11284 Sustainable Architecture

This elective explores aspects of the historical development of the built environment, with a study of the early settlement patterns and the resultant indigenous architecture and how it responded to climate, place, resource availability, materiality, energy usage and waste disposal. The results of this study are compiled and an energy usage budget per capita is determined and used to benchmark further studies. These further studies cover the historical periods of the agricultural revolution, the industrial revolution and the 21st-century, post-industrial era.

Using the results of these studies, the impact of the different patterns of settlement can then be assessed. This comparative analysis will provide the raw data to support the subject's central aim, which is to provide a deep understanding of the relevant issues affecting human settlement patterns. This information will reinforce the importance of the strategic determination of building fabric, the supporting services and its infrastructure in the design of these settlements.

Typical availability

Autumn semester, City campus