Course syllabus for Building conversion and adaptation

The course syllabus contains changes
See changes

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

Overview

  • Swedish nameByggnaden i förändring
  • CodeACE270
  • Credits10.5 Credits
  • OwnerTKARK
  • Education cycleFirst-cycle
  • Main field of studyArchitecture
  • ThemeArchitectural design project 7.5 c,Environment 1.5 c
  • DepartmentARCHITECTURE AND CIVIL ENGINEERING
  • GradingUG - Pass, Fail

Course round 1

  • Teaching language Swedish
  • Application code 45138
  • Open for exchange studentsNo
  • Only students with the course round in the programme overview.

Credit distribution

0123 Project 7.5 c
Grading: UG		 7.5 c
0223 Written and oral assignments, part A 1.5 c
Grading: UG		 1.5 c
0323 Written and oral assignments, part B 1.5 c
Grading: UG		 1.5 c

In programmes

Examiner

Go to coursepage (Opens in new tab)

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
  • Building design: space in buildings, or equivalent
  • Housing design: space for living, or equivalent
The course is part of the learning sequence Design and builds on and deepens knowledge of applied aesthetics, morphology and design which were covered in the in the above-mentioned courses.

Aim

The course is part of a sequence of design courses that give students the knowledge and skills to initiate, implement and present projects at different scale levels and create long-term and functional solutions of high quality and with good design. The course Building conversion and adaptation concerns design and reuse of the existing building stock to effectively use material resources. During the course, students examine the values and potentials of the existing building based on its technical properties, material and spatial qualities as well as cultural and social values. The design project begins with site analysis and inspection of the existing building, reading of existing drawings as well as on-site measurements. Based on this, the relation between different types of drawings and the built reality is investigated. The course examines the prerequisites of building technology and materials, where the main focus is on brick as a construction material. Furthermore, students gain basic knowledge about the environmental impact of buildings and materials. The course further builds on knowledge of design and representational media and tools introduced in previous courses, but now with a focus on analogue and digital tools to take measurements on site and produce relevant and reliable drawing materials and models. This is then used to support the creative, exploratory and experimental phases of the design process through a combination of analogue and digital tools.

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

  1. Describe different types/methods of transformation such as conversion, conservation, reconstruction and extension through analysis of reference projects.
  2. Make trade-offs between redevelopment, reuse, recycling and landfill of all or parts of the building in relation to the use of natural resources and cultural values to create sustainable and functional solutions of high quality and with good design.
  3. Carry out a transformation project by characterizing and measuring the existing environment (site and building), investigating the potential for reuse, formulating a concept, establishing a program, sketching alternative proposals and evaluate them based on rational judgment and subjective values.
  4. Cooperate with others that have different roles and competencies and work within the group towards common goals.
  5. Combine existing drawings with analogue and digital on-site measurements to create relevant and reliable drawings and models that can be used in the design phase of the project.
  6. Discuss 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.
  7. Reflect on their own work and learning and formulate development needs that can be met in future courses.

Content

The course consists of three modules.

Project

The first module concerns a design project that gives students the knowledge and skills to initiate, implement and present a conversion project of an existing building. Furthermore, the student will get a basic introduction to different types/methods of conversion, reconstruction and renovation through the analysis of reference projects which are examined through analogue and digital models at different scales to highlight essential aspects of these transformation projects.

Written and oral assignments, part A

In the second module, the student receives a basic introduction to rebuilding, reuse, recycling and landfill of the entire building or parts linked to the use of natural resources and the idea behind circular economy.

Written and oral assignments, part B

In the third module, students gain the skills to combine different media and tools to create a reliable basis in the form of digital drawings and models that can be used in the design phase of the project.

Organisation

The course uses project-based teaching where students learn from and with each other in the studio in combination with tutoring by teachers. Besides the design work, the course consists of lectures, several short design laboratories and seminars. The lectures introduce the students to transformation work, both practical and theoretical, strategies and techniques for reuse and restoration as well as cultural values and cultural environments. Design labs are exploratory and provide students with basic design skills. Seminars aim to give students an opportunity to reflect on both the work of others and their own work. The course contains group work elements that aims to train the students in collaboration, argumentation, concept development and presentation. The course ends with a longer dedicated part where the students work with their individual portfolio as well as a joint creative workshop to celebrate the end of the year.

Literature

Literature will be announced at the start of the course.

Examination including compulsory elements

Examination takes place through
  • ­ Continuous examination of the project that corresponds to 7.5 credits and mainly examines learning outcomes 1, 3, 4 and 6
  • ­ Assignment A on Sustainable development that corresponds to 1.5 credits and primarily examines learning outcome 2
  • ­ Assignment B on Design and representation media that corresponds to 1.5 credits and primarily examines learning outcome 5
  • ­ Obligatory reflection which mainly examines learning outcome 7
  • ­ Active participation in the course
Continuous examination means that examination takes place through several presentation sessions with clear submission requirements that are announced at the start of the course. Also, 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.

The course syllabus contains changes

  • Changes to course rounds:
    • 2023-06-27: Examinator Examinator changed from Meta Berghauser Pont (meta) to Daniel Norell (norelld) by Viceprefekt
      [Course round 1]