CE2BPS: Building Pathology and Surveying Practice

Module code: CE2BPS

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

Credits: 20

Level: Level 2 (Intermediate)

When you'll be taught: Semester 2

Module convenor: Mr Adrian Tagg, email: a.tagg@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: Yes

Talis reading list: Yes

Last updated: 21 May 2024

Overview

Module aims and purpose

To develop a forensic understanding into the decay of buildings and the process of surveying buildings as well as the role of the professional bodies (RICS and CIOB) in the delivery of professional surveying advice. It will seek to establish the importance of professional guidance and frameworks in producing technical reports to include the significance of sustainability, ethics, accessibility in the built environment. Parallel to the technical content and analysis of building defects, the module will also embody student engagement with industry to engender career development to create opportunities for summer placements or work experience to align academic surveying theory with professional application.   

The Module Lead at the University of Reading Malaysia is Ms Nurul Syahidah Mazlan (n.mazlan@reading.edu.my).

Module learning outcomes

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

1. Recognise the Role of the RICS in guiding surveyors in the delivery of appropriate professional advice; and distinguish between the types and purpose of various building surveys for residential and commercial sectors. 
2. Distinguish the characteristics and materials between the different age categories of residential buildings, and understand how buildings age and fail. 
3. Distinguish between minor and serious building defects and synthesise the information gleaned from an inspection into client advice according to professional requirements.  
4. Recognise the importance of the professional bodies and the requirement to meet with professional standards on sustainability, accessibility and ethics in the delivery of professional advice.  
5. Recognise the importance of experiential learning through work placements to engender professional development; and describe current careers aspirations and demonstrate active career planning by identifying roles and companies which might meet career area(s) of interest. 

Module content

Examination of the types of condition appraisal and the primary causes of building decay; 

• Introduction into the RICS and the role of the Chartered Surveyor in delivering professional advice; 
• The types of survey for residential and commercial properties including the role of professional guidance and the obligation to include sustainability, accessibility and ethics within professional advice; 
• Introduction into residential property on an element-by-element basis, to a variety of defects; 
• Factors affecting the degree of decay and how failures can be identified and corrected; 
• Assessment of what defects might occur within component lifecycles; 
• Transferring the concept of building pathology into the commercial property sector; 
• Establishing the significance of the professional bodies (RICS / CIOB) in the delivery of professional advice; 
• Recognising the importance of sustainability, accessibility and ethics to those representing the professional bodies.  

Developing industry awareness and their discipline specific requirements with a view to undertaking work experience or summer placement; 

• Introduction to companies operating in the surveying and construction sector (BS / QS / CM / PM); 
• Developing industry networks; 
• Identification of relevant placement, internship and work experience opportunities matched to career interests 
• Application strategies to ensure effective presentation of skills and experience to meet employers’ recruitment process requirements,  

Structure

Teaching and learning methods

Formal lectures and seminars to introduce the necessary technical content to cover professional standard, undertaking building surveys and the science of building pathology. Formal lectures delivered by guest speakers from industry identifying their roles in the built environment, their alignment with the professional bodies and opportunities for work experience or summer placement.

For students studying at our campus in Malaysia: This module may be taught in a different semester and the breakdown of study hours may differ to those set out in the Study Hours table (please refer to the Module Handbook for the correct breakdown). In addition, you will be required to complete an additional 40 hours of study, taking the total number of study hours to 240 for this module. This is to comply with the Malaysian Quality Agency (MQA).

Study hours

At least 60 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 all of the following to pass this module:

1. A pass in the Employability Portfolio
2. A mark of 40% in the Exam
3. An overall module mark of 40%

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.

Reassessment

Additional costs