MBUILD01 - ECTS This module aims to transmit the main concepts of sustainability and its various possible levels of approach for the construction sector. Frameworks like the UN Sustainable Development Goals, EU legislative and regulatory documents on sustainability and circular economy and the European Framework for Sustainable Buildings, Level(s) will be explored in order to understand the main concerns and the most adequate strategies to be adopted.

MBUILD04 - ECTS To provide students with the knowledge and competences enabling them to understand and manage the implementation of a construction project, with focus in its planning, procurement and execution stages.

MBUILD03 - ECTS To provide students with the knowledge and competences enabling them to understand and manage the development of a construction project, mainly in its inception and design stage.

MBUILD05 - ECTS

The objective of this module is the development of a CONCEPT PROPOSAL FOR A MODULAR HOUSING SYSTEM that may be implemented throughout Europe.

Housing is one of the greatest problems that several European communities have been facing.  Among others, the widening of non-traditional tourist accommodation demand (Airbnb, etc.), digital nomads with high purchasing power and investment ventures driven by – mainly - non-EU citizens with large financial resources, has placed a heavy pressure on the existing housing markets, both new and refurbished. This, associated with the lack of in-time supply from the part of the industry, has driven prices up, equally for the purchase and rental market, with a large inability of the governments to give an adequate response for matching their citizen’s economic capability with the current market prices of the properties.

Some construction companies have been devoting a lot of effort to research and investment into two relatively recent approaches, aiming at increasing production and providing the market with suitable response under a reasonable timeframe: offsite production and modular construction.

For this module, the students are challenged to develop and present a Proposal For a Modular Housing System, at Concept Level, that may be applied in various European countries, therefore possible to adapt to each one’s national code requirements and social preferences.

MBUILD02 - ECTS Sustainability in Building Design will try to guide the students through the several main expertise in the development of a sustainable building design proposal and, for each, provide a set of reflection/analysis/exploration routes that may help the students to find technical answers that will enable them to propose sustainable and integrated solutions for the context of a specific project.

MBUILD07 - ECTS

• Possess and understand knowledge that provides a basis or opportunity to be original in the development and/or application of ideas, often in a research context.
• Students are able to apply their acquired knowledge and problem-solving skills in new or unfamiliar environments within broader (or multidisciplinary) contexts related to their area of study.
• Students are able to integrate knowledge and deal with the complexity of making judgments based on information that is incomplete or limited, including reflections on the social and ethical responsibilities associated with applying their knowledge and judgments.
• Students are able to communicate their findings and the ultimate knowledge and reasons behind them to specialist and non-specialist audiences in a clear and unambiguous manner.
• Students possess the learning skills to enable them to continue studying in a largely self-directed or autonomous manner.
• Up to 90% of their life people stay in buildings. Hence, they are in direct interaction with the build environment. This interaction has a significant influence on the health and well-being and has to be assessed within sustainability.

Two important parameters are the thermal and acoustic comfort. The course deals with aspects of thermal and acoustic comfort in buildings, the calculation and testing of the relevant parameters and the link of these parameters to sustainability.

MBUILD06 - ECTS

• Understanding the local conditions to promote Sustainability of the built environment
• Understand that the design process is based on a detailed climate analysis of the specific site, which is the starting point for energy effective city structures.
• Possess and understand knowledge that provides a basis or opportunity to be original in the development and/or application of ideas, often in a research context.
• Students are able to apply their acquired knowledge and problem-solving skills in new or unfamiliar environments within broader (or multidisciplinary) contexts related to their area of study.
• Students are able to integrate knowledge and deal with the complexity of making judgments based on information that is incomplete or limited, including reflections on the social and ethical responsibilities associated with applying their knowledge and judgments.
• Students are able to communicate their findings and the ultimate knowledge and reasons behind them to specialist and non-specialist audiences in a clear and unambiguous manner.
• Students possess the learning skills to enable them to continue studying in a largely self-directed or autonomous manner.

All other module topics can be interlocked and combined with this module in order to reflect contemporary and future sustainability projects. This way an interdisciplinary and practical approach is enabled.

