ARCT 40630 Assignment

Sustainable Building Exemplar

Publications abound with examples of so-called sustainable buildings. But when many are examined more
closely it is clear that only a few of the many environmentally related issues are addressed and sometimes
not well at all. This project is concerned with developing a critical approach to discerning between real or
otherwise sustainable architecture.

The project consists of three stages:

1. A personal definition of sustainable building

2. A brief review of three built examples claiming to be sustainable
3. A detailed study of one of the three selected buildings and examined against a range of defined
criteria.

Stage 1: A Definition of Sustainable Building

In this stage of the project you are given the opportunity to develop your own understanding and define what
you understand by the term ‘Sustainable Building’. This part should be approximately 750 words long and
should include references to any material used to support your definition. (10%)

Stage 2: A Brief Review of Three Example Buildings

Choose three case studies that you believe are buildings that adhere to your own definition of sustainable
building. In each case you should present background information such as when the building was built, by
whom, where, a description of the building and its function and context (e.g. urban, etc.) and a list of features
which you believe make it worthy of being considered a sustainable example. The case studies should
include images and at least 500 words describing each building. (30%)

Interim Review (15%)

A ppt presentation of max 10 slides, presenting your definition and three case studies, from which one case
study will be chosen for Stage 3.

Stage 3: A Detailed Review of One Case Study

The final stage of the project is a detailed study of one of the examples outlined in Stage 2. For this building
you will use an environmental rating system (provided) to assess the pros and cons of your chosen example.
All evidence used to support your assertion that it is sustainable must be correctly referenced. This final
section should be approximately 2750 words. (30%)

Final Review (15%)

A ppt presentation of max 10 slides presenting the evaluation of your chosen case study.

Final Submission (70% total for Stages 1, 2 and 3 )

Your submission will be in the form of an A4 (portrait) bound report. It should include outputs from all three
stages of the project. The final submission should be approximately 5000 words.

Timescale (9 weeks in total)

Handout: 2 October 2014
Interim Review: 30 October 2014
Final Review 27 November 2014.
Final Submission (to be agreed).