faculty of

the BUILT ENVIRONMENT

UGANDA MARTYRS UNIVERSITY

COURSE OUTLINE 2021/22

ENDS 3113
SUSTAINABLE BUILT ENVIRONMENTS

Programme: BACHELOR OF ENVIRONMENTAL DESIGN

Year Level: III Credit Points: 8.0

Semester: ONE

Weekly Contact Hours: Up to 10

Course Co-ordinator: CONRAD KAZOORA (CK)

Course Instructors: JANELLE NAKIBUUKA (JN)
ANTHONY KALIMUNGABO (AK)

Contact Details: C. KAZOORA gkazoora@umu.ac.ug

J. NAKIBUUKA jnakibuuka@umu.ac.ug
A. KALIMUNGABO a.kalimungabo@gmail.com

Contact Hours: Lecture: Monday: 8:30 - 13:00 | Wednesday: 08:30 – 13:30

Studio: Monday: 14:00 – 16:00 | Friday: 08:30 – 14:00

Tutorial: Monday: 14:00 – 16:00

Consulting Times: By appointment outside designated course times

COURSE INFORMATION
Handbook Entry

This course aims to develop, in the context of built environments, a better understanding of
sustainability. It focus is on raising awareness of the connection between human environments –
both urban and rural - and environmental issues, providing an overview of sustainable issues as
they relate to these environments. Various philosophical positions on sustainability will be
presented, explored and discussed, including not only ‘environmental’ but also political, resource,
cultural, social, economic, institutional and professional.

The course will examine principles and tools for the design of sustainable environments. Students
will undertake and assessment of an existing development as well as develop 'sustainable' design
solutions for a new or redevelopment project.

Prerequisites
ENDS-2212 Buildings and the Environment

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Corequisites

None

Restrictions

None

Course Objectives

The course is to introduce students to the philosophy, practice and tasks involved in the design of
sustainable developments, as well as associated problems involved in the assessment and development
of sustainable solutions. The course seeks to provoke and challenge students’ ideas, perceptions and
values in relation to the concept of sustainability, while also broadening the understanding of our rural
and urban landscapes and environments. Students will develop a new consciousness about
sustainability by participating in the design of a sustainable development. The project is an opportunity
for students to strengthen their visionary, problem solving, and communication skills.

Learning Outcomes

On the completion of this course students will have achieved the following:

Knowledge and Understanding

At the end of the course students should be able to:

i. Undertake comprehensive case studies (precedent studies) of existing building

ii. Work in a team setting to complete a projects

iii. Provide a succinct, logical argument to justify proposals using supporting analyses both
verbally and in writing

Skills, Comprehension, Reflection and Communication

At the end of the course students should have developed an understanding of:

1. Environmental impacts associated with the built environment

2. The environmental, social, and economic rationale for sustainable design

3. Basic aspects of Building Information Modelling (BIM) - Energy modelling

4. Passive and active lighting systems, including day lighting techniques and fenestration The
design and development process

5. The indoor environmental quality of buildings

6. The thermal performance of buildings, and its relation to the building envelope and external

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environment.

Contribution to Programme

This Course seeks to explore and speculate upon contemporary interpretations of sustainability in
relation to architecture, landscape architecture and urban design - from the micro level (materials
and technology), through the scale of the building, to the macro scale (urban form and
suburbanisation). The Course seeks to bring together in an integrated project the issues of
sustainability and their importance to the built environment.

Syllabus Content

Background
This year the course ENDS-3113 Sustainable Built Environments will explore two related aspects of
sustainability: the first related to placing a proposal in a rural and ecologically sensitive
environment, and the second related to cultural significance and social sustainability. Being
relatively small projects, allows for in depth engagement with the knowledge content as part of
design projects.
Content
This course will examine topics related to the concepts of sustainable urban and regional
developments. The lecture program will provide a variety of both theoretical and practical
perspectives on environmentally conscious design.

Understanding of ‘ecologically conscious design’ involves an understanding of the resource,

cultural, social, political, economic, institutional and professional realms and how each
contributes to built environments. The course will centre on exploring the concept of
environmentally conscious design, focusing on the Agenda 21 process, in which environmental,
social and economic aspects of sustainability are defined, analysed and applied.

