Search result: Catalogue data in Autumn Semester 2024

Integrated Building Systems Master Information
Main Courses
Core Courses
NumberTitleTypeECTSHoursLecturers
101-0527-10LMaterials and ConstructionsO4 credits2GG. Habert, D. M. L. Ardant
AbstractBuilding materials with a special focus on regenerative materials: earth, bio-based and reuse.
Looking at material sourcing, properties and performance, as well as how they are integrated in the buildings (building envelope and detailing).
Choice of material is done out of sustainability concern.
Comfort, moisture transfer and building physics with hygroscopic materials.
Learning objectiveSpecial focus on regenerative materials: earth, bio-based and reuse
The students will acquire knowledge in the following fields:
Fundamentals of material performance
Introduction to durability problems of building facades

Materials for the building envelope:
- Overview of structural materials and systems: concrete, steel, stone, earth, wood and bamboo
- Insulating materials (bio-based vs conventional)

Assessment of materials and components behaviour and performance
Degradation risks connected to insulation and post-insulation
Aspects of sustainability and durability

Special focus on comfort, moisture transfer and building physics with hygroscopic materials will be done.
ContentIntroduction
Sustainable cement and concrete
Earth construction
Stone
Steel
Bamboo
Timber construction
Building physic and conventional insulation
Bio-based insulation and degradation risks with insulation
Hygrothermal properties of building materials and dynamic numerical simulations
Efficiency and sustainability of modern window glazing


Course will have general lectures
+ hands on lab @home experiments
+ group project for implementation of regenerative materials.
CompetenciesCompetencies
Subject-specific CompetenciesTechniques and Technologiesassessed
Method-specific CompetenciesDecision-makingfostered
Problem-solvingassessed
Social CompetenciesCommunicationassessed
Cooperation and Teamworkfostered
Sensitivity to Diversityfostered
Negotiationfostered
Personal CompetenciesAdaptability and Flexibilityfostered
Creative Thinkingassessed
Critical Thinkingassessed
Self-awareness and Self-reflection fostered
151-8011-00LBuilding Physics: Theory and Applications Information Restricted registration - show details
Enrolment after agreement with the lecturer only.
O4 credits3V + 1UA. Kubilay, X. Zhou, L. Fei, A. Rubin
AbstractPrinciples of heat and mass transport, hygro-thermal performance, durability of the building envelope and interaction with indoor and outdoor climates, applications.
Learning objectiveThe students will acquire in the following fields:
- Principles of heat and mass transport and its mathematical description.
- Indoor and outdoor climate and driving forces.
- Hygrothermal properties of building materials.
- Building envelope solutions and their construction.
- Hygrothermal performance and durability.
ContentPrinciples of heat and mass transport, hygro-thermal performance, durability of the building envelope and interaction with indoor and outdoor climates, applications.
Lecture notesHandouts, supporting material and exercises are provided online via Moodle.
Prerequisites / NoticePriority will be given to students in Integrated Building Systems Master (MIBS).
Please send an email to the main lecturer, if you are not a MIBS student.
CompetenciesCompetencies
Subject-specific CompetenciesConcepts and Theoriesassessed
363-0389-00LTechnology and Innovation ManagementO3 credits2GS. Brusoni, A. Zeijen
AbstractThis course focuses on the sources of innovation (with a specific focus on digital technologies), the tools and techniques that organizations deploy to innovate routinely, and the strategic implications of technical change at different levels of analysis: individuals, firms and whole ecosystems.
Learning objectiveThis course intends to enable all students to:

- Acquire and understand the basic jargon, concepts and methods necessary to discuss, in a precise and concise manner, innovation processes and their outcomes at different levels of analysis

- Analyze the differences between individual and organizational decision processes and their innovative outcomes

