Course syllabus for Architectural technology: Theme wood

Course syllabus adopted 2023-02-13 by Head of Programme (or corresponding).

Overview

  • Swedish nameForm och teknik: tema trä
  • CodeACE265
  • Credits4.5 Credits
  • OwnerTKARK
  • Education cycleFirst-cycle
  • Main field of studyArchitecture
  • ThemeArchitectural design project 1.5 c
  • DepartmentARCHITECTURE AND CIVIL ENGINEERING
  • GradingUG - Pass, Fail

Course round 1

  • Teaching language Swedish
  • Application code 45137
  • Open for exchange studentsNo
  • Only students with the course round in the programme overview.

Credit distribution

0123 Written and oral assignments 4.5 c
Grading: UG		0 c0 c4.5 c0 c0 c0 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

  • Architectural design and aesthetics, or equivalent
The course is part of the learning sequence Architecture and technology and builds on and deepens knowledge of architecture's materials and technical systems on different scales which were introduced in the in the above-mentioned cours.

Aim

The course is part of the learning sequence Architecture and technology that give the student knowledge of architecture's materials and technical systems on different scales - city, building, detail and material. The overall aim of the courses is to give the students a systematic overview of the field, an approach to architecture's technical systems and materials that highlights the interaction between functional systems and the materials' physical properties as well as the perceived materiality and architectural qualities. Furthermore, the courses provide the student with a repertoire of built examples at different scale levels that highlight the interplay between architecture, its materials and its technical systems to support investigations of alternative designs and material choices in the design process. In the course Building technology and detailing: theme wood, the student will gain knowledge of a simple wooden building's load-bearing frame and climate shell in wood or wood product and how these interact, especially in meetings such as ground-floor-wall, various openings and wall-ceiling. The course also provides an overall introduction to materials such as its internal structure and properties, processes and products, processing and joining and environmental impact.

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

  1. Describe how the parts of a simple load-bearing structure are logically arranged to carry horizontal and vertical loads (gravity and wind) and make simple estimates for dimensioning.
  2. Describe with accepted terminology a residential indoor climate (temperature, humidity and air quality).
  3. Describe and explain different overall principles/concepts for simple building climate shells.
  4. Describe the construction of the floor, walls and roof of a wood construction and explain the various functions of the constituent parts through a self-built physical model of an exterior wall and a construction section with a selection of critical details.
  5. Describe the material wood in terms of internal structure and properties, processes and products, processing and joining, use in construction and environmental impact.
  6. Reflect on how the load-bearing structure, indoor climate, climate shell, building details and choice of materials interact with the building's architectural qualities and the demand for sustainable and high-quality functional solutions.

Content

The course covers four themes: the wooden load-bearing structure, its functions and principles and rules of thumb; the climate shell's functions and qualities that characterize a good indoor climate; construction of walls and beams and typical details; material knowledge with a particular focus on wood (internal structure and properties, processes and products, processing and joining, environmental impact). The course uses built examples at different scale levels to highlight the interplay between the architecture, its materials and its technical systems. Different representational media and tools introduced in previous courses (sketch, drawing, physical model) are used.

Organisation

The course uses project-based teaching where students learn from and with each other in the studio in combination with tutoring by teachers. In addition to project work, the course consists of lectures, design laboratories and seminars. The lectures introduce the students to the four themes in the course: load-bearing structures, indoor climate and climate shell, detailing and material knowledge. The design laboratories give students, based on relatively simple design tasks to investigate a new topic and explore different design alternatives that are further developed in the more complex projects in design courses. Seminars aim to give students an opportunity to reflect on both the work of others and their own work. The course is carried out independently, but in the applied parts seeks collaboration with the parallel design project. The course ends with a moment of reflection on acquired experiences from the course that are collected in the students' portfolio.

Literature

Literature will be announced at the start of the course.

Examination including compulsory elements

Examination takes place through
  • ­ Assignments that correspond to 4.5 credits and mainly examines learning outcomes 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5
  • ­ Obligatory reflection which mainly examines learning outcome 6
  • ­ 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.