementing design situations. Transferable skills: * Continue to advance their knowledge and understanding * Written communication skills. * Utilise problem-solving skills in a variety of contexts and in imaginative ways. Content: The unit begins by outlining the main sustainability issues relating to building materials sourcing, manufacture, use and decommissioning in context of a circular economy, including: environmental impact; CO2 emissions; embodied energy; recycling of materials; role of natural materials; vernacular building methods and appropriate technology. Designing to take account of unfamiliar material properties and appropriate construction methods; designing in the absence of prescriptive codes of practice. These issues are then to be considered in relation to the following material types and construction methods. * Earthen construction: adobe; rammed earth; cob; compressed block; wattle & daub; soil mortars; material suitability; stability, durability, manufacture; characteristics; applications; design; case studies. * Plant/crop based construction methods: bamboo; straw bale; hemp-lime; grasses and leaves; wool; turf roofs; animal skins; properties and characteristics; applications; building technology; design principles; case studies. * Natural binders: pozzolans; gypsum; lime; sulphur concrete; production and characteristics; techniques (lime mortar; limecrete); applications; design principles; case studies. * Stone: materials (rock types); sources and extraction; environmental impact; properties; durability; applications (foundations, walls, roofs, and floors); design; case studies. * Waste materials: waste paper and textiles; sewage sludge; coal wastes; blast furnace slag; bauxite waste; rubble; rice husks; coconut wastes; wood residues; waterr hyacinth; vegetable wastes; applications; case studies. |
| Programme availability: |
AR50450 is Compulsory on the following programmes:Department of Architecture & Civil Engineering
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Notes:
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