- Evaluate critically the potential of different (digital) technologies to impact business organizations.
ContentOrganizations and people are faced with a fundamental decision: they have to allocate resources between well-known tasks that reliably generate positive results; or explore new ways of doing things, new technologies, products and services. The latter is a high risk choice. Its rewards can be high, but the chances of success are small. How do firms organize to take these decisions? What kind of management skills are necessary to take them? What kind of tools and methods are deployed to sustain managerial decision-making in highly volatile environments? These are the central questions on which this course focuses, relying on a combination of lectures, case-based discussion, and guest speakers.
Lecture notesSlides will be available on the Moodle page
LiteratureReadings will be available on the Moodle page
Prerequisites / NoticeThe course content and methods are designed for students with some background in management and/or economics
CompetenciesCompetencies
Concepts and Theoriesassessed
Techniques and Technologiesassessed
Method-specific CompetenciesAnalytical Competenciesassessed
Decision-makingfostered
Media and Digital Technologiesfostered
Problem-solvingfostered
Social CompetenciesCommunicationfostered
Leadership and Responsibilityfostered
Sensitivity to Diversityfostered
Personal CompetenciesAdaptability and Flexibilityfostered
Creative Thinkingfostered
Critical Thinkingassessed
Integrity and Work Ethicsfostered
Self-awareness and Self-reflection assessed
Self-direction and Self-management fostered
363-0503-00LPrinciples of Microeconomics Restricted registration - show details O3 credits2GM. Filippini
AbstractThe course introduces basic principles, problems and approaches of microeconomics. This provides the students with reflective and contextual knowledge on how societies use scarce resources to produce goods and services and ensure a (fair) distribution.
Learning objectiveThe learning objectives of the course are:

(1) Students must be able to discuss basic principles, problems and approaches in microeconomics. (2) Students can analyse and explain simple economic principles in a market using supply and demand graphs. (3) Students can contrast different market structures and describe firm and consumer behaviour. (4) Students can identify market failures such as externalities related to market activities and illustrate how these affect the economy as a whole. (5) Students can also recognize behavioural failures within a market and discuss basic concepts related to behavioural economics. (6) Students can apply simple mathematical concepts on economic problems.
ContentThe resources on our planet are finite. The discipline of microeconomics therefore deals with the question of how society can use scarce resources to produce goods and services and ensure a (fair) distribution. In particular, microeconomics deals with the behaviour of consumers and firms in different market forms. Economic considerations and discussions are not part of classical engineering and science study programme. Thus, the goal of the lecture "Principles of Microeconomics" is to teach students how economic thinking and argumentation works. The course should help the students to look at the contents of their own studies from a different perspective and to be able to critically reflect on economic problems discussed in the society.

Topics covered by the course are:

- Supply and demand
- Consumer demand: neoclassical and behavioural perspective
- Cost of production: neoclassical and behavioural perspective
- Welfare economics, deadweight losses
- Governmental policies
- Market failures, common resources and public goods
- Public sector, tax system
- Market forms (competitive, monopolistic, monopolistic competitive, oligopolistic)
- International trade
Lecture notesLecture notes, exercises and reference material can be downloaded from Moodle.
LiteratureN. Gregory Mankiw and Mark P. Taylor (2023), "Economics", 6th edition, South-Western Cengage Learning.

For students taking only the course 'Principles of Microeconomics' there is a shorter version of the same book:
N. Gregory Mankiw and Mark P. Taylor (2023), "Microeconomics", 6th edition, South-Western Cengage Learning.

