Examination arrangement

Course content

This course is a prerequisite for and supports and underpins the design course AAR4546. It can also be taken as a stand-alone course or as a supporting theory course for the Circular Studio (from spring 2025). The course comprises of a series of specific theoretical lectures centered on life cycle thinking, with the related methods, (environmental) life cycle analysis (LCA), life cycle costing (LCC) and social LCA. The course focuses on greenhouse gas emissions (i.e., environmental LCA) of building materials throughout their life cycle, providing methods and practical examples relevant to building design. The lectures are complemented by a series of labs introducing tools to conduct LCA in a building design process to be applied in the design course AAR4546.

When choosing the specialization area Emissions as design driver within AAR4690 Circular Studio - Materials, AAR4817 emissions as design driver is a mandatory theory course.

Learning outcome

Knowledge:

• Know state of the art concepts and strategies for lowering environmental impact of material use in buildings
• Understand a building’s life cycle and the environmental challenges related to the different life cycle phases
• Understand the importance of various design choices and their impact on the embedded emissions of the design.

Skills:

• Calculate life cycle material emissions of buildings
• Use of advanced software for LCA with computer aided design

General competence:

• Analyse and communicate life cycle emissions of buildings in a clear and precise manner to the general public and the professional community.
• Professionally structure and write a research report on building LCA

Learning methods and activities

Lectures, exercises, presentations and discussions.

The students will work on calculating an LCA for a part of a building and writing of an LCA report according to ISO 14040.

There will be a mandatory final presentation before the hand- in of the report.

Compulsory assignments

• Oral presentation prior to submitting the thesis

Further on evaluation

The students hand in an individual written report.

Integration of numerical analyses of material emissions with a critical understanding of the material / building cases. The complexity of the analyses, scope, methodology used and relevance of the results for a critical analysis of the project.

Compulsory activity is an oral presentation that takes place before submitting a written report.

Postponed examinations are usually scheduled for the next regular exam period.

Specific conditions

Recommended previous knowledge

It is desirable that students have taken Climate and Built Form Theory (AAR4832) and Design (AAR 4532) or have equivalent knowledge of climate adapted design strategies and operational energy analysis.

Required previous knowledge

To take this course, you must be enrolled in one of the following programs:

• Architecture (MAAR, MAAR2)
• Sustainable Architecture (MSSUSARC)
• Master in Civil and Environmental Engineering (MTBYGG) at NTNU in combination with the Minor in architecture program

Exchange students have to fulfil the same requirements as for the enrollment in one of the study programs MAAR, MAAR2, MSSUSARC.

Course materials

Case studies, environmental product declarations; research articles and other literature; lecture presentations