Climate Change, Energy and Settlements

Learning Outcomes

Subject Specific Intellectual and Research Skills

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

• Analyse and critically assess the climatic, environmental, technical and societal conditions that have led to specific building designs and settlement forms. [SM9M, D10M, EL9M]
• Defend a chosen engineering solution in terms of its relationship with the climate and environment. [SM7M, SM9M, EA6M, EA7M, D9M, D10M, D11M, EL9M, EL10M, EL11M, P12M, P10m]
• Conduct a thorough literature research of a given research topic. [G1, G2]
• Critically review climate change science predictions. [SM7M]

Knowledge and Understanding

Having successfully completed this module, you will be able to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of:

• Desk based research using various forms of media spanning the fields of architecture, engineering, history and social sciences. [EA7M, G1]
• The relationship of climate, environment, technology, society and its manifestation in buildings and settlement structures Intellectual skills. [SM7M, SM9M, EL9M, P12M]
• Current climate change science predictions and the potential impacts of climate change on buildings, settlements, energy demand and supply systems. [SM7M, P9m]
• The importance of learning from vernacular structures as well as the climatic and environmental conditions for developing modern design solutions which consume minimal resources. [SM7M, SM9M, EA6M, EA7M]

Subject Specific Practical Skills

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

• Demonstrate the ability to present and defend individual research. [SM7M, SM9M, EA6M, EA7M, D9M, D10M, D11M, EL9M, EL10M, EL11M, P12M, P10m]
• Write a well-structured, clear and concise research report. [G1..G4]
• Develop and present a poster design to convey a design/engineering concept/approach. [G1, G4]

Transferable and Generic Skills

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

• Plan and organise both time and resources. [EL10M, G1..G4]
• Group work. [G4]
• Problem analysis and problem solving. [G1]
• Research and independent study. [G1, G2]
• Oral presentation. [G1]
• Exercise independent judgement. [EA6M, D11M, EL9M]
• Graphical presentation of a design concept/approach. [G1]

This module links the development of society to the surrounding climatic conditions and investigates its use of energy to achieve comfortable living and working conditions in its buildings and settlements. It will comprise the following:

1. An introduction to the Earth’s climate system and climatic zones as basis for human activity and settlements.

2. The development of society in relation to the local climatic and topographic conditions, resources availability (food, building material, energy), technical skills and the societal framework.

3. The conditions for development, evolution and collapse of civilisations.

4. The development and organisation of human settlements addressing aspects of location, society, advantages to individuals, form, function, design and organisation principles.

5. An assessment of population development and its implications on settlements, buildings and resource consumption with particular focus on energy consumption.

6. Discussion of how energy systems contribute to the shaping of society and the conditions that resulted in the agricultural and industrial revolution.

7. An introduction to climate science looking at historical and recent observations, climate modelling and climate change predictions.

8. The assessment of global and regional climate change implications and associated mitigation / adaptation strategies.

9. The concepts of sustainability, ecological and carbon foot printing.

The module consists of lectures and tutorial sessions related to the assignments detailed below.

Lectures will concentrate on the themes given above with the expectation that the students conduct further private study. A selected field trip will complement the lecture content. This is usually to the Weald and Downland open air museum near Chichester.

Summative

This is how we’ll formally assess what you have learned in this module.

Referral

This is how we’ll assess you if you don’t meet the criteria to pass this module.