Part A

Design Ideas/Concept generation/Brief preparation Site Analysis / Perceptions of space / Space

planning and allocation Understanding sustainability ideas and theories Ethics and the Built
Environment Legislation related to sustainability Social/Cultural/Political dimensions of
Sustainability Landscape Appreciation/Lessons from the Vernacular

Part B

Design Ideas Perceptions of space/ Sensing Place / Privilege, Disadvantage and Responsibility
Materials / Materiality / Sustainable Resources Construction / Constructability Energy Use and
Building Services Business Report Writing Life Cycle Assessment

These issues will be explored through the design of buildings of moderate complexity, and geared
to showcase environmentally conscious design.

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Method of Teaching and Learning

Teaching is delivered through formal lectures, tutorials/seminars as well as engagement with studio
projects. One to one, small team and group tutorials/seminars and design crits are used for in-depth
probing of issues. Emphasis will be placed on teamwork and presentation skills as an essential part of
student development.

Students will be required to work through sketchbooks and sketch models as well as in appropriate
digital media. In addition they will be required to produce comprehensive visual and verbal
presentations of work at programmed stages during the semester.

ASSESSMENT
Assessment Tasks

Assessment in this course will include the following:

Assessment No. Weight Description Due Date/Place

Tutorial Exercise A (2%)

Sep. 12,
Assignment I Tutorial Exercise B (2%)
10.0% Sep. 23,
(Group/Individual) Tutorial Exercise C (3%) Oct. 19,
Nov. 9, 2021
Tutorial Exercise D (3%)

Assignment II:
8.0% Site Review / Design Brief
Sep. 19, 2021
(Group)

Assignment III:
10% Preliminary Design
Sep.29, 2021
(Individual)

Assignment III:
Environmental Impact
6.0%
Assessment Report Oct.7, 2021
(Individual/Group)

Assignment IV:
6.0% Developed Design Oct. 26, 2021
(Individual)

Assignment V:
5% Interior Architecture Nov. 2, 2021
(Individual)

Assignment VI: 15% Nov. 16, 2021

Advanced Design + Outline

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(Individual) Design/ECD Report

Assignment VII:
Final Design Proposals +
25% Nov. 28, 2021
Design/ECD Report
(Individual)

Assignment VIII:
Dec. 2, 2021
5% Journal
(Individual)

Assignment IX:
10% Sketch File Dec. 2, 2021
(Individual)

Method and Schedule of Summative Assessment

Students are expected to refer to the following information in conjunction with information about
assessment published in the “Student Handbook and Outline of Courses” available from the faculty
office, or on Google Classroom.

Assignments are due at the stated, and /or negotiated times and within the time frame of the
semester. Students are expected to refer to the faculty policy on late submissions published in the
“Student Handbook and Outline of Courses” available from the faculty office, or on Google
Classroom. Submissions should be timed so that their assessment can be carried out in a timely
fashion. Presentations of work visually and verbally to colleagues is a part of the assessment
process, and should also be expected.

Assessment Tasks

ASSIGNMENT I - TUTORIALS: Tutorial/Workshop Exercises (10.0%) – Group Tutorial

exercises will be introduced the week prior to the submission/presentation date indicated. The purpose
is to enable students to gain an understanding of issues covered in the course, and lead into the
assignments.

Background Investigation (2.0%) – Group

In two groups, you are to research topics that provide a background to the site review and design brief
for the proposed project. The information you derive will be presented to the class to inform them of
these specific issues. In this way it will be possible to gather a substantial body of information quickly
and efficiently. The four areas to be covered are:

Weather and climate of the location;

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Available Materials and Methods of Construction;

Appropriate Building Typologies / Precedents;

Environmentally Conscious Design and Appropriate Environmental Systems.

