Course syllabus for Renovation and urban revitalization

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

Overview

  • Swedish nameBevarande och omvandling
  • CodeARK064
  • Credits15 Credits
  • OwnerTKARK
  • Education cycleFirst-cycle
  • Main field of studyArchitecture
  • ThemeArchitectural design project 8.5 c
  • DepartmentARCHITECTURE AND CIVIL ENGINEERING
  • GradingUG - Pass, Fail

Course round 1

  • Teaching language Swedish
  • Application code 45127
  • Open for exchange studentsNo
  • Only students with the course round in the programme overview.

Credit distribution

0115 Project, part A 8.5 c
Grading: UG		8.5 c
0215 Written and oral assignments, part B 4.5 c
Grading: UG		4.5 c
0315 Written and oral assignments, part C 2 c
Grading: UG		2 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

At least 40 credits in Year 1 of the Architecture program, or equivalent work from comparable architecture or design education. Swedish.

Aim

The course is design-based, and through exploratory studies it is intended to give students an understanding of our existing building stock - its history, attributes, values, problems, technical conditions, and opportunities for future use. The course gives students an understanding of the built environment as a cultural phenomenon and as part of a shared history.

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

Part A: DESIGN STUDIO (7.0 credits)
Describe and analyze existing buildings.
Complete design work for a renovation project.

Part B: URBAN SPACE: ANALYSIS AND CHANGE (1.5 credits)
Describe and analyze a building in relation to the surrounding urban space and the identity of the city.
Present a complete schematic design for the renovation of a given urban space, including working with GIS in describing the interaction between function, requirements, and expression.
Demonstrate well-developed skills at sketching by hand and with CAD tools.

Part C: ARCHITECTURAL TECHNOLOGY: VISUALIZATION, BUILDING PHYSICS, AND RENOVATION (4.5 credits)
Present a visualization of a building's character in terms of material and building components, spaces and spatial connections, indoor climate, mechanical systems, and structural and shell systems using text, sketches, photographs, drawings, and digital and physical models.
Demonstrate the basic mechanisms for heat and moisture transfer.
Show examples of completed building physics dimensioning for an existing building and for a proposed renovation.
Present the climate-controlling functions of various building components.
Present the attributes of brick as a building material in terms of architectural expression, manufacturing, performance, types, workability, assembly, and environmental impact.
Present construction detail designs that include brick as part of the construction and the architecture.

Part D: CONTEMPORARY HISTORY (2.0 credits)
Reference ideas about renovation in theory, history, and practice.
Reflect on the application of theories in renovation projects.
Use a repertoire of precedents in renovation projects.
Demonstrate knowledge and reflections in written format.

Content

In this course we study ideas, theories, history, and practice of preservation and renovation. The course deals with relevant legislation on planning and building, environmental protection, and cultural heritage preservation. The course is design based. The design process runs parallel to other coursework throughout the term, with a design studio project that deals in part with a building renovation and in part with the building's relation to the urban context. The course addresses methods for describing, analyzing, and evaluating a building or built environment (as a technical system and a cultural phenomenon). The course includes characterization and surveying, as well as inventory of the built environment's attributes, status, and condition in terms of technology, aesthetics, and function. It also includes an introduction to building construction, building components, building materials, building physics, and mechanical systems in older buildings, and their relation to modern technology and environmental science. In addition, the course deals with various perspectives on the relationship/confrontation between old and new. A large portion of students' work focuses on evaluating (making a balanced assessment) and proposing appropriate measures for renovation and remodeling (based on the conditions of the building or built environment and the demands of the occupants, the functional program, and environmental regulations). In other words, students develop a program and a design proposal for an environmentally sensitive and creative renovation (for common as well as cultural historically valuable buildings). The Contemporary Architecture unit of the course runs throughout the term like a unifying theme, with in-depth study and a writing assignment.

Organisation

The course is planned and led by a teaching team. The design studio and other coursework reinforce each other around the theme of the course. The course includes lectures, reading, seminars, surveying, and field trips, all with particular assignments to turn in, and a primary design studio project with several secondary assignments.

Literature

A list of required reading and reference literature will be provided at the start of the course.

Examination including compulsory elements

A passing grade requires presentation and approval of the primary design studio project and secondary assignments, approved presentations of assignments for the other course units, active participation in group work and seminars, and participation in the final critique and evaluation. As part of the examination, students evaluate and critique one another's work. Examinations are in the form of student presentations (oral and digital) with dialogue and critique.

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.