Course syllabus for Architecture, theory and sustainability

Course syllabus adopted 2023-02-16 by Head of Programme (or corresponding).

Overview

  • Swedish nameArkitektur, teori och hållbarhet
  • CodeACE245
  • Credits7.5 Credits
  • OwnerTKARK
  • Education cycleFirst-cycle
  • Main field of studyArchitecture
  • ThemeEnvironment 3 c
  • DepartmentARCHITECTURE AND CIVIL ENGINEERING
  • GradingUG - Pass, Fail

Course round 1

  • Teaching language Swedish
  • Application code 45133
  • Open for exchange studentsNo
  • Only students with the course round in the programme overview.

Credit distribution

0123 Written and oral assignments, part A 4.5 c
Grading: UG		3 c1.5 c
0223 Written and oral assignments, part B 3 c
Grading: UG		1.5 c1.5 c

In programmes

Examiner

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Eligibility

General entry requirements for bachelor's level (first cycle)
Applicants enrolled in a programme at Chalmers where the course is included in the study programme are exempted from fulfilling the requirements above.

Specific entry requirements

The same as for the programme that owns the course.
Applicants enrolled in a programme at Chalmers where the course is included in the study programme are exempted from fulfilling the requirements above.

Course specific prerequisites


Aim

The course gives the students an introduction to the structure of the education, to architecture as a profession and to the various professional roles of the architect. In the course, the student will also gain insight into the cross-disciplinary nature of the subject of architecture, which is based on both academic knowledge in several different scientific fields (technical science, social science, art, and humanities) and on artistic and craft skills. In the course, special focus is directed towards theories of form and space as well as design theory by introducing its central concepts, figures of thought and methods. The course also gives students an introduction to sustainable development where three perspectives are especially emphasized: The architecture profession's various roles and responsibilities in relation to sustainable development, the resource perspective in relation to the built environment and planetary boundaries, and the social perspective where healthy and equal living environments are in focus.

Learning outcomes (after completion of the course the student should be able to)

  1. Describe the architectural profession and the various professional roles of the architect.
  2. Describe and exemplify the cross-disciplinary nature of architecture and its anchoring in both academic knowledge in several different scientific fields and in artistic skills using central concepts.
  3. Describe central concepts, figures of thought and methods within theories of form and space as well as within design theory.
  4. Describe sustainability challenges in relation to architecture and urban planning using important basic concepts, give examples and principle solutions from the resource perspective and the social perspective and reflect on goal conflicts
  5. Reflect and think critically about the role of architecture and urban planning in sustainable development, about identity and power in relation to architecture and about the future professional role of the architect.

Content

The course starts with an introduction to the structure and content of the architectural education. In this introduction, central pedagogical elements in the education are also discussed, such as project-based teaching, continuous examination, the role of critique and the portfolio. Furthermore, the course consists of two modules:

Written and oral assignments, part A

The first module focuses on the various professional roles of the architect, the cross-disciplinary nature of the subject of architecture and central concepts, figures of thought and methods within theories of form and space as well as design theory.

Written and oral assignments, part B

The second module is an introduction to architecture and sustainable development from three perspectives: the perspective of the profession (roles and responsibilities), the resource perspective (planetary boundaries) and the social perspective (people's living environment).

Organisation

The course is based on lectures, literature studies, seminars and exercises. The course literature is read in parallel with lectures, is discussed in seminars and is examined through exercises individually and in groups. The course ends with a reflection on achieved experiences from the course which are collected in a portfolio.

Literature

Literature is announced at the start of the course.

Examination including compulsory elements

Examination takes place through
  • ­ Assignment A on Architecture and theory that corresponds to 4.5 credits and primarily examines learning outcomes 1, 2 and 3
  • ­ Assignment B on Sustainable development that corresponds to 3.0 credits and primarily examines learning outcomes 4 and 5
  • ­ Obligatory reflection which mainly examines learning outcome 5
  • ­ Active participation in the course
Submission requirements and compulsory moments are announced at the start of the course.

A student who is not approved in the course after the regular examination must be given the opportunity to be examined through supplementation after the end of the course if the examiner considers it feasible. If, after two attempts at completion, the student still cannot be approved, the student must retake the course. Assessment of completions takes place during Chalmers' re-examination periods. It is the student's responsibility to check reported study results in Ladok after each study period and to contact the course examiner for instructions on supplementation if an approved result is missing.

The course examiner may assess individual students in other ways than what is stated above if there are special reasons for doing so, for example if a student has a decision from Chalmers on educational support due to disability.