CONMGNT 7002 - Building Services and Environment

North Terrace Campus - Semester 2 - 2024

This course explains the design and operation of building services and the associated environmental issues of buildings. It is designed to give students a comprehensive understanding of the services deployed in buildings, the factors that drive their use, the planning, design, construction and operational choices that influence capital costs, life cycle performance and associated impacts on other public infrastructure. As construction managers, students will gain empathy for this critical element of buildings of all kinds, serving as a basis for delivering projects in the full spectrum of engagement; from full development and design and construct, through to project management, classical construction only and facilities management contracts. The course is also suitable for students in built environment related majors, including architecture, construction management, property, planning and civil engineering. This course aims to provide a holistic explanation of how buildings should operate to ensure occupants? comfort with low environmental impacts. It covers three knowledge domains, namely 1) building service systems such as water, power, gas, sewage, telecommunication and vertical transportation; 2) building science such as lighting, acoustics, thermal comfort and indoor air quality; and 3) environmental science of buildings such as energy efficiency, Total Building Performance, and passive environmental controls.

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Course Details

Course Code	CONMGNT 7002
Course	Building Services and Environment
Coordinating Unit	Construction Management
Term	Semester 2
Level	Postgraduate Coursework
Location/s	North Terrace Campus
Units	3
Contact	Up to 3 hours per week
Available for Study Abroad and Exchange	Y
Restrictions	Available only to Master of Construction Management students
Assessment	Essay, exam and quiz

Course Staff

Course Coordinator: Hossein Omrany

Dr. Hossein Omrany

E-mail: Hossein.omrany@adelaide.edu.au

Location: N155, Engineering North, North Terrace

Meetings can only be arranged by scheduling an appointment.

Course Timetable

The full timetable of all activities for this course can be accessed from Course Planner.

Please check University Course Planner for detailed information about lectures and tutorials.

This course consists of four primary modules in which a variety of topics related to building services will be discussed. These modules include:

Module 1: An Introduction to Building Service

Module 2: Building Science

Module 3: Building Services

Module 4: Environmental Considerations

Course Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of the course, students should be able to:

Explain the operation of building service systems such as water, power, and drainage systems and factors affecting their connection to public infrastructure;
Define building service systems – including mechanical, electrical, vertical transportation, communication & hydraulic services - in different kinds of buildings;
Discuss the impacts of building services on construction planning and project management in the context of different project types and delivery methods;
Analyse the factors impacting building performance such as lighting, acoustics, thermal comfort, and indoor air quality;
Identify the main cost drivers in the delivery of services in buildings and be aware of their impact on Total Building Performance;
Summarise environmental impacts of buildings and approaches to reduce impacts;
Discuss the interactions between service, building performance, and environmental impacts and propose strategies to ensure good building performance with low environmental impacts.

University Graduate Attributes

This course will provide students with an opportunity to develop the Graduate Attribute(s) specified below:

University Graduate Attribute	Course Learning Outcome(s)
Attribute 1: Deep discipline knowledge and intellectual breadth Graduates have comprehensive knowledge and understanding of their subject area, the ability to engage with different traditions of thought, and the ability to apply their knowledge in practice including in multi-disciplinary or multi-professional contexts.	1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7
Attribute 2: Creative and critical thinking, and problem solving Graduates are effective problems-solvers, able to apply critical, creative and evidence-based thinking to conceive innovative responses to future challenges.	1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7
Attribute 3: Teamwork and communication skills Graduates convey ideas and information effectively to a range of audiences for a variety of purposes and contribute in a positive and collaborative manner to achieving common goals.	1, 2, 3, 6, 7
Attribute 4: Professionalism and leadership readiness Graduates engage in professional behaviour and have the potential to be entrepreneurial and take leadership roles in their chosen occupations or careers and communities.	4, 6
Attribute 5: Intercultural and ethical competency Graduates are responsible and effective global citizens whose personal values and practices are consistent with their roles as responsible members of society.	6, 7
Attribute 8: Self-awareness and emotional intelligence Graduates are self-aware and reflective; they are flexible and resilient and have the capacity to accept and give constructive feedback; they act with integrity and take responsibility for their actions.	3, 4, 6

Learning Resources
Required Resources

There is no prescribed course pack for this course, but specific readings and other materials may be assigned and/or made available through MyUni.

