Course structure
Core modules
Future Home Design Project
This module enables multidisciplinary teams to identify, lead and manage a large-scale