Socio-economic Aspects and client interviews

Conceptual Design (2.0%) – Individual

The best way to get started in any design project is to dive straight in, to produce an initial take on the
design based on a “gut “understanding of issues; context, pragmatics of the site and the programme,
which will provide a basis for future design explorations. For this tutorial exercise, you are tasked with
producing a set to conceptual design proposals for the project. These proposals should articulate the
issues you are addressing, and suggest how you intend to proceed with your design development. Note,
we are not looking for a building per-se, but rather your ideas for the design.

ECD in Architecture (3.0%) - Group

Achieving an environmentally conscious design requires an appreciation of the diversity of principles. It

is our duty as designers to ensure designs make the most of the climate in which they are located and
minimising use of resources. Further, buildings should primarily rely on on-site sources of energy and
water, with external sources largely as ‘backup’. It is also necessary to consider the life cycle
requirements as well. This tutorial will explore ECD issues through our designs, as a means to ensure we
are engaged with these as design determinants, rather than add on extras.

Construction Evaluation (3.0%) – Individual

Key to built environments, is to ensure that any design proposal can be constructed and will stand! For
this tutorial assignment, you are to demonstrate your understanding and appreciation of construction
principles related to your design proposal. It is important not to make assumptions about how buildings
are constructed but to make logical decisions based on an appreciation of the materials and your design
intentions. In consultation with your Instructors, you are to select key areas of the design and explore its
‘constructability’ by exploring the materials used and how they may be connected. These explorations
should be through physical study models, giving a good appreciate of the solution you are proposing.
Format: Neat sketches, and at least three (3) well-built physical models at a scale of 1:20 of key parts of
the design proposals. No marks will be allocated for generic work, or where no models are provided.

ASSIGNMENT II: Site Review / Design Brief (8.0%) – Group

This assignment is a culmination of background research related to proposal. It presents your

appreciation of requirements of the design exercise; the intention is to give preliminary ideas about the
project to a potential developer and to gain preliminary planning approval before proceeding with the
design development phase of the project. You are required to consider key elements of the site, and
related aspects such as pedestrian and vehicular access, parking requirements, access and egress,
relationships between built and open spaces, relationship to existing buildings and historical context,

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services and adjacencies etc. The presentation should be on a maximum of two A1 Sheets of paper.
Note: We are not only looking for site layout drawings per se, but a transposition of the issues raised by
your initial research, and how these form the basis for design decisions, and a way forward for design
development.

Assignment III: Preliminary Design (10%) – Individual

This assignment showcases your appreciation of the task at hand, taking account all the information you
have gathered and distilled as part of the pre-design phase. The project requires the presentation of a
holistic design proposal for the development that addresses the design problem that you outlined as part
of the Design Brief. The intention is to resolve the various design components into a holistic response
with a proposal that serves as a basis for further refinement and development. Drawings need not be
overly slick, complicated or glossy, but should convey enough information such that the intended
audience (client group) can make an informed decision of the future of the project. Your presentation
should be on a maximum of two A1 Sheets of paper.

Assignment IV: Environmental Impact Assessment Report (6%) – Individual An EIA is an

important tool for incorporating environmental concerns as part of a project. The EIA should be carried
out early in the project - preferably at project planning stage as part of feasibility to ensure that a project
will be environmentally feasible. The general objectives of an EIA study are to:

1. Provide information about the environmental, social and economic conditions in the project
area.

1. Provide information on potential impacts of the project and the characteristics of the impacts,
distribution, who will be the affected group, and their duration;

1. Provide information on potential mitigation measures to minimize the impacts including

mitigation costs;

1. Assess the best alternative project at most benefits and least costs in terms of financial, social
and environment. In addition to alternative location of the project, project design or
project management may also be considered; and

1. Gather information for formulation of environment management plan. An EIA

This EIA format constitutes the minimum necessary assessment and disclosure of potential impacts of
the project. You may find it beneficial to visit your first assignment. The EIA is aimed at a
‘knowledgable’ audience and as such should be written and presented with this in mind. It should be
comprehensive and give enough information to enable a review panel to take a decision about the
future of the project.

