The module introduces the components of environmental conditions and issues. It focuses on human intervention affecting the environment both positively and negatively and the relationship of buildings with the natural system. Students will be introduced to basic environmental awareness through lectures and discussions. Additionally the module introduces students to the basic elements of climate and their influences on architecture, which aims to facilitate students to create acceptable environmentally conscious and comfortable building designs. There will be formative and summative assessments in this module comprising of an assignment, test and case study.

The teaching objectives of the module are to:

1. Create awareness and understanding of designing buildings that respond to local climatic conditions that reduce the energy load of mechanical air-conditioning systems.

2. Introduce environmental factors such as heat, light and ventilation to achieve comfortable building designs.

The teaching objectives of the module are to:

1. Create awareness and understanding of designing buildings that respond to local climatic conditions that reduce the energy load of mechanical air-conditioning systems.

2. Introduce environmental factors such as heat, light and ventilation to achieve comfortable building designs.

There are many ways of designing environmentally responsible and resource-efficient structures and cities, with amazing innovations and advances introduced every day. Everything from smart homes and photovoltaic glass to centrally organized power networks, modular building, and even self-healing bio concrete.

Architects, startups, investors, entrepreneurs, tech companies, and designers are all pioneering holistic new approaches to sustainable architecture, in which new buildings are constructed and maintained throughout their life-cycles with as little negative impact on the environment as possible.

The objectives of this project are:

• To encourage students to think creatively.

• To research on idea and concepts related to sustainability.

• To be able to convey systematic thought processes (https://systemsthinkingworks.wordpress.com/what-is-systematic-thinking/) in a creative essay.

Passive design does not require mechanical heating or cooling. Buildings that are passively designed take advantage of natural climate to maintain thermal comfort. Incorporating the principles of passive design in building:

• Significantly improves comfort

• Energy efficient

• Reduces greenhouse gas emissions from heating, cooling, mechanical ventilation and lighting.

Daylighting in buildings, and especially in workplaces, is desired by most users and a proper use of daylight contributes to occupants' performance and well-being. Furthermore, the effects of light on people's health (effects beyond vision) have been the object of investigation during the last fifteen years. Although daylight is recognized to be the most energy-efficient means to deliver a proper light exposure, many buildings use artificial lighting extensively during the daytime in tropics. Daylighting implies the controlled use of natural light in buildings to achieve the desired visual, thermal, and psychological comforts. In a simulation study conducted by Pellegrino, Cammarano, Verso, and Corrado, (2017), the results highlighted the theoretical potential of daylight responsive control systems in reducing energy consumption, especially when rooms are designed to have at least sufficient (sDA > 55%) or, even better, favourably (sDA > 75%) daylighting conditions, the latter case resulted in energy saving using a manual on/off switch can be 42% on average.

The objectives of this project are:

• To identify passive design strategies for Daylighting.

• To analyze the effect of comfort factors in a person and in a space relating to Lighting.

• Identify architectural idea/concept, how the ambiance is created, sustainability features of this lighting system.

• To be able to criticize design of the space in terms of thermal comfort by referring to appropriate standards such as ASHRAE, MS1525 , UBBL and GBI.