Architectural Environment Engineering BEng

This module develops and advances the principles of thermodynamics and fluid mechanics in Thermofluids 1 [ABEE1030] and provides applications to architectural environmental engineering.

Topics may include:

• Vapour compression and vapour absorption refrigerator cycles.
• Psychrometry, wet-bulb temperature, air conditioning.
• General heat conduction equation (3-dimensional). Steady-state one-dimensional heat conduction in cylindrical coordinate, critical radius of thermal insulation
• Convection heat transfer: Laminar and turbulent flow in tubes and around bodies, correlations for forced convection heat transfer and natural convection.
• Introduction to radiation heat transfer: Stefan-Boltzmann law of black body radiation, intensity, emissive power, irradiation, radiation properties, Kirchhoff's law.

This module introduces you to the fundamentals of acoustic and lighting phenomena as they relate to design within the built environment. During two hours of lectures each week, you’ll be given an overview of the psychological and technical considerations that underpin design requirements and explore the selection of acoustic and lighting strategies relating to the design of buildings through the introduction of appropriate tools and techniques.

This module aims to introduce you to large scale building services, principally natural ventilation, air conditioning and other environmental control systems, and to discuss the reasons for resorting to and avoiding A/C and the consequent design issues.

Topics include:

• assessments of heat gains and losses, thermal comfort and relevant climatic data
• system types and associated secondary plants
• plant selection, location, sizing and design alternatives

This module is delivered through four hours of lectures each week.

You will learn techniques for solving selected classes of ordinary differential equations (ODEs) relevant to the analysis of engineering topics. This module also provides the basic calculus to help analyse engineering problems in two or three dimensions and special solutions of partial differential equations relevant to engineering applications. You will spend around three hours per week in lectures and workshops.

The aim of this module is to introduce you to computer simulation tools and explore how they may be used to understand the energy behaviour of buildings. Specifically, you’ll learn about the methods of examining non-steady state performance of buildings. Starting from a theoretical exploration of transient building response, computer simulation tools are introduced and then used to explore energy flows through buildings.

The simulation process is used to explore and develop an awareness of the relationship between building performance and climate, design, materiality and occupant behaviour. This module is delivered through four hours of lectures each week.

This module aims to help you develop and extend your skills in designing building services of increasing complexity. You’ll study design topics such as:

• large scale HVAC systems
• utility services
• lighting and fire protection services
• natural ventilation
• sustainable systems

This module expands the design principles of HVAC, along with utility services, and the fire protection systems, into a co-ordinated design. Engineering systems are integrated into a building which is at the design stage. You’ll make design calculations and sketch drawings of system layouts. By the end of the module you should be able to design and commission air distribution systems within buildings, understand various cooling techniques for buildings and have an appreciation of lighting and drainage systems. The module is delivered through a one-hour lecture and a one-hour seminar each week.

Two main themes are addressed in this module: Project Development issues and Project management issues. Lectures will introduce the process of procurement of land and buildings, project management, development finance and economic factors, strategies and controls, facilities, estate and property management in relation to interests in the architectural profession and the building industry. Risk management and studies on human resources management will also be introduced.

This module aims to develop an awareness of fluid mechanics and its application within building environment engineering and to teach you the fundamental principles of fluid mechanics and their application to practical problems in building environment design. You’ll spend around four hours per week in lectures and workshops studying for this module.

This module will introduce students to smart energy systems, which exploit synergies across multiple sub-systems such as electricity, heating, and transport to optimise energy use and reduce carbon intensity. The importance of data science to enable increased efficiency at the building and systems level will also be highlighted. You will be introduced to renewable energy technologies and investigate their performance in hands-on lab sessions. You will also build a model of a smart energy system in the context of a real-life case study.