Project V: Developed Design Proposal (6.0%) – Individual For this submission, you are to
present a comprehensive solution directed at the client organisation. This should incorporate
information garnered from the tutorials, feedback from your design review sessions, as well as your own
individual research work. The proposal is not necessarily a finalised design, but should nevertheless be
indicative of the direction your proposal is taking; with enough detail to ensure key design ideas are

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evident, and resolve the design problem you have presented. Note this is not the mere presentation of
pretty graphics, but should showcases environmentally conscious design. As part of your presentation,
your will also be required to outline recommendations for future steps for the development of the
project. A well-built model at an appropriate scale will also be required.

Project VI: Interior Architecture (5.0%) – Individual This tutorial looks at design of public
spaces in the proposal. The aim will be to familiarize students with the needs and requirements for the
users as well as to have an understanding of the issues in the design of public areas. Students will look
at the layout of spaces, circulation and space requirements for different activities, furniture, fixtures,
lighting and materials. The submission for this tutorial will be communicated later but will include a
schematic room layout and materials board.

Assignment VII: Advanced Design Proposal + Outline Design Report (15.0%) –

Individual This Advanced design proposal should present your design solution for the project, and is
directed at a ‘knowledgeable’ audience (Competition Jury). Accompanying the presentation will be an
Outline Design Report that provides a summary of the project, as well as outlining the key aspects of the
project. In addition to the presentation boards, design report, and project models, you will be required
to give an oral presentation to the class and a panel of invited guests.

Output: This will be discussed in some detail during the tutorial/workshop sessions. Essentially this
submission will comprise a set of drawings related to a specific component of the overall project,
presented on a maximum of two A1 sheets, along with a bound ECD report in A3 landscape format.
This outline design report should provide an indication of the ECD considerations incorporated into the
proposal. It should also give an indication of the materials and construction of the project; give an
overview of the design such that these can be evaluated as part of a design review board. Note the
report is aimed at a ‘knowledgeable’ audience and as such should be written and presented with this in
mind.

Presentation should be on a maximum of two A1 Sheets of paper.

Assignment VIII: Final Design Proposals / Design Reports (25.0%) – Individual The final
Design Proposals and Design Reports, will be your chance to present worked up projects that have
taken into account the feedback from members of the jury and your peers, presenting a comprehensive
set of documents that demonstrate your appreciation of ECD in the project. This submission will be part
of a complete design report that presents the designs as well as the solutions that address social,
environmental and ecological sustainability in the projects.

Note, this is not merely a listing of generic ideas, but must be elements that are actually included, and
are evident in the design proposals. Note the report is aimed at a ‘knowledgeable’ audience, and should
be presented with this in mind.

Assessment Criteria

1. quality and cohesiveness of development proposal, particularly in relation to sustainability

2. comprehensiveness of development strategy

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3. relationship to policy aims, objectives and guidelines

4. visual impact of the presentation

5. clarity of presentation, including oral presentation

Project IX: Journal (5.0%) – Individual You will be required to maintain a ‘Reflective Journal’
throughout this course. The ‘Reflective Journal’ is a formal document in which you record your
thoughts, and your process. It will trace your journey from the beginning of the project through to its
completion; its purpose, to encourage critical reflection and to demonstrate emergence and
understanding of design issues. The format you choose to maintain your Journal is up to you. It could be
A4, or A5, or even in electronic format on a website. The Reflective Journal is where you critically
reflect on each move you make in your design process. These should include your own reflections,
reflections with others, reflections on reflections, and actions as a result of these reflections: note,
reflections are not necessarily text based. The Reflective Journal must be presented for discussion and
review at each crit session. Note; it is impossible to make up the design journal at the end of the
project. It should be noted that the Journal is not a sketchbook, and does not take the place of the
sketchbook/sketch file.

Project X: Sketch File (10.0%) – Individual The sketch File is compilations of all your progress
work throughout the semester. You are to include your sketches, photographs of models, ideas and
precedents – with critical write-ups, doodles etc. Digital progress work must be printed at least once a
week, and included in the Sketch File with appropriate mark-ups, annotations and comments. This work
should be presented as part of your Semester I progress work, in an A1 size portfolio.

