ARCH6003 Sustainable Building Technologies Assessment Brief 2026

ARCH6003 Assessment Brief

Introduction

This module invites you to critically engage with the material conditions of buildings, and in doing so, develop a process of investigation, experimentation, prototyping, and speculation around a chosen brief. These include, for instance:

1. The study of building systems and components in response to local policy and demand, such as the upcoming need for fast construction and densification of Plymouth city centre following the recent Defence Funding Deal.
2. The investigation of innovative, locally sourced bio-material supply chains by examining the carbon agenda in the context of local construction practices and requirements – previous works have investigated bio-materials obtained from the processing of mycelium, timber, seaweed, and mineral materials, to name a few.
3. The study of digital creative media and its influence on architectural production, including areas such as digital fabrication and modern methods of construction, virtual assembly and simulation, and building surveying via 3D scanning.

You will be required to balance a process of enquiry with the requirements and expectations of your building design. The module is organised in a series of lectures and workshops, and self-directed learning to take place in parallel to your design studio projects. Beyond a purely “compliance” approach, you will prototype, examine, investigate, model, and test how your enquiry leads to innovative material expressions in your building design. You are expected to benefit from peer learning and collaborative work – although the final submission is individual. We will culminate the Module with the submission of a technical Journal.

Module Aims (from Module Record)

1. To provide in depth knowledge of all the elements connected with the making of a complex building.
2. The enable students to explore, design and apply knowledge of building construction following a project-based learning system.
3. To demonstrate the relationships between sustainability, materials, structure, construction, and environmental design.
4. To demonstrate issues around systems, life cycles, and issues related to the climate emergency.
5. To understand the issues required for life safety in buildings.
6. To understand the regulations around compliance and understand best practice.

Learning outcomes (from Module Record)

To enable the programme to satisfy Professional requirements and retain Professional Validation and Accreditation (ARB/RIBA), the assessed learning outcomes include the General Criteria and General attributes as set by the validating professional bodies namely RIBA Themes and Values and ARB Criteria, General Competencies for Fire and Life Safety, General Competencies for Sustainability, and RIBA Graduate Attributes. As a result, the assessment of this Module is holistic, and encompasses a series of interrelated accreditation criteria, including knowledge and understanding, practical skills, and competences relevant to responsible and ethical architectural practice with an emphasis on net-zero and passive design agendas. With the successful completion of this module of study, it is expected that you will have the ability to:

For more details on the relevant professional accreditation criteria, please refer to the ARCH6003 Module Record.

Assessment

The Journal is a substantial document which synthetises and demonstrates the development trajectory and learning outcomes of this Module. This is a key output of the course, and will inform your design project as well as your portfolio of work.

Although this is an individual submission, components can be produced in collaboration with your peers in order to facilitate peer learning and exchange throughout the semester. Also, please note that this submission takes place before your Design Studio submission in order to avoid significant strain on your workload as you approach the end of the semester.

From this academic year, the Journal requires simplified formatting and length, addressing only the essential outputs required to demonstrate compliance with the learning outcomes of the course. However, these are expected to meet an excellent professional drawing and communication standard.

• (x1 page) Front page, including your name and student number.
• (x1 page) “Hero drawing” of your project – clearly indicate what makes the project stand out from a technical/material perspective – this can be a key space, perspective image, an edited detail drawing, an exploded axonometric, or a collage of several images.
• (x2 pages) A synthesis of a precedent analysis, clearly indicating analytical depth and reflection, and a clear indication of how this precedent informs your design. This can include a range of media outputs.
• (x2 pages) A synthesis of your material studies, clearly indicating underpinning research, tests, and prototypes supporting your work and informing your design project. This can include a range of media outputs.
• (pages as needed) A collection of architectural drawings (floorplans and sections) sufficiently developed to describe your building in context, key spatial and layout considerations, and material/structural considerations.
• (pages as needed) A collection of detail drawings, clearly indicating material layering and how the design of those details influence the interior comfort of the building users.
• (x1 page) Summary and reflection of a carbon analysis.
• (x1 page) Summary of future-proofing considerations. This can be a series of annotated drawings e.g. façade sections and elevations.
• (x1 page) Summary of decommissioning plan. This can be a series of deconstruction steps, or research indicating sustainable demolition plans.

In addition to the above, you must include annotations throughout the report that address:

• Underpinning research.
• Operational energy considerations.
• Regulatory compliance with the Building Act, including but not restricted to:
  o Fire safety, means of warning and escape (Part B1/B2).
  o Resistance to moisture (Part C).
  o Cavity insulation (if applicable) (Part D).
  o Ventilation (Part F).
  o Circulation (Part K).
  o Energy performance (Part L).
  o Other internal comfort considerations such as sound (Part E), water (Part G), or protection against pollution (Part J).

References

By the end of your Journal you must include a list of sources utilised to inform your work. These will be references using the Harvard referencing system and is expected to include a substantial evidence of your engagement with literature and precedents throughout the semester.

Submission Requirements

• The Journal will be produced in A3 landscape format, submitted as a single PDF file no larger than 150 MB. A link will be produced in the DLE site for your submission.
• The submission link will allow you to additionally submit relevant files to contextualise your work, such as digital prototypes, image galleries, or video media.
• All drawings need to be annotated, to scale, plans indicating North, and legible texts and clear/professional drawing standards for elements such as dimensions, linewidth and material specifications.
• Alternative forms of representation must be appropriately and clearly presented.

Additional Assessment Information

Late Submissions

Please note that late submissions and non-submissions will follow the University Assessment Regulations.

Student support and Extenuating Circumstances

If there are circumstances that are outside of your control and affect your ability to engage with the Module, you might need to submit a claim for Extenuating

Circumstances (ECs) to the Faculty office. If granted, this submission will typically give you an extension to submit your work. If you are planning to submit a claim please contact the Module leader (alejandro.velizreyes@plymouth.ac.uk) to discuss the best way to support you. For more information about ECs, please visit this University website with includes the relevant forms to submit your claim.

The University also offers other means of supporting students through the Student Hub, including career advice, a student funding unit, pastoral support services, language support, and disability services, to name a few.

Plagiarism and AI

Plagiarism is an offence under the University regulations on examination and assessment offences. It is normally defined as the representation of another person’s work as your own, without acknowledging the source. It can take the following forms:

• Direct copying from texts without acknowledging your source – e.g. direct quotations should have a full reference and be in inverted commas
• Paraphrasing (rewording) or summarising other people’s work without acknowledging your source – you must give the reference from which your summary/paraphrase is taken
• Both of the above points also apply to material taken from the internet – if you use material from the internet you must reference the website from which you obtained the material.

When you first join the University, you will be given advice on how to prepare and reference your work in an appropriate academic manner, including that for group assignments. By following this practice carefully, you should avoid any inadvertent plagiarism of others’ work.

The use of AI tools to aid the production of the Journal will be critically reviewed during teaching sessions. Although some tools might be useful and genuinely helpful, the use of AI tools to generate text which is submitted as your own is considered an academic offense.

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