Leading Practices

Duration: 4 weeks, 2 units/week

Module Introduction

Municipalities, city planners, architects, engineers and contractors have to tackle the emerging challenges related to the increase in population and the growth of cities. The creation of resilient, ecological and regenerative solutions for urban environments requires investments in knowledge, education and interdisciplinary collaboration across the building sector. In order to mitigate the consequences of climate change and to reduce CO2 emissions in the construction sector there is a rising need of professional figures able to address energy efficiency, climate neutral design approaches and circular economy. The lead will be taken by those professionals who are trained to manage net-zero energy housing, adaptive building systems and positive energy districts in the framework of a new regenerative approach, therefore contributing to the transition to the post carbon era. A key role in that transition will be played by Green Buildings Managers.

Existing buildings and infrastructures are great assets of the urban built environment, and their regeneration are pivotal for the achievement of Sustainable Development. Urban mining, recycling and re-use of construction materials will become the most suitable solution for the building industry in the framework of smart resource management. These changes will require not only a new mindset but also advanced practices for re-defining the value chain of buildings in forecast of a significant reduction of carbon footprint.

Module Focus

The module goal is to provide an understanding of the principles, strategies and tools for the enforcement of green and sustainable buildings, from design stages to construction and operations. It introduces a wide range of topics including principles and historical development of passive house design their international development. It covers green building certifications such as BREEAM, LEED, WELL and Passivhaus, and provides an understanding of the role played by BIM in creating design constructs that can be carried on in collaboration with other professionals. It addresses innovation in the building industry, the transition to digital, and introduces the impact of advanced mobility strategies for the creation of more efficient urban districts.

The Structure

GM 01 - Introduction to Green Buildings (1 Unit- 03 Hours Lecture + Seminar) Provides an overview of the background and of the strategies to enforce a green building project within your organization. In particular, the Architecture of Green Buildings and active house design, principles and historical development of passive house design, international development of passive houses. It also addresses model green building policy and guidelines including principles of sustainability and of passive solar design. It also provides tools for the construction of a green building team, and for measuring the impact on society of the building industry, with an overview of its key stakeholders.
GM 02- Introduction to Energy (1 Unit- 03 Hours Lecture + Seminar) Provides a panoramic view of Energy Management and its relevance on society at large. It addresses the evaluation, operation, and maintenance of energy systems in buildings with focus on residential and small commercial units and introduces concepts of alternative and renewable energy sources that allow for efficiency, cost reduction and mitigation of the impact on the environment.
GM 03 - Sustainable Buildings (1 Unit- 03 Hours Lecture + Seminar) Provides a general overview of Energy Efficient Buildings with focus on residential and small commercial units. Specific topics include energy basics, energy use in buildings, heat transfer concepts, building thermal analysis, bioclimatic design, advanced MEP strategies and other important building energy efficient issues.
GM 04 – Green Building certifications (1 Unit- 03 Hours Lecture + Seminar) Presents a general overview of Green Building certifications with an emphasis on residential and small commercial buildings. Specific topics to be covered include: BREEAM, LEED, WELL and Passivhaus.
GM 05 - Building Information Modelling (1 Unit- 03 Hours Lecture + Seminar) Presents a general overview of Building Information Modelling across modeling, documentation and visualization that allow to create design constructs that can be carried on in collaboration with other professionals. A fast-emerging design standard for architecture and construction modeling, BIM is addressed as a tool for integrating project data across a broad array of construction documents.
GM 06 - Sustainable Materials and Processes (1 Unit- 03 Hours Lecture + Seminar) Offers a wide panoramic of the impact that building materials can have on human health. It challenges professionals to question themselves about the materials they specify and offers suggestions for how they can address these issues in their workplace. Introduces the relationships between building materials, toxicity, human health, and environmental exposures, and shows how to integrate these issues within the greater context of building materials and environmental health.
GM 07 – Design for Disassembly (1 Unit- 03 Hours Lecture + Seminar) Presents a general overview on principles and design methodologies that facilitate the transition of the building industry towards circular models. Materials registry, embedded CO2 and Life Cycle assessment will be core of a survey on best practices that encompass urban mining, recycling and re-use of construction materials as the most suitable solution for the building industry in the framework of smart resource management.
GM 08 – Water and Waste Management (1 Unit- 03 Hours Lecture + Seminar) Presents a general overview of the exploitation of renewable energy sources and techniques for water and waste management. It addresses logistics, technology and economics of water and waste management including best practices. It also addresses legal issues and the opportunities and benefits of public participation, while developing the fundamental skills for a sustainable and climate-driven management of urban water and waste resources.
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