CE1BSP: Building Services and Project

Module code: CE1BSP

Module provider: School of Construction Management and Engineering, School of Built Environment

Credits: 20

Level: Level 1 (Certificate)

When you'll be taught: Semester 2

Module convenor: Dr Emmanuel Essah, email: e.a.essah@reading.ac.uk

Pre-requisite module(s):

Co-requisite module(s):

Pre-requisite or Co-requisite module(s):

Module(s) excluded:

Placement information: NA

Academic year: 2024/5

Available to visiting students: No

Talis reading list: No

Last updated: 21 May 2024

Overview

Module aims and purpose

This module aims to provide students with the principle of building services including basics of, electricity distribution, supply and transportation systems in buildings, thermal comfort, fire protection and fire safety in buildings and acoustics. In addition, students will develop a range of key skills with a strong emphasis on independent learning and problem-solving related to healthy building design and operation. The module will provide students with the opportunity to begin to engage in the process of research and to develop their underpinning research skills. 

Module learning outcomes

By the end of the module, it is expected that students will be able to: 

1. Develop a clearly focused, coherent and achievable research proposal. 
2. Conduct a literature review, taking maximum advantage of published sources through structured literature searches; critically review literatures and refine the research questions. Record and acknowledge sources appropriately and consistently. 
3. Collect (secondary or primary) data relevant to the research question, whether through library research, observation and photographs, lab work, interviews or surveys. 
4. Use appropriate data analysis techniques, whether statistical, quantitative or qualitative. 
5. Present the study well, using language that is well considered, grammatically correct, fluent or succinct; with the work structured, with headings, sub-headings and paragraphs and a clear summary. 

Module content

This module introduces the fundamentals of building services and practical design knowledge of building design for good physical and mental health. It will cover broad health-related knowledge in the built environment including thermal comfort, indoor air quality, and ventilation. Contents of this module includes: 

• Principles of electricity and application of induction in electricity generators, transformers, electric motors, 
• Alternating current properties; Single and three-phase electricity, 
• Power supply systems and different type of power stations, 
• Principles of renewable power generators, 
• Electricity distribution systems, circuits and their analysis 
• Balance in electrical supply and demands, 
• Acoustics and Fire safety issues in buildings, 
• Design factors for transportation systems in buildings, 
• Types of transportation systems in buildings, 
• Interior circulation 
• Lifts, escalators and moving walks and their associated energy consumptions, 
• Transport facilities in buildings for people with disabilities, 
• Occupancy Hazard Classification 
• Healthy and liveable workplace 
• Design for good thermal comfort, Indoor air quality and health 
• Infectious disease transmission and control in buildings 
• Ventilation design 
• Group project on healthy building design 

Structure

Teaching and learning methods

The module is designed to provide students with the opportunity to learn from problem-based teaching and learning approaches. Apart from a series of regular lectures on building services and healthy building design, students will work in teams to address engineering problems by applying what they have learnt from lectures as well as independent study beyond the lectures. In addition, students will be provided with the opportunity to develop their teamworking skills, learn from each other and develop their critical thinking as well as research skills. 

The structure provides an integrated approach which enables the theories and concepts learnt to be used and applied in other modules throughout the entire programme and helps better understanding the concept of building services as well as its application. 

Study hours

At least 15 hours of scheduled teaching and learning activities will be delivered in person, with the remaining hours for scheduled and self-scheduled teaching and learning activities delivered either in person or online. You will receive further details about how these hours will be delivered before the start of the module.

Please note the independent study hours above are notional numbers of hours; each student will approach studying in different ways. We would advise you to reflect on your learning and the number of hours you are allocating to these tasks.

Semester 1 The hours in this column may include hours during the Christmas holiday period.

Semester 2 The hours in this column may include hours during the Easter holiday period.

Summer The hours in this column will take place during the summer holidays and may be at the start and/or end of the module.

Assessment

Requirements for a pass

Students need to achieve an overall module mark of 40% to pass this module.

Summative assessment

Penalties for late submission of summative assessment

The Support Centres will apply the following penalties for work submitted late:

Assessments with numerical marks

• where the piece of work is submitted after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): 10% of the total marks available for that piece of work will be deducted from the mark for each working day (or part thereof) following the deadline up to a total of three working days;
• the mark awarded due to the imposition of the penalty shall not fall below the threshold pass mark, namely 40% in the case of modules at Levels 4-6 (i.e. undergraduate modules for Parts 1-3) and 50% in the case of Level 7 modules offered as part of an Integrated Masters or taught postgraduate degree programme;
• where the piece of work is awarded a mark below the threshold pass mark prior to any penalty being imposed, and is submitted up to three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline), no penalty shall be imposed;
• where the piece of work is submitted more than three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): a mark of zero will be recorded.

Assessments marked Pass/Fail

• where the piece of work is submitted within three working days of the deadline (or any formally agreed extension of the deadline): no penalty will be applied;
• where the piece of work is submitted more than three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension of the deadline): a grade of Fail will be awarded.

The University policy statement on penalties for late submission can be found at: https://www.reading.ac.uk/cqsd/-/media/project/functions/cqsd/documents/qap/penaltiesforlatesubmission.pdf

You are strongly advised to ensure that coursework is submitted by the relevant deadline. You should note that it is advisable to submit work in an unfinished state rather than to fail to submit any work.

Formative assessment

Formative assessment is any task or activity which creates feedback (or feedforward) for you about your learning, but which does not contribute towards your overall module mark.

Practice questions will be provided in the tutorial sessions in order to provide students with an opportunity to test their understanding of the topics discussed in lectures and prepare students for summative assessments. 

Reassessment

Additional costs