Complementary:
R. Pindyck and D. Rubinfeld (2018), "Microeconomics", 9th edition, Pearson Education.
CompetenciesCompetencies
Subject-specific CompetenciesConcepts and Theoriesassessed
Techniques and Technologiesfostered
Method-specific CompetenciesAnalytical Competenciesassessed
Decision-makingassessed
Media and Digital Technologiesfostered
Problem-solvingassessed
Project Managementfostered
Social CompetenciesCommunicationfostered
Cooperation and Teamworkfostered
Customer Orientationfostered
Leadership and Responsibilityfostered
Self-presentation and Social Influence assessed
Sensitivity to Diversityfostered
Negotiationfostered
Personal CompetenciesAdaptability and Flexibilityfostered
Creative Thinkingfostered
Critical Thinkingassessed
Integrity and Work Ethicsfostered
Self-awareness and Self-reflection assessed
Self-direction and Self-management fostered
151-8007-00LUrban Physics Information Restricted registration - show details
Does not take place this semester.
W3 credits3GD. W. Brunner, H. Wernli
AbstractUrban physics: wind, wind comfort, pollutant dispersion, natural ventilation, driving rain, heat islands, climate change and weather conditions, urban acoustics and energy use in the urban context.
Learning objective- Basic knowledge of the global climate and the local microclimate around buildings
- Impact of urban environment on wind, ventilation, rain, pollutants, acoustics and energy, and their relation to comfort, durability, air quality and energy demand
- Application of urban physics concepts in urban design
Content- Climate Change. The Global Picture: global energy balance, global climate models, the IPCC process. Towards regional climate scenarios: role of spatial resolution, overview of approaches, hydrostatic RCMs, cloud-resolving RCMs
- Urban micro climate and comfort: urban heat island effect, wind flow and radiation in the built environment, convective heat transport modelling, heat balance and ventilation of urban spaces - impact of morphology, outdoor wind comfort, outdoor thermal comfort,
- Urban energy and urban design. Energy performance of building quarters and cities, decentralized urban energy production and storage technologies, district heating networks, optimization of energy consumption at district level, effect of the micro climate, urban heat islands, and climate change on the energy performance of buildings and building blocks.
- Wind driving rain (WDR): WDR phenomena, WDR experimental and modeling, wind blocking effect, applications and moisture durability
- Pollutant dispersion. pollutant cycle : emission, transport and deposition, air quality
- Urban acoustics. noise propagation through the urban environment, meteorological effects, urban acoustic modeling, noise reduction measures, urban vegetation
- Practical exercise on climatic data collection and analyze
Lecture notesThe course lectures and material are provided online via Moodle.
Prerequisites / NoticeFor MIBS Master students 151-8011-ooL Building Phyics Theory & Application is a pre-requisit for this course or instructor permission. For others no prior knowledge is required.
066-0421-00LBuilding Systems I Information O3 credits3GI. Hischier, L. Baldini, L. O. Grobe, F. M. Meggers, A. Schlüter
AbstractBuilding Systems I gives an overview of fundamentals and concepts relevant for the design of building systems.
Learning objectiveThe course has the following learning objectives:
- Knowledge of the fundamentals, principles and technologies for building heating, cooling, ventilation and electricity supply.
- Knowledge of the integration and interdependencies of building systems and building structure, construction and aesthetics
- Ability to estimate relevant quantities and qualities for heating/cooling/ventilation/electricity of buildings and the related supply systems
- Ability to evaluate and choose an approach for sustainable heating/cooling/ventilation/electricity, the system and its components
- Synthesis in own integrated design projects
Content1. Comfort & Environment
2. Heating / cooling concepts and demand
3. Natural / mechanical ventilation concepts and demand
4. Solar generation / electricity storage and demand
5. Information & Communication Technologies
101-0608-00LDesign-Integrated Life Cycle AssessmentW4 credits2GG. Habert, F. Belizario Silva, A. Rodionova
AbstractCurrently, Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is applied as an ex-post design evaluation of buildings, but rarely used to improve the building during the design process.
The aim of this course is to apply LCA during the design of buildings by means of a digital, parametric tool. The necessary fundamentals of the LCA method will be taught following a lecture on demands approach.
Learning objectiveThe course will follow two main objectives and a third optional objective, depending on the design projects the students’ choose. At the end of the course, the students will:
1. Know the methodology of LCA
2. Be able to apply LCA in the design process to assess and improve the environmental performance of their projects
3. Be able to use the parametric LCA tool and link it to additional performance assessment tools for a holistic optimisation
ContentThe course will be structured into two parts, each making up about half of the semester.

