MABY4600 Digital Twin-Driven AI for Sustainable Building Design Course description

Climate change and increased focus on resource use and environmental impacts entail a greater focus on the choice of materials and climate adaptation of buildings. The course aims to give students an understanding of the interaction between the choice of building materials and components in the design of energy-efficient, environmentally friendly and climate-resilient building envelopes and design solutions.

The course combines the theoretical basis for building physics from the courses MABY4200 Building Physics and Climate Adaptation of Buildings and MABY4300 Sustainability Assessment and Life-Cycle Analysis, and builds on theoretical and especially practical knowledge of the holistic design of buildings. In the course, students will learn how to use and combine their knowledge of building physics principles, sustainability assessments and life-cycle analyses in the design of an optimum building envelope. The following topics are addressed in particular:

• Relevant standards and regulations (TEK 17, NS 3031, NS 3700, NS 3701 etc.);
• Principles of nZEB, passive- and plus house building design;
• Integration of building physics principles in the holistic design of building envelope;
• Innovative buildings materials;
• Dynamic energy and hygrothermal simulations (SIMIEN and WUFI Plus);
• Environmental and energy assessment of intergration of renewable sources in buildings;
• Life Cycle Cost Assessment (LCC).

The teaching will consist of participation in lectures, discussions and independent project assignment work. Exercises and individual knowledge tests (multiple choice) will be added continuously during the first part of the teaching period. Practical use of BIM-based software for the collection of information, calculations and assessments and presentation of solutions is taught by means of brief courses, self-study and exercises.

The students will work in groups of 3-5 on developing solutions and proposing measures for implementation. The work shall be presented as an academic project report. Emphasis is placed on identifying innovative ways of working and cooperating.

None.

After completing the course, the student is expected to have achieved the following learning outcomes defined in terms of knowledge, skills and general competence:

Knowledge:

The student:

· has sufficiently advanced knowledge of building physics, complex climate impacts and building materials to be able to develop and propose climate-adapted, robust and innovative solutions

· is capable of assessing climate adaptation solutions for building envelopes and components

· has advanced insight into the properties of building materials, not least about emissions, energy demand and CO2 emissions in connection with production, and their durability, service life and degradation processes

· has specialised knowledge of the advantages and disadvantages of building materials and the optimum combination of different materials with a view to maximising the building-s energy efficiency, sustainability and service life

· is capable of combining building physics and sustainability principles to achieve an environmentally sound building design.

Skills:

The student is capable of:

· explaining relevant standards and requirements for building materials and components, and assessing documentation from manufacturers/suppliers

· combining analysis methods for building physics calculations and life-cycle assessments in the choice of materials, components and design

· criticising and justifying these choices in relation to complex phenomena that arise between a building and the outdoor/indoor climate

· planning and creating a comprehensive and environmentally sound building design, including a description of the materials and components used in the building envelope

· interpreting simulation tool results to revise and optimise the proposed design

· assessing the quality and condition of materials and components in existing buildings, and any maintenance and replacement needs.

General competence:

The student is capable of:

• using scholarly articles to keep up with latest developments in the field
• working in teams
• presenting results in a scholarly, professional manner with the help of written reports and oral presentations.

The teaching will largely consist of lectures and weekly exercises. Lab exercises and inspections will also be used. Students will also be given a major project assignment in which they are to design an environmentally sound building with regard to building physics and sustainability. Voluntary exercises related to the project assignment will be given in connection with each lecture.

The students must participate in at least 75% of the weekly project meetings. The requirement refers to each student, not to each group.

New exam spring 2020:

Written project report over two weeks, prepared in groups of 2-3 students, approx. 50 pages (excl. appendices), weighted 100%

The exam can be appealed.

[Originally:

1) Individual written exam (three hours), weighted 40%.

2) Project report prepared in groups of 2-3 students, approx. 50 pages (excl. appendices), with presentation, weighted 60%.

All assessment parts must be awarded a pass grade (E or better) in order for the student to pass the course. Students must be awarded an E or better for their project report to be allowed to take the written exam. In the event of a resit or rescheduled individual written exam, oral examination may be used instead. If oral exams are used for resit and rescheduled exams, the result cannot be appealed.

Assessment parts: 1) can be appealed, 2) cannot be appealed]

All aids.

[Assessment part:

1) All printed and written aids and a calculator that cannot be used to communicate with others.

2) all aids]

The development of sustainable, innovative building solutions relies on information from many sources and advanced calculations with good visualisations. It is not possible to achieve this without using building information modelling (BIM) and processes adapted to the use of digital tools. The course supports the operational use of the knowledge and skills that the students have acquired in the other courses in the programme.

The course provides a thorough review of the concept of BIM. It provides an overview of the development of digital programs, principles and processes and shows how BIM-based solutions can be used in different contexts. The course focuses on topics such as digital planning for the whole service life of a building (cradle to grave), BIM-based design and building processes, and BIM as a driving force for innovation and sustainability. The teaching emphasises cooperation with business and industry in the form of active enterprises, professional environments and research communities in the Oslo region.

No formal requirements over and above the admission requirements for the programme.

After completing the course, the student is expected to have achieved the following learning outcomes defined in terms of knowledge, skills and general competence:

Knowledge:

The student has:

·;;;;;;;; advanced knowledge of the use of BIM-based solutions (software and processes) for digital planning, throughout the building's life cycle

·;;;;;;;; knowledge of the benefits of taking an innovative, interdisciplinary approach to solving work assignments

·;;;;;;;; in-depth knowledge of the latest developments in digital design and Construction.

Skills:

The student is capable of:

• using software that supports the development and implementation of building solutions
• using methods and standards for interdisciplinary exchange of information between the parties involved in the design of a building and the construction process
• assessing how the digital interaction between design, construction and the production process can be improved.

General competence:

The student is capable of:

·;;;;;;;; using digital BIM-based solutions in the development and production of innovative solutions in the field

·;;;;;;;; using scholarly publications as support in problem-solving

·;;;;;;;; in cooperation with others, contributing to academic research in information systems for building technology and structural engineering.