Environmental Design- Commercial (ARCH30003)

Undergraduate level 3Points: 12.5Not available in 2019

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Overview

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Environmental Design: Commercial forms part of the Environmental Systems specialisation.

This subject  prioritises the sustainable building design process and assessment tools used in the design of BCA class 3 – 9 buildings, which includes office, hospital, education, school, hotel, aged care, warehouse and factory. 

The subject combines theoretical knowledge of the environmental performance of commercial buildings (such as energy, comfort, water, daylight, waste, ecology, innovation) with a practical understanding of how the industry assesses them in accordance with Town Planning, BCA, Greenstar, NABERS and other specialty assessment tools. These skills are closely aligned with the required knowledge of the graduate ESD consultant positions, typically in architecture or engineering firms. 

The subject will maximise industry involvement through guest speakers, case studies and site visits.

Intended learning outcomes

On successful completion of this subject, students should be able to:

  • Provide general advice on the environmental performance of a range of commercial  buildings, including potential problems from the design of the building fabric, services, and renewable systems;
  • Demonstrate a clear understanding of the industry processes and tools that are used in both town planning and building permit applications specific to commercial buildings;
  • Provide general environmental design advice for a project at the concept stage, such as orientation, heating and cooling loads, façade glazing percentage, heating, cooling and ventilation systems, lighting and renewable energy systems;
  • Complete assessments of commercial buildings for current town planning and current building permit requirements;
  • Demonstrate a general understanding of the range of environmental building performance tools, such as Building Environment Sustainability Scorecard, GreenStar, Living Building Challenge, Passivhaus, Well building;
  • Demonstrate understanding of the ways to achieve 'nearly net-zero' or 'net-zero' building performance targets.

Generic skills

  • Upon successful completion of this subject the student will have had the opportunity to develop the following generic skills: • Capacity for independent thought • ability to research through the competent use of the library and other information sources • ability to conceptualise theoretical problems, form judgements and arguments and communicate critically, creatively and theoretically through essay writing, tutorial discussion and presentations; • ability to communicate knowledge intelligibly and economically through essay writing and tutorial discussion; • ability to manage and organise workloads for recommended reading, the completion of essays and assignments and examination revision; • ability to participate in team work through involvement in syndicate groups and group discussions.

Last updated: 21 January 2025

Eligibility and requirements

Prerequisites

Code Name Teaching period Credit Points
ABPL20036 Environmental Building Systems
Semester 1 (On Campus - Parkville)
Semester 2 (On Campus - Parkville)
 12.5

Corequisites

None

Non-allowed subjects

None

Inherent requirements (core participation requirements)

The University of Melbourne is committed to providing students with reasonable adjustments to assessment and participation under the Disability Standards for Education (2005), and the Assessment and Results Policy (MPF1326). Students are expected to meet the core participation requirements for their course. These can be viewed under Entry and Participation Requirements for the course outlines in the Handbook.

Further details on how to seek academic adjustments can be found on the Student Equity and Disability Support website: http://services.unimelb.edu.au/student-equity/home

Last updated: 21 January 2025

Assessment

Additional details

  • Multiple Choice Questions (equivalent to 1000 words), due Day 3, 25%;
  • Oral presentation using slides on sustainable commercial building upgrades, 5 minutes  per student (equivalent to 1000 words per student),  Beginning of week 2, 25%;
  • Group work poster submission demonstrating the full cycle (concept design – building permit) of sustainability assessment and environmental design of a commercial building.  (3000 equivalent words), due  two weeks after the last class, 60% .

    Hurdle requirement: To pass the subject, students must obtain at least:

    • 50% overall
    • 40/100 in poster submission.

Last updated: 21 January 2025

Dates & times

Not available in 2019

Last updated: 21 January 2025

Further information

  • Texts

    Prescribed texts

    There are no specifically prescribed or recommended texts for this subject.

  • Subject notes

    Note :This subject is  one of the two subjects which identify Specilisation in Enviromental Design in B- DES 

     

  • Breadth options

    This subject is available as breadth in the following courses:

  • Available through the Community Access Program

    About the Community Access Program (CAP)

    This subject is available through the Community Access Program (also called Single Subject Studies) which allows you to enrol in single subjects offered by the University of Melbourne, without the commitment required to complete a whole degree.

    Please note Single Subject Studies via Community Access Program is not available to student visa holders or applicants

    Entry requirements including prerequisites may apply. Please refer to the CAP applications page for further information.

  • Available to Study Abroad and/or Study Exchange Students

    This subject is available to students studying at the University from eligible overseas institutions on exchange and study abroad. Students are required to satisfy any listed requirements, such as pre- and co-requisites, for enrolment in the subject.

Last updated: 21 January 2025