Programme Specifications

Programme summary

1. Programme Aims

•  To provide students with a high quality education in the field of low energy Building Services Engineering and the associated low building design disciplines;
• To develop a range of key transferable  and technical skills required within Building Services Engineering industry including skills in research;
• To provide students with deep understanding of the design of mechanical building services systems, the design and operation of buildings, and building thermal comfort;
• To develop skills in the design and thermal modelling of low energy buildings; and
• To enable students to develop their own research ideas, a strong approach to problem solving and manage their time effectively.

2. Relevant subject benchmark statements and other external reference points used to inform programme outcomes:

• QAA Benchmark statements for engineering.
• Framework for Higher Education Qualifications.

• CIBSE Competence Criteria for Corporate Membership (based on the Competence Statements issued by the Engineering Council)
• University Learning and Teaching Strategy

3. Programme Learning Outcomes

3.1 Knowledge and Understanding

On successful completion of this programme, students should be able to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of:

• The principles of thermodynamics, heat transfer, and fluid flow applied to buildings.
• The factors that influence human thermal comfort and indoor air quality.
• The process of estimating building thermal loads.
• The design of hydronic heating systems.
• The design and psychrometric analysis of heating, ventilating, and air-conditioning (HVAC) systems.
• The design and analysis of primary plant, including boilers, refrigeration systems, and combined heat and power systems.
• The elements of a building energy control system, together with supervisory and local-loop control strategies.
• Procedures for the commissioning of building energy systems.
• The role of the architect in building design, and the building concept design process.
• The principles and methods of low carbon building design.
• The numerical procedures used in building thermal performance models, together with practicable approaches to building thermal modelling.
• Research methods applicable to the field of building services engineering.

3.2 Skills and other attributes

a. Subject-specific cognitive skills:

On successful completion of this programme, students should be able to:

• Analyse, critically appraise and solve both numerical and qualitative problems of a familiar or unfamiliar nature.
• Generate, collect, and interpret numerical and/or qualitative data.
• Act independently, or in a group, and be able to adapt to dynamically changing situations that arise from the solution of multi-faceted and evolving design problems.
• Interpret, categorise, and simplify the representation the sub-systems and zones of a complex building.
• Identify their own learning needs, plan to meet these needs, and evaluate the learning outcomes.

b. Subject-specific practical skills:

On successful completion of this programme, students should be able to:

• Conduct a thermodynamic, heat transfer, and/or fluid flow analysis of building thermal systems.
• Set thermal comfort and indoor air quality design criteria.
• Calculate building heat loads.
• Identify suitable control zones for a building.
• Select primary and secondary system types that operate to meet the desired internal environmental design conditions, and with the minimum of energy use.
• Determine the thermal capacity of heating, ventilating and air-conditioning secondary systems (including hydronic heating systems).
• Determine the thermal capacity of primary systems (boilers, refrigeration systems, and combined-heat and power systems).
• Complete a concept design for a building control system, including the selection of sensors, and local loop and supervisory control strategies.
• Select valves and dampers that produce a linear static control characteristic.
• Working from an Architects brief, produce an initial concept design for the layout and form of a building.
• Develop procedures for the commissioning of building thermal systems.
• Analyse and select low carbon technologies and design solutions for low carbon buildings.
• Model and simulate the thermal performance of a building.
• Perform short research projects, in the field of building services engineering and building energy.

c. Key transferable skills:

On successful completion of this programme, students should be able to:

• Communicate effectively, graphically and in writing.
• Communicate effectively, orally.
• Use information technology (IT), such as word-processors, spreadsheets, presentation packages, email, and the world-wide web.
• Demonstrate problem-solving skills, including problems where information is limited, contradictory, and/or unreliable.
• Demonstrate numeracy, mathematical skills, and computational skills.
• Undertake a critical appraisal of their work.
• Undertake a critical appraisal of the work of their peers.
• Work effectively as part of a team.
• Manage workloads and time effectively.

4. Programme structure

For full-time students the modules will normally be taken as 60 credits per semester. All modules are compulsory and are taught in one-week blocks except the research project module (CVP313).

Semester One

 Semester Two

 Semester One & Two

5. Criteria for Progression and Degree Award

In order to be eligible for the award, candidates must satisfy the requirements of Regulation XXI.

6. Relative Weighting of Parts of the Programme for the Purposes of Final Degree Classification