Recommended Resources
A number of recommended resources for this course include:
- Chadderton, D. V. (2007). Building services engineering. London. Taylor & Francis, Chapters 3-5, 11 & 14.
- National Construction Code (2019 Amendment 1), Guide to Building Code of Australia Volume One, Sections F & G.
- American Society for Heating, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE), Adaptive Comfort Model (Standard 55).
- V. Hartkopf, V. Loftness, and P. Mill, "The Concept of Total Building Performance and Building Diagnostics," in Building Performance: Function, Preservation, and Rehabilitation, ed. G. Davis (West Conshohocken, PA: ASTM International, 1986), 5-22.
- Tran, V. V., Park, D., & Lee, Y. C. (2020). Indoor air pollution related human diseases, and recent trends in the control and improvement of indoor air quality. International journal of environmental research and public health, 17(8), 2927.
- Ghaffarianhoseini, A., AlWaer, H., Omrany, H., Ghaffarianhoseini, A., Alalouch, C., Clements-Croome, D., & Tookey, J. (2018). Sick building syndrome: are we doing enough?. Architectural Science Review, 61(3), 99-121.
Further materials will be recommended progressively during the semester.
Online Learning

University Email:
The school uses the University email system to get in touch with the students. Hence, it is highly recommended that students check their emails regularly and keep up to date with any new announcements.

MyUni:
MyUni is an essential online medium that will be used to communicate necessary information regarding the course including details of assignments, quizzes, publishing grades, and so on. There are many other learning resources and assessment pieces that rely on the MyUni system for delivery. Therefore, it is highly recommended that students familiarise themselves with various functions of the MyUni platform and employ it to its fullest extent. https://myuni.adelaide.edu.au

Discussion Board:
The MyUni Discussion Board can be used to interact with other students and tutors and is an essential tool to discuss information and increase your understanding of issues.

Lecture Recordings:
The lectures for this course shall be all recorded and progressively uploaded to the MyUni page of the course for students to (re)watch the lectures on their own time. However, where the presentation content is subject to copyright or the guest speaker is uncomfortable with the recording of the content, the lecture recording will not be made available online. Therefore, students should not rely solely on this mode of learning and arrange to attend or get lecture content from peers.
Learning & Teaching Activities

Learning & Teaching Modes

The contents of this course shall be delivered progressively over 12 weeks. In this regard, certain learning objectives are set to be achieved for each week via employing a combination of lecture and tutorial modes.

Lectures

The lecture series are intended to deliver the core knowledge relative to each week's learning objectives. This highlights the importance of attendance in the lecture sessions of this course. Where students are unable to attend lectures, a review of the lecture is required through posted recordings and introduced materials/references posted on MyUni.

Tutorials

Tutorials are the working space for the subject, providing students with the opportunity to discuss the concepts and materials from lectures and also receive clarifications on the contents delivered in the lectures.

Workload

The information below is provided as a guide to assist students in engaging appropriately with the course requirements.