MBUILD09 - ECTS Every year a couple of thousand people die through fires in countries of the European Union. Furthermore, some ten thousand people are heavily injured. Besides the damage to persons the damages concerning buildings account for billions.
Against this background, fire protection is an important part of sustainability, both in what concerns the effect of fire in CO2 emissions (in the accident itself and in the subsequent refurbishing need), as well in the impact, concerning increased risk of fire, of design options mainly specified under sustainable perspectives.
Fire protection is an inherent part in the bachelor study programme of architects and civil engineers. Within this master course this knowledge is deepened and is put on a more scientific
♦Possess and understand knowledge that provides a basis or opportunity to be original in the development and/or application of ideas, often in a research context;
♦Students are able to apply their acquired knowledge and problem-solving skills in new or unfamiliar environments within broader (or multidisciplinary) contexts related to their area of study.
♦Students are able to integrate knowledge and deal with the complexity of making judgments based on information that is incomplete or limited, including reflections on the social and ethical responsibilities associated with applying their knowledge and judgments.
♦Students are able to communicate their findings and the ultimate knowledge and reasons behind them to specialist and non-specialist audiences in a clear and unambiguous manner.
♦Students possess the learning skills to enable them to continue studying in a largely self-directed or autonomous manner.

MBUILD10 - ECTS

Application-oriented, life-oriented and self-directed learning, whereby the integrated project implies the active participation as well as application of the knowledge provided in the other modules and seminars. With the content learned in the different modules theoretical and practical knowledge is given.

• Students should now be able to
• Define and understand the problem
• Brainstorming for hypothesis generation
• Systematic order and evaluation of the hypotheses
• Objective formulation
• Investigate
• Applicate

MBUILD08 - ECTS

Today construction projects are more complex and sophisticated than in the past. Due to an extreme heterogeneous network in construction projects, deadline pressure, last minute changes and missing communication between all parties involved construction projects running out of time and cost.

With the application of 4D and 5D BIM process, engineers and architects are able to forecast time and costs before construction begins. Furthermore, the usage of parameters for sustainability (6D), as for thermal and acoustic comfort, allows important decision in a construction project in a very early phase. This eases the quality of the project and meet clients’ requirements. 

• Possess and understand knowledge that provides a basis or opportunity to be original in the development and/or application of ideas, often in a research context.
• Students are able to apply their acquired knowledge and problem-solving skills in new or unfamiliar environments within broader (or multidisciplinary) contexts related to their area of study.
• Students are able to integrate knowledge and deal with the complexity of making judgments based on information that is incomplete or limited, including reflections on the social and ethical responsibilities associated with applying their knowledge and judgments.
• Students are able to communicate their findings and the ultimate knowledge and reasons behind them to specialist and non-specialist audiences in a clear and unambiguous manner.
• Students possess the learning skills to enable them to continue studying in a largely self-directed or autonomous manner.

MBUILD12 - ECTS

• Discuss the main challenges that the built environment (buildings and infrastructures of any kind that compounds cities and human facilities) is facing (e.g., sustainability, resilience and needed adaptation to the Climate Change).
• Study the resilience concept and adaptation techniques (e.g., Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems (SUDS), Low Impact Development (LID) and Water Sensitive Urban Design (WSUD)).
• Analyse and discuss the possible actions to implement in the built environment, taking suitable decisions with a clear list of criteria and priorities.

MBUILD11 - ECTS

• The main goal of this module is that the student learns the relevance of Sustainability of Infrastructures along their useful life, not only during design and construction, but also during the exploitation period.
• The students will learn the main aspects related to infrastructures maintenance and exploitation.
• Besides, they will learn the importance of applying environmental rating systems during the design and construction, in order to get the optimum cycle of circular economy. Finally, the students will learn the aspect related to sustainable mobility in cities, what will ensure their more rational use.

MBUILD14 - ECTS

• To raise students' awareness of the importance of energy and resource efficiency in the construction of infrastructures, as well as the harmful effects they have on the environment throughout their life cycle.
• To provide students with knowledge on sustainable construction materials, techniques and procedures that will enable them to contribute to ensuring the sustainability of new infrastructures throughout their life cycle.

MBUILD13 - ECTS

• To make the students acquire knowledges and the sufficient abilities to apply them in a basic level in the field of research methodology, such as: to look for funding calls, to carry out a state of the art including relevant references, to write a scientific article, to plan a test campaign using standard test procedures, to undertake a Design of Experiments and analyse statistically the results, to write a research proposal, to be aware on ethics on research, etc
• To make the students acquire knowledges in the field of new trends of ICT and digitalisation in the AEC sector, such as: 3D printing, laser scanning, virtual reality, big data and machine learning, digital twins, etc.
• To make the students acquire knowledges in the field of new trends of sustainable materials and technologies in the AEC sector, such as: innovative materials and components (hybrid solutions, CLT, other composites), offsite construction, modular construction, etc.

MBUILD15 - ECTS

• To provide students with creativity, leadership and entrepreneurship skills in the field of construction.
• Integration by the student of the knowledge acquired in the rest of the modules taught.
• To develop the student's capacity for teamwork, negotiation skills and the use of emotional intelligence and empathy.

MBUILD16 - ECTS