Design Integration Lab: Energy

This studio will focus on the ways that buildings respond effectively to people's environmental needs, while minimising net energy use in buildings. Students will learn how to integrate and design the thermal, luminous and acoustic environment of a building. Particular emphasis will be placed on the basics of heat, thermal performance and natural ventilation strategies. In learning how to assess environmental performance, students will be equipped with the required knowledge to design convenient, quick and robust solutions that improve the experience of the building. An introduction to sustainable building practices, including net-zero and green building, will provide a basis for further investigation of the critical needs faced by occupants of the built environment. Particular emphasis will be placed on experiments and case studies in the Sydney area, with questions raised about the Australian context more broadly. The main learning outcomes include an understanding of fundamental principles of integrated strategies and solutions, principles of passive low-energy design techniques (including heat, sound, light and wind), the ability to critically and synthetically analyse environmental design issues, and the ways to efficaciously implement and communicate technical information during the design process.