The information below is provided as a guide to assist students with engaging appropriately with the course and satisfying the determined requirements:

- Total workload hours: 36 contact hours and 96 non-contact hours = 132 hours.
- Total contact hours: 3 hours per week (including 1 lecture and 2 hours of tutorials) x 12 weeks = 36 hours
- Total non-contact hours: Preparations for quizzes 37 hours; group assignment 25; weekly reading/other studies 24; tutorial preparations 10 = 96 hours

Learning Activities Summary

Week 1: Introduction to Building Services
Week 2: Lighting services
Week 3: Thermal performance of buildings
Week 4: Acoustics, thermal comfort & indoor air quality
Week 5: Total building performance
Week 6: Reticulated services
Week 7: Heating, ventilation, and air conditioning
Week 8: Vertical transportation
Week 9: Fire protection
Week 10: Management systems and controls
Week 11: Environmental considerations
Week 12: Summary and review

The University's policy on Assessment for Coursework Programs is based on the following four principles:

Assessment must encourage and reinforce learning.
Assessment must enable robust and fair judgements about student performance.
Assessment practices must be fair and equitable to students and give them the opportunity to demonstrate what they have learned.
Assessment must maintain academic standards.

Assessment Summary

Students' performance will be evaluated through multiple assignment criteria. These include i) active weekly attendance and participation, ii) quizzes, and iii) group-based assignment.

Assessment Related Requirements

To do well, students need to participate in all class activities. Please make sure you attend regularly and come prepared for both lectures and tutorials.

Assessment Detail

Details of the primary assessments are outlined below:

Weekly Attendance and Participation in Tutorials: Students are required to attend tutorials regularly. This will enable them to engage actively with the course material, clarify doubts in real-time, and participate in discussions that enhance their understanding.

Quizzes: There are multiple primary quizzes designed for this subject, each aimed at testing students' understanding of the respective modules as they progress through the course.

Group-Based Assignment: This is one of the major assessment components in this subject. It is designed to promote teamwork, collaboration, and leadership skills while offering an opportunity to consolidate the knowledge students have acquired throughout the semester.

Submission

Certain guidelines are defined for submitting the required materials. To this end, MyUni will be used as the main and only platform for submitting assignments.

Course Grading

Grades for your performance in this course will be awarded in accordance with the following scheme:

M10 (Coursework Mark Scheme)
Grade	Mark	Description
FNS		Fail No Submission
F	1-49	Fail
P	50-64	Pass
C	65-74	Credit
D	75-84	Distinction
HD	85-100	High Distinction
CN		Continuing
NFE		No Formal Examination
RP		Result Pending

Further details of the grades/results can be obtained from Examinations.

Grade Descriptors are available which provide a general guide to the standard of work that is expected at each grade level. More information at Assessment for Coursework Programs.

Final results for this course will be made available through Access Adelaide.

Student Feedback

The University places a high priority on approaches to learning and teaching that enhance the student experience. Feedback is sought from students in a variety of ways including on-going engagement with staff, the use of online discussion boards and the use of Student Experience of Learning and Teaching (SELT) surveys as well as GOS surveys and Program reviews.

SELTs are an important source of information to inform individual teaching practice, decisions about teaching duties, and course and program curriculum design. They enable the University to assess how effectively its learning environments and teaching practices facilitate student engagement and learning outcomes. Under the current SELT Policy (http://www.adelaide.edu.au/policies/101/) course SELTs are mandated and must be conducted at the conclusion of each term/semester/trimester for every course offering. Feedback on issues raised through course SELT surveys is made available to enrolled students through various resources (e.g. MyUni). In addition aggregated course SELT data is available.
Student Support
Policies & Guidelines
This section contains links to relevant assessment-related policies and guidelines - all university policies.
Fraud Awareness

Students are reminded that in order to maintain the academic integrity of all programs and courses, the university has a zero-tolerance approach to students offering money or significant value goods or services to any staff member who is involved in their teaching or assessment. Students offering lecturers or tutors or professional staff anything more than a small token of appreciation is totally unacceptable, in any circumstances. Staff members are obliged to report all such incidents to their supervisor/manager, who will refer them for action under the university's student’s disciplinary procedures.

The University of Adelaide is committed to regular reviews of the courses and programs it offers to students. The University of Adelaide therefore reserves the right to discontinue or vary programs and courses without notice. Please read the important information contained in the disclaimer.

Authorised by:	Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Vice-President (Academic)
Maintained by:	Course Outlines Administrator