The course aims at providing knowledge, methodological and operational tools to deal with the design of a building with high functional complexity.
- Design methods and procedures.
- Distributive characteristics of complex buildings.
- The prefabrication of components and building systems.
- Dry construction techniques.
- F. Nuti: "Edilizia. Progetto/Costruzione/Produzione", Polistampa ed., Firenze 2010.
- "Manuale di progettazione edilizia", Hoepli ed., Milano 1999 e Quaderni monografici del Manuale.
- E. Dassori: "La prefabbricazione in calcestruzzo, guida all'utilizzo nella progettazione", BE-MA ed., Milano 2001.
- E. Dassori, R. Morbiducci: "Costruire l'architettura - Tecniche e tecnologie per il progetto", Tecniche nuove, Milano, 2010.
Learning Objectives
The overall objective of the course is to provide knowledge, methodological and operational tools to deal with the design of a building with high functional and technological complexity. In particular knowledge on design methods and procedures, distributional characteristics, definition and control of the performance of technological solutions and interface solutions, prefabrication of building components and systems and dry construction techniques will be provided. The sustainable design of specialist buildings course will allow the student of the master’s degree in Construction Engineering to learn the following knowledge and skills:
Knowledge and ability to understand. 1 – To understand the knowledge, the methodological and operational tools to deal with the sustainable design of complex buildings both from a functional and technological point of view (environmental system and technological system), through the detailed study of the typological features of different building types (such as offices, university buildings, airports, healthcare construction, industry, hotel and school construction etc.), their organizational and static-construction models.
Knowledge and ability to practical understand. 1 – To learn the ability to apply methods and procedures to analyse the relationship between architectural design and the construction and industrial production phases of components and construction systems, according to the different "languages" of architecture. 2 – To understand the cognitive and operational elements for the design of buildings that have a high level of prefabrication, in relation to the typical problems of industrial prefabrication in the construction sector and of the construction phase. 3 – To acquire the ability to define the requirements required of the building and its elements and to learn the ability to verify the performance of the components and technological systems in reference to the regulatory system.
Ability to draw conclusions. 1 – To get the ability to design a complex building up to the executive scale, using different technical solutions for the 5 technological system subsystems and checking, for each solution, the feasibility on construction site, in relation to the functional and formal assumptions of the architectural design. 2 – To acquire the ability to use industrialized and prefabricated construction systems in the building design, checking their performance, also in according to the regulatory system.
Autonomy of judgment and communication skills. 1 – To learn the ability to assess independently the accuracy of the various architectural and technological choices proposed during the class of design laboratory concerning a complex building and to have the ability to expose them to the Professor during the teaching activity in the laboratory in order to define the functional/technological solution more appropriate.
Prerequisites
Knowledge of: Building design, Structural Engineering, Thermal engineering and energy systems, Architectural composition. Experiences of general and executive design at building scale.
Teaching Methods
Theoretical lectures, specialised workshops, visits to both construction sites and prefabrication companies, design practice exercises.
Type of Assessment
The exam consists of passing an oral exam and verifying the design practice exercises. The design practice exercise is preparatory for access to the oral exam. Each test is passed if a mark greater than or equal to 18 is got. The final mark is obtained by the weighted average between the mark obtained in the design practical composition (weight 1/3), the mark obtained in presenting the report to the commission of the exam and in the question concerns the practice exercise (weight 1/3) and the mark obtained in the oral test (weight 1/3).
The practice exercise consists in the elaboration of an architectural project, up to the execution phase, of a complex sustainable building, based on some guide-projects identified and proposed by the Professor. Once delivered, the practical exercise is valid for all subsequent exam dates.
The oral exam will focus on the entire program carried out during the frontal lectures and it will occur with a series of 3 theoretical and/or practical questions. The exam ends with passing the oral exam.
The student who intends to attend the oral test must necessarily have concluded the practical exercise and must always register and/or unsubscribe through the University's online service "exam booking".
The oral exam and the presentation to the commission of the design paper allow to verify, in addition to the theoretical contents taught during the lectures:
Ability to learn. 1 – Through the drafting of the practical project paper and the hours of frontal teaching, the student of the master’s degree in Construction Engineering acquires the proper knowledge and tools to be able to enter properly prepared to world of work.
Knowledge and ability to understand. 1 – Through the hours of classroom teaching, the student gets to know and understands the methods and procedures for designing sustainable specialist buildings, the logics and rules that underlie the prefabrication of components and building systems, industrialized construction techniques and external envelope complex systems.
Knowledge and ability to practical understand. 1 – By drafting the design practical exercise, it is possible to verify the student's ability to apply and develop the methodologies, tools and theoretical concepts provided during the frontal lectures and assisted educational activities in the laboratory.
Autonomy of judgment and communication skills. 1 – Through the drafting of the design practical exercise and the hours of frontal teaching, the student learns the ability to use correctly and properly the language and terminology of the discipline in order to take a discussion on the addressed topics and to deduce conclusions independently on the issues that underlie the design and construction of buildings.
Course program
1. Design methods and procedures, with specific reference to the executive design phase of specialist buildings. Relationships between design and the structure of the building design process; relationships between design and construction.
2. Distribution and construction features of buildings intended for: offices, university buildings, industry, airports and healthcare construction, hotels and schools. For each building type, the basic instructive elements and the reference standards for the architectural design will be provided; for each building type, the design rules will be illustrated, also based on examples of representative case studies. In particular, the strategies used for energy sustainability and the relationship between architecture/structure/systems will be provided to.
3. The prefabrication of building components and systems as an implementation method of the production phase of the building design process; definition, overall information and distinguished characteristics of industrial production. Involvements of prefabrication on both design and construction phase.
Introduction of a list of precast concrete construction systems: list of typical components, with particular reference to the sub-systems of the load-bearing structures and the external envelope; illustration of the group of rules of the distinguished elements in the overall building system and detailed analysis of the technical solutions relating to the link between the components and the interfaces between the different subsystems. Analysis of the relationships between the functional organization of buildings with the organization of the prefabricated construction system also through the presentation of case studies.
4. The industrialized construction techniques:
- Precast reinforced concrete construction systems.
- Steel construction systems.
- Complex systems of external envelope. Overall design and construction parameters for: stick curtain wall systems, prefabricated unitised system façade, ventilated façades, double skin façades, point-fixed glass façade.
- Systems for solutions of external wall with external insulation.
- Components and finishing and protection systems (floors, walls, insulation, waterproofing, false ceilings, etc.).
- Dry systems and problems related to their design and interface with other building elements.
Practical exercises program (Design laboratory): the course involves students developing an architectural project, up to the final phase, of a complex building, based on some guide case studies proposed by the Professor.