Course summary

The global environmental and energy challenge facing current and future generations of architects and building professionals calls for a deeper understanding of the principles of environmental design, and their effective application into architectural practice worldwide. This course allows building professionals who are interested in a condensed and part-time opportunity to update their knowledge and skills, to learn about energy and carbon counting methods and tools, and to make informed design decisions based on post-occupancy feedback and performance analysis. You’ll be able to evaluate existing buildings following a combined bioclimatic and building occupant-focused approach. You’ll follow an evidence-based design approach where the acquisition of specialised software and analytical tools will be directly applied to an evaluation project and case study analysis, including life cycle analysis and embodied energy of materials. This interdisciplinary and international course will provide you with skills that can be applied to diverse building typologies and global climatic, environmental and contextual issues. On completion of this course, you’ll have a thorough understanding of the principles and methodology of environmental design and will develop critical thinking skills to challenge established practices. You’ll hold the knowledge and the practical tools to evaluate buildings and propose refurbishment strategies – positively driving change in this field and moving towards a truly sustainable built environment.