Course Title: Building Sustainability Assessment

Part A: Course Overview

Course Title: Building Sustainability Assessment

Credit Points: 12.00

Terms

Course Code

Campus

Career

School

Learning Mode

Teaching Period(s)

BUSM4461

City Campus

Postgraduate

325H Property, Construction & Project Management

Face-to-Face

 Sem 2 2017,
Sem 1 2018,
Sem 2 2018,
Sem 1 2019,
Sem 2 2019,
Sem 1 2020,
Sem 2 2020,
Sem 1 2021,
Sem 2 2021,
Sem 1 2022,
Sem 2 2022,
Sem 1 2023,
Sem 2 2023,
Sem 2 2024

Course Coordinator: Jin Woo

Course Coordinator Phone: +61 3 9925 0414

Course Coordinator Email: jin.woo@rmit.edu.au

Course Coordinator Location: 8.8.77

Course Coordinator Availability: TBA


Pre-requisite Courses and Assumed Knowledge and Capabilities

None


Course Description

Building sustainability assessment tools are essential in sustainable building design, construction and retrofit projects. With so many tools available, their selection and use has become an important consideration for building practitioners as these assessment tools can affect the direction of a project and whether a project succeeds in meeting its goals. In this course you will develop and apply expert judgement in the selection, implementation and development of sustainability assessment tools that meet project needs. The course will consider building sustainability assessment tools through a critical lens, by developing your knowledge of fundamental sustainability concepts, then applying this knowledge to evaluate the tools themselves. In doing so, you will be exposed to a wide range of assessment tools currently being used in the building industry, and will be able to analyse the strengths and weaknesses of each. During the course you will perform sustainability assessments, using selected tools, such as Green Star rating tools.
This is a WIL course.


Objectives/Learning Outcomes/Capability Development

Program Learning Outcomes (PLOs)

In this course you will develop the following program learning outcomes:

1 - Determine and apply knowledge of complex sustainable building theory, principles and practice, to contribute to the design and management of sustainable buildings 

2 - Critically analyse, synthesise and reflect on sustainable building theory and recent developments, both local and international, to extend and challenge knowledge and practice 

3 - Professionally communicate and justify sustainable building design principles, strategies, solutions and/or outcomes, engaging effectively with diverse stakeholders, including across the government and industry sectors 

4 - Adopt a building performance and systems approach, and apply specialist knowledge and technical skills to creatively address the diverse needs of sustainable building stakeholders 

6 - Integrate and apply appropriate technical skills, research methodologies and tools to plan and execute professional practice and research projects, evaluate the outcomes and effectively communicate the results to contribute to the knowledge arena 


Course Learning Outcomes (CLOs)

Upon successful completion of this course, you will be able to:

  1. Utilise relevant knowledge to assess and communicate key elements of the sustainability of buildings, including metrics that address social, environmental and economic dimensions
  2. Research and analyse building sustainability assessment methods and apply these to evaluate building performance
  3. Research and evaluate building sustainability assessment tools to select their appropriate use and identify their differences and limitations
  4. Analyse and apply sustainability metrics to determine sustainable building performance and to inform the development of building design strategy


Overview of Learning Activities

You will engage in a range of learning activities  in this course including \ class discussions and practical exercises whereby you will apply sustainability assessment tools to an industry based sustainable building case study.

The exercises will require you to read, analyse and apply supplied and independently- sourced literature. The workshops will include seminar, class discussions and individual- and group-based learning exercises.


Overview of Learning Resources

RMIT will provide you with resources and tools for learning in this course through our online systems. A range of resources will be available to support your learning including learning guides and journal articles.


Overview of Assessment

You will be assessed on how well you meet the course’s learning outcomes and on your development against the program learning outcomes. Assessment consists of:

Task 1: Individual work: Report. Best Practice Review. 25% weighting. CLO 1, CLO 2.
Task 2: Group work: Report. Design and As Built Assessment. 35% weighting. CLO 1, CLO 2, CLO 3, CLO 4.
Task 3: Individual work: Presentation and Report. Performance-based assessment. 40% weighting. CLO 2, CLO 3, CLO 4.

Feedback will be given on all assessment tasks.

If you have a long term medical condition and/or disability it may be possible to negotiate to vary aspects of the learning or assessment methods. You can contact the program coordinator or Equitable Learning Services if you would like to find out more. 

Your course assessment conforms to RMIT assessment principles, regulations, policies, procedures and instructions.