Part I: Exercises with lectures on demand
The first six individual courses will follow the “lectures on demand” approach. Small “hands-on” exercises focusing on one specific aspect will be given out and the necessary background knowledge will be provided in the form of short input lectures when questions arise. The following topics will be discussed during the first part:
1) LCA basic introduction
2) System boundaries, functional unit, end of life
3) Carbon budget and LCA benchmarks
4) BIM-LCA, available calculation tools and databases
5) Integrated analysis of environmental and cost assessment
6) Bio-based carbon storage

Part II: Project-based learning
In the second part, the students will work on their individual project in groups of three. For the design task, the students will bring their own project and work on improving it. The projects can be chosen depending on the students background and range from buildings to infrastructure projects. Intermediate presentations will ensure the continuous work and make sure all groups are on the same level and learn from each other. During this part, the following hands-on tutorials will be given:
1) Introduction to Rhinoceros 6 and 7
2) Introduction to grasshopper
3) Integrated assessment tools (ladybug tools)
4) Introduction to in-house grasshopper plugin for LCA analysis
Lecture notesAs the course follows a lecture on demand approach, the lecture slides will be provided after each course.
LiteratureA list of the basic literature will be offered on a specific online platform, that could be used by all students attending the lectures.
Prerequisites / NoticeThe students are expected to work out of class as well. The course time will be used by the teachers to answer project-specific questions.

