Course syllabus

Link to ACE565 Course Syllabus_Architects

Link to ACE160 Course Syllabus_Engineers

Course-PM

ACE565 Dare to build, architects lp4 VT25 (15 hp) & ACE160 Dare to build, engineers lp4 VT25 (7,5 hp)

Course is offered by the department of Architecture and Civil Engineering ACE

Contact details

• Joaquim Tarrasó, joaquim.tarraso@chalmers.se (examiner ACE565)
• Mozhdeh Amani, mozhdeh.amani@chalmers.se (examiner ACE160)

Teachers:

• Samuel Dias de Carvalho, diass@chalmers.se
• Dilek Ulutas Duman dileku@chalmers.se
• Daniel Jonsson daniel.jonsson@vbk.se
• Tabita Nilsson, tabita@chalmers.se
• Bruno Oliveira Gonçalves, bruno.goncalves@chalmers.se
• Zhengyao Li, zhengyao@chalmers.se
• Yutaka Goto, yutaka@chalmers.se
• Vera Öberg, vera.oberg@chalmers.se
• Phryne Roussou roussou@chalmers.se
• Madhushree Mrutyunjaya  happalad@chalmers.se

Lecturers and guest teachers:

• Tim Frem, rothoblaas woodworks
• Andrea Ottander, Bobini co-creative circular construction
• Dan Melander, Development Coordinator for Bobini
• Jan Andersson, Operations manager at Angereds gård
• Mauricio Sagastuy Klie, urban agroforestry, mauricio.sagastuy.klie@vgregion.se
• Karolina Sahle, Gothenburg city farmer
• Jonas Lind, Market gardening, jonas.lindh@vgregion.se
• Tony Johansson, Green space development
• Roberto Cattaneo, Stadsbyggnadsförvaltning, roberto.cattaneo@stadsbyggnad.goteborg.se

Course purpose

True (social, economic and environmental) sustainable development is inherently cross-disciplinary and urgent. Thus, there is a need for integrated and transformative solutions fostering collaborations and shared learning between disciplines such as architecture and civil engineering. The aim of this course is to provide students with a multi-disciplinary practice-based learning environment, where students are involved in the CDIO methodology (conceive, design, implement, operate) to realize a project into a full-scale built result.

This provides students relevant skills to enter their working life, such as effective communication across disciplinary borders, putting one’s knowledge and abilities into a real context, and having the capacity to handle complex problems both in a technical design process as well as in a building process. In addition, the course aims  at developing the necessary skills to engage with end users and local stakeholders to create a built environment that fosters social inclusion and addresses the most important local needs as well as the larger issues we face today. It is important to lift these issues out of theory and into practiced based examples, showing that real change can be simultaneously made and learned.

Course Design

Every year, the “Community Architecture” design studio (MPDSD) that runs in the autumn, kicks-off co-creative and participatory projects, one of which is then collaboratively developed further within a working group composed of students and teachers during the consequent Spring, paving the path towards the DARE to build course, where students design and build their concepts in a community.

This year the course will be working on the theme of Urban Agroforestry, a strategy for nature management and farming in cities, under the perspective of building communities and learning.  

The task will be to design a learning Lab for the interaction between idea-driven construction and co-creation for green infrastructure for sustainable place development in the city of Gothenburg.

The approach will include construction from re-used materials based on the principles of assembly and disassembly. Our architecture and engineering students will integrate these parameters through the design and construction of a temporary prototype that would be dismantled at the end of the course. 

The course also aims to develop a manual of self-construction supporting urban forestry that integrates the work done in the course and can also serve as a reference guide on the subject. The task will include the potential adaptation of the prototype in different locations of the city of Gothengurg:

• Farmland 
• Million Programme
• Industrial Area
• Campus 
• Centrum

The course follows a modified CDIO framework, focusing most heavily on the Implementation phase.

reCONCEIVE (weeks 13-14): Students will be exploring ideas and reconceive the project concept based on Community Architecture Studio proposal, input from partner and parameters such as budget, schedule, feasibility, etc.

detailDESIGN (weeks 15-17): Students will be creating detailed construction drawings, as well as create scheduling schematics, building site logistical plans, budgeting, etc.

IMPLEMENT (weeks 18-21): Constructing the project and documenting the construction process.

plan-to-OPERATE (week 22-23): Students will be doing as-built drawings, reflection assignment and planning and running opening event.

Schedule

The re-conceive and detail-design phase schedules are on the CANVAS calendars

The implementation and plan-to-operate phase schedules will be developed within the course and will be communicated on-site (not on canvas).

Learning objectives and syllabus

Learning objectives ACE565 Dare to Build Architects:

The list below is related to learning outcomes, please note that (COMMON) learning outcomes are those that both Dare to build, architects and Dare to build, civil engineers share.

Knowledge and understanding

• Describe and refer to different methods for communication, decision-making and implementation of sustainable and resilient design ideas.
• Identify and explain the different practical implications of applied architectural design for a sustainable built environment, such as design for disassembly and recovery, i.e. circular reuse of materials.
• Identify and explain the structure of a project life cycle in relation to the CDIO methodology.(COMMON)

Competence and skills

• Design, assess and construct concrete proposals and solutions for local sustainable development and circularity in a multi-disciplinary team of building-designers.
• Apply architectural design tools and methods from previous coursework into a real-world project.
• Visualize and communicate design proposals in a professional way to classmates, clients, stakeholders and experts from different backgrounds and in different stages of the design-build processes.
• Work in multidisciplinary project teams, lead project work and present results throughout all phases of the CDIO process in the project life cycle. (COMMON)
• Motivate different proposals with reference to scientific, or experience-based, knowledge and value-based arguments. (COMMON)
• Develop effective strategies and conditions for effective teamwork in order to deliver projects successfully. (COMMON)

Judgement and approach

• Combine knowledge from different disciplines and sectors in architectural design proposals for sustainable development and beyond.
• Explore the role of architects in collaboration with/contrast to the engineers and vice versa in the planning and construction process. (COMMON)
• Reflect on the professional role of architects and engineers, including critical thinking, professional ethics and the needs for life-long learning. (COMMON)

Learning objectives ACE160 Dare to Build Engineers:

Examination form

To pass the course the following is required:

• Attendance and active participation at lectures/seminars
• Active participation in group work, presentations and cross critics
• Delivery of course assignments of sufficient quality (fulfilling the requirements regarding content and presentation of the assignments)
• Attendance and active participation in construction of the project. To ensure the steady progress and completion of the project, it is crucial that the building team is 100% present on site.
  

The course compulsory assignments are structured and examined as seen in the ASSIGNMENTS page on canvas.