BEM37 Sustainable Construction
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School of Environment and Technology
BEM37 Sustainable Construction Level: M
Academic Year 2019/2020
Coursework Brief
1 Introduction
The purpose of this document is to provide information on the assessed coursework of
this module.
The assessment package consists of two parts as follows:
• Coursework part A: Sustainable Construction Practice (30%)
• Coursework part B: Sustainability Plan for Mithras House Refurbishment (70%)
2 Coursework part A: Sustainable Construction in the UK
2.1 General information
Hand out: Wednesday 5th February 2020
Deadline: Monday 16
th March 2020
Weighting: 30% (1000 word equivalent)
Type of coursework: Individual
2.2 Introduction
The term ‘sustainable construction’ can be interpreted in many different ways and we
all have a vested interest in its achievement because we all live and work within the
built environment. Construction industry professionals therefore have responsibilities to
ensure that both the construction industry and the built environment are sustainable
for future generations.
Professionals within the industry, however, have a range of priorities and restrictions
under which to produce good design, well-constructed and usable buildings. There are
always the restrictions of time and cost on the achievement of buildings of architectural
merit. The further constraint of ‘sustainability’ is less well defined and requires clarity of
definition and means by which it can be evaluated.
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2.3 Requirements
You are required to produce a written report defining sustainable construction and the
study of a non-domestic ‘sustainable’ buildings, which have been constructed in the
last 5 years.
Your definition should be developed based on critical review of the state of the art
international publications with clear analysis on their underpinning principles and
criteria. The sustainable building study should describe:
• the design principles on the fabric constructions, selection of materials and the
building environmental services systems; and
• energy and water demands during occupation and their consumption
efficiencies against bench marks.
The study should provide a critical evaluation on the extent each building has met
your definition of being ‘sustainable’.
2.4 Submission
The submission deadline is Friday 16th March 2020. You will need to submit an
electronic copy via Studentcentral before 12:30.
2.5 Assessment
Definition of sustainable construction: 30%
Sustainable building with critical evaluation 60%
Presentation 10%
Coursework will be assessed according to the University of Brighton assessment
criteria shown in the Module Brief available from the Studentcentral. You can use the
following Coursework Assessment and Feedback Form as a guide during the
development of your work.
BEM37 Sustainable Construction
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Coursework Assessment and Feedback 19-20
Name: Student no.
Module: BEM37 Sustainable Construction
Coursework Part A – Sustainable Constructions Practice
Excellent V. Good Good Pass Fail
A. Definition of sustainable construction 30%
Overview of existing definitions – aims, principles andcriteria
etc.
Propose a definition with critical evaluation & justification
Scope and credibility of Information/literature
B. Sustainable constructioncase study 60%
Description of case study building
Sustainable design principles – fabrics & materials
Sustainable design principles –building environmental systems
Sustainable design principles – energy and water demands&
consumption efficiencies
Critical appraisal on case study meeting the proposed
definition
Scope and credibility of Information/literature
C. Presentation 10%
Clarity of layout
Quality of writing
Use of diagrams/figures
References
Originality
Individual feedback: Individual feedback sessions will be posted on SC
Additional comments (Please read specific comments inside the report) Marks %
BEM37 Sustainable Construction
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3 Coursework part B: Sustainability plan for Mithras House Refurbishment
3.1 General information
Hand out: Wednesday 5th Feb 2020
Deadline: Friday 15th May 2020 (12:30)
Weighting: 70% (2500 word equivalent)
Type of coursework: Individual report
3.2 Introduction
The UK construction industry contributes to waste, carbon emission, water and energy
consumption significantly. Regarding waste alone, it is responsible for approximately
one third of the total waste in the country.
Efficient sustainability management plan is therefore critical for both financial and
environmental reasons. This coursework is aimed at analysing current practice with
respect to different sustainability measures and evaluating the potential for a
refurbishment project through improvements in construction and management
procedures as well as efficient resource utilization.
3.3 Mithras House Refurbishment
The University of Brighton is seeking to undertake a major refurbishment of the
Mithras House starting in 2019-2020. A key requirement of the refurbishment is to
upgrade the fabric to achieve better energy efficiency and comfort for the occupants
and to replace the distribution and disposal services that are reaching the end of their
useful life.
As a member of an external Sustainability Consultancy Team appointed to the project,
you are required to develop the Sustainability Plan with recommendations for the
best practices to adopt on some aspects of the refurbishment to be implemented
during the refurbishment process and when the building is re-occupied.
3.4 Workshops
A coursework workshop supporting coursework part B is incorporated in the lecture
programme to provide support for this coursework.
3.5 Report requirements
Acting as a team member of a sustainability consultancy firm, you are required to
develop the sustainability plan which will be presented to the Sustainability Committee
of University of Brighton. It should address the following aspects:
• An overview of key issues to include in the sustainability plan;
BEM37 Sustainable Construction
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• Identify issues that have the most significant life cycle environmental impacts;
• Critically review relevant environmental assessment schemes and recommend a
suitable scheme for this refurbishment project;
• Evaluate and recommend the best practices to be adopted to address any three
of the following issues:
• Construction materials for the building interior
• Low carbon energy supply
• Operational building energy management after refurbishment
• Demolition and construction site management
• Management of Construction Waste
• Water sustainability and management
The recommendations should take into consideration the specific site conditions, the
usage of the building and practicality of their implementation. Report should include
indicators that can be used to demonstrate the effectiveness and expected levels of
performance.
3.6 Drawings
Drawings showing existing building layouts is available in the ‘Assessment’ area of
the module on Studentcentral.
3.7 Marks allocation
• Overview and identify key environmental issues 15%
• Review and recommend environmental assessment schemes 15%
• Recommend best practice to implement on fourselected issues 60%
• Presentation 10%
Total 100%
Coursework will be assessed according to the University of Brighton assessment
criteria shown in the Module Brief available from the Studentcentral. You can use the
following Coursework Assessment and Feedback Form as a guide when developing
your work.
BEM37 Sustainable Construction
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Coursework Assessment and Feedback 19-20
Name: Student no.
Module: BEM37 Sustainable Construction
Coursework Part B – Sustainability Plan for Mithras House Refurbishment
Assessment Excellent V.
Good Good Pass Fail
Sustainability plan overview 15%
Introduction, site, building & usage characteristics
Overview of sustainability plan content
Key issues specific to Mithras House
Scope and credibility of Information/literature
Environmental assessment scheme for refurbishment 15%
State of the art critical review
Justification of selected scheme
Scope and credibility of Information/literature
Evaluate and recommend best practice (Select any 3) 60%
Demolition & construction site management
Construction materials for the building interior
Operational building energy management after refurbishment
Low carbon energy supply
Management of Construction Waste
Water sustainability and management
Scope and credibility of Information/literature
Presentation 10%
Clarity of layout
Quality of writing
Use of diagrams/figures/tables
References
Originality
Individual feedback: By appointment
Additional comments (Please read specific comments inside the report) Marks %
Report
Workshop
Total
BEM37 Sustainable Construction
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3.8 Submission
The submission deadline is Friday 15th May 2020. You will need to submit an electronic
copy via Studentcentral before 12:30.
4 References and sources of information
Students are expected to use credible references such as those introduced in the
lectures or posted on Studentcentral. The information used should be correctly
referenced and cited in the report, which should encompass a wide range of sources
such as academic books, journals, guides and technical literatures as appropriate.
Quality, scope, validity and credibility of the information used will be taken into
consideration when assessing your submission.