The lecture series will be conducted in English and is aimed at students of master's programs, particularly in civil engineering and MIBS.
No lecture will be given during Seminar week.
CompetenciesCompetencies
Subject-specific CompetenciesTechniques and Technologiesassessed
Method-specific CompetenciesAnalytical Competenciesassessed
Decision-makingassessed
Media and Digital Technologiesfostered
Problem-solvingassessed
Social CompetenciesCommunicationassessed
Cooperation and Teamworkassessed
Sensitivity to Diversityfostered
Negotiationfostered
Personal CompetenciesAdaptability and Flexibilityfostered
Creative Thinkingassessed
Critical Thinkingassessed
Integrity and Work Ethicsfostered
Self-awareness and Self-reflection assessed
151-0209-00LRenewable Energy Technologies Information W4 credits3GA. Bardow, E. Casati
AbstractThe course covers the key concepts and aspects involved in: (i) the economics of renewable energy and its integration in the energy system, (ii) the engineering of prominent renewable energy technologies (solar, wind, hydro, geothermal and bioenergy), and (iii) energy storage, renewable transport and renewable heating & cooling.
Learning objectiveStudents learn the potential and limitations of renewable energy technologies and their contribution towards sustainable energy utilization.
Lecture notesLecture Notes containing copies of the presented slides.
Prerequisites / NoticePrerequisite: strong background on the fundamentals of engineering thermodynamics, equivalent to the material taught in the courses Thermodynamics I, II, and III of D-MAVT.
CompetenciesCompetencies
Subject-specific CompetenciesConcepts and Theoriesassessed
Techniques and Technologiesassessed
Method-specific CompetenciesAnalytical Competenciesfostered
Decision-makingfostered
Problem-solvingfostered
Social CompetenciesCommunicationfostered
Cooperation and Teamworkfostered
Personal CompetenciesCritical Thinkingfostered
101-0123-00LStructural DesignW3 credits2GJ. Pauli, F. Bertagna
AbstractThe goal of the course is to introduce students to Structural Design. The course fosters the development of a design thinking that emerges from the coexistence of a number of design parameters and performance criteria related to force flow, construction technologies, material use, and spatial qualities.
Learning objectiveAfter a successful completion of the course, students will be able to:
1. Critically evaluate structural design concepts based on their impact and implications beyond the sole structural performance
2. Identify the most relevant design parameters and performance criteria for a given design task and select adequate tools to effectively integrate them as part of the design process
3. Develop structural systems in compliance with structural, spatial, and environmental design aspects simultaneously
ContentThe goal of the course is to introduce students to Structural Design. The course fosters the development of a design thinking that emerges from the coexistence of a number of design parameters and performance criteria related to force flow, construction technologies, material use, and spatial qualities. Students will learn about diverse tools that allow for controlling such a complex blend of parameters and criteria at the interface between different disciplines such as structural engineering and architecture. These tools will include physical models, graphical methods, and digital tools. After a series of lectures and workshops, students will work on a design exercise that represents the core of the entire course. The design exercise is an opportunity to deal with an open-ended task that does not admit a univocal answer. In fact, besides structural performance, design options will be discussed and evaluated through a set of criteria including spatial qualities, constructability, and environmental footprint.
CompetenciesCompetencies
Subject-specific CompetenciesConcepts and Theoriesfostered
Techniques and Technologiesfostered
Method-specific CompetenciesAnalytical Competenciesfostered
Decision-makingfostered
Problem-solvingfostered
Social CompetenciesCooperation and Teamworkfostered
Personal CompetenciesCreative Thinkingfostered
Critical Thinkingfostered
Self-awareness and Self-reflection fostered
151-0909-00LChemistryW4 credits2V + 2UD. J. Norris
AbstractThis is a general chemistry course aimed at first-year bachelor students in the Department of Mechanical and Process Engineering.
Learning objectiveThe aims of the course are:
1) To provide a thorough understanding of the basic principles of chemistry and its application,
2) To develop an understanding of the atomic and molecular nature of matter and of the chemical reactions that describe its transformations, and
3) To emphasize areas considered most relevant in an engineering context.
ContentElectronic structure of atoms, chemical bonding, molecular geometry and bonding theories, intermolecular forces, gases, thermodynamics, chemical thermodynamics, chemical kinetics, equilibria, liquids and solutions, acids and bases, redox- and electrochemistry.
Lecture notesThe instructor's lecture notes will be available prior to every lecture and can be downloaded from Moodle.
LiteratureThe course is based on "Chemistry: The Central Science" by Brown, LeMay, Bursten, Murphy, Woodward, and Stoltzfus. Pearson, 15th Edition in SI units (global edition).
151-0245-00LEnergy Systems Analysis: an Introduction and Overview with ApplicationsW4 credits2V + 2UR. McKenna, P. Burgherr, E. Panos, R. Sacchi
AbstractIntroductory (advanced Bachelor or beginner Master level) course on Energy Systems Analysis, providing an overview of the field and methods. After an introduction to systems thinking and characterisation of technologies, three main blocks cover with Lifecycle Assessment (LCA, 3 units), bottom-up linear optimisation models (5 units) and Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA, 3 units).
Learning objective- Analyse energy technologies with respect to different criteria/characteristics
- Discuss and debate the pros and cons of different ESA models/approaches (for specific applications)
- Explain the system-level interdependencies/interconnections within the energy system
- Evaluate the effect of uncertainties and “the human dimension” on ESA and scenarios
ContentThe course provides an introduction and overview to the most well-established models and methods of energy systems analysis, in each case introducing students to the theory and assumptions of the method, strengths and weaknesses of the specific approach, and case studies for exemplary energy technologies and systems. The students are taught to understand and will be able to apply the basic principles of these methods in the context of targeted assignments relating to real-world energy systems.
Lecture notesNo but slides are provided before the lectures and videos recorded.
LiteratureWill be provided during the course.
Prerequisites / NoticeNo specific prerequisities, some background in energy-related topics in the Bachelor would be beneficial.
CompetenciesCompetencies
Subject-specific CompetenciesConcepts and Theoriesassessed
Techniques and Technologiesfostered
Method-specific CompetenciesAnalytical Competenciesassessed
Decision-makingassessed
Problem-solvingassessed
Social CompetenciesCommunicationfostered
Cooperation and Teamworkfostered
Sensitivity to Diversityfostered
Negotiationfostered
Personal CompetenciesAdaptability and Flexibilityfostered
Creative Thinkingfostered
Critical Thinkingassessed
Integrity and Work Ethicsfostered
Self-awareness and Self-reflection fostered
Self-direction and Self-management fostered
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