Course Policies and Minimum Requirements for Students in this Course

Students are required to attend all sessions, including lectures, films, and studio-related field trips.
Readings provided in class sessions and discussions are intended to enhance your appreciation of
the material of the studio, contributing additional thoughts and ideas of architects, historians and
theoreticians etc to the design process. It is important that you read these documents prior to the
lecture and tutorial sessions.

Work, submitted in fulfilment of course requirements, must be the work of the individual student.
Copying of another's work and submitting another's work as one's own, either wholly or in part,
constitutes plagiarism and is a violation of university academic policy. Punishment may range from
failure for the assignment to referral to the university disciplinary committee. See the university
policy on plagiarism. All work must be submitted to the Faculty Office before the stipulated time
and in the stated format. No late submissions will be accepted.

Project reviews serve as markers throughout the semester, they make public the work of the
individual and the collective studio. They also encourage public discourse on the topic of the
studio and they provide a means to evaluate the progress of both the individual and the studio as a
whole.

Students that do not attend and meet with their assigned studio tutor at least once a week will be
deemed not to have fulfilled the coursework requirements, and may be ineligible to present their
work for the final review.

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LEARNING RESOURCES
Key Reference Texts/Bibliography

Specific readings, when required, will be given in class. However the following list contains
general readings that may be of use in your research. Note that this list in not exhaustive and you
are required to seek information well beyond this list.

ANINK, D., BOONSTRA, C. & MAK, J. 1996. Handbook of sustainable building: An environmental
preference method for selection of materials for use in construction and refurbishment, London,
James and James.

BOLCHOVER, J (ed.) 2012. Vitamin green, London: Phaidon Press. BROWN, G. M. & DEKAY, M.
2001. Sun, wind and light: Architectural design strategies, New

York, John Wiley and Sons.

FOX, W. (ed.) 2000. Ethics and the built environment, London: Routledge.

HALLIDAY, S. 2008. Sustainable construction, Amsterdam, Butterworth Heinemann.

HARRIES, K. 1997. The ethical function of architecture, Cambridge, MA., The MIT Press.

HES, D. & DUPLESSIS, C. 2015. Designing for hope: Pathways to Regenerative Sustainability, New
York, Routledge.

HYDE, R. 2000. Climate responsive design: A study of buildings in moderate and hot humid
climates, London, Spon Press.

JONES, D.L. 1998. Architecture and the environment: Bioclimatic building design, New York, NY,
The Overlook Press.

KWOK, A. and GRONDZIK, W. 2007. The green studio handbook: Environmental strategies for
schematic design, Second Edition, Oxon, Architectural Press.

LYNCH, K. 1962. Site planning, Cambridge, MA., MIT Press. PAPANEK, V. 1995. The green
imperative: Ecology and ethics in design and architecture,

London, Thames and Hudson. PELSMAKERS, S. 2012. The environmental design pocketbook,
London, RIBA Publishing.

PERLMAN, L. D. & MILDER, C. J. 2005. Practical ecology: For planners, developers and citizens,
Washington, D.C., Island Press.

SERRATS,A. 2010. Organic architecture, Barcelona, Lost Publications.

WILLIAMSON, T., RADFORD, A. & BENNETTS, H. 2001. Understanding sustainable architecture,

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Oxon, Routledge.

Resources

Climate Consultant (Free download)

Sefaira (Must be registered)
Sketchup 2017 (Academic Download – Must be registered)
Vectorworks 2017 (Computer Lab. + Academic Download – Must be registered)

Internet/Intranet Resources

An Architect’s Guide to Designing for Sustainability

http://www.comarchitect.org/WebHelp/whnjs.htm

The Hannover Principles: Design for Sustainability

http://www.mcdonough.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/Hannover-Principles-1992.pdf

CA Sustainable Buildings

http://green.ca.gov/Buildings/

Our Green Building: Academy’s Sustainable Architecture

http://www.calacademy.org/our-green-building

Learning Guide

PREA Course Notes Available on Google Classroom

Microclimate Building Design and Passive Means of Comfort Sustainable Regional and Urban
Design Renewable Energy Technologies and Building Integration Construction and Building
Materials

Conrad Kazoora,
Course Coordinator

Date: August 20th, 2021

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