MABY4700 Life Cycle Assessment for Built Environment Course description

The course gives students an introduction to how consulting engineers in the fields of building technology, structural engineering, transport infrastructure engineering, geotechnical engineering and smart water process and infrastructure engineering can actively contribute to the development of sustainable solutions in the construction industry of the future. Sustainable design and construction requires more information, calculations and assessment and a greater degree of interdisciplinary cooperation.

In addition to providing students with basic knowledge and theory, this course also provides the students with necessary skills and experience in designing heating systems in buildings. The course builds on courses from the first semester of the first year of the master's degree 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 knowledge of the sustainability concept and is able to identify common environmental impacts from buildings, structures and infrastructures

· has knowledge of the drivers behind the development and implementation of sustainability assessments

· has in-depth knowledge of life-cycle methodology, with the focus on system limits, service life and functional units

· is capable of recommending relevant standards, guidelines and commercial methods for sustainability assessments and life-cycle analyses.

Skills:

The student is capable of:

· comparing methods for assessing the environmental performance of civil engineering solutions

· applying regulations, relevant standards, guidelines and commercial methods in the performance of sustainability assessments and life-cycle analyses of buildings, structures and infrastructures

· performing calculations and documentation of greenhouse gas emissions in a life-cycle perspective for buildings, structures and infrastructures

· using spreadsheet tools and BIM-based software for the collection, processing, sharing and presentation of relevant information in interdisciplinary assessments

· choosing appropriate civil engineering solutions based on sustainability and life-cycle assessments

General competence:

The student is capable of

· analyzing complexity and assessing the scope of possibility for design and construction to achieve sustainable solutions

· cooperating in groups on a real, interdisciplinary task

· presenting academic results and evaluations in a scholarly manner.

The teaching will consist of a combination of lectures, discussions, and inspection of building projects. Lectures provide the necessary knowledge for understanding climate and environmental issues, as well as life cycle approaches and systems thinking. Practical use of tools and software is taught to enable students to collect information, for calculations and assessments, and to present solutions in written reports.

The students work on a project in teams of 2-4 and are tasked with developing sustainable solutions.

After completing this course, the student has the following learning outcomes, as defined in knowledge, skills and general competence:Knowledge

The student has in-depth knowledge of

• energy production, energy use and design of heat supply systems
• boilers, boiler connections, heat pumps, solar heating, district heating, gas and more for energy conversion and transmission
• laws and regulations, energy directive and energy labeling
• incineration plants (bioenergy, coal, oil, gas) and combustion processes
• district heating systems; production, distribution and subscriber centers
• steam systems; temperature, pressure, materials and system structure
• heating elements; radiators, aerotemers and more
• waterborne plants, including expansion systems, pressure conditions, safety devices
• analyze profitability, tariffs, operating time, investments, energy prices

SkillsThe student can

• perform calculations of heating needs
• assess energy needs for building related to external climate with regard to outdoor climate, energy-conscious architecture, heat transport, heat insulation, air tightness and infiltration loss, internal heat supplement and solar energy
• assess the effect and energy pattern of buildings; load measurements, typically energy consumption pattern
• calculate and evaluate the proper regulatory and management systems
• analyze plants with regard to energy use, economy and environmental impact
• show how traditional forms of energy are utilized, and the effects of using such energy sources on the environment
• designing heating systems; calculate heating systems and energy production plants; heating systems, refrigeration systems for air conditioning and heat pumps, ventilation systems, hot water supply and components
• regulate waterborne plants
• dimension pipe networks for water-borne energy

General competenceThe student can

• calculate, design and construct heat producing plants, distribution plants and heating plants so that the environment is not unnecessarily charged
• can formulate and analyze problems using scientific methods in project work

Lectures, exercises and project work.

The following work requirements must be approved before the student can take the exam:

• Two individual exercises, each of three to five pages.

Part 1 Individual written exam of three hours, which counts 70 percent. Part 2 Project work in groups of three to five students and which counts 30 percent. Report, implementation, oral and visual presentation in group are considered. Possible individual grading

Exam part 1) Exam results can be appealed.

Exam part 2) Exam result cannot be appealed.

Both parts of the exam must be graded / E or better in order for students to pass the course.

In the event of a new and postponed individual written examination, oral examination forms may be used. If an oral examination is used for a new and postponed examination, this cannot be appealed.

Two internal sensors.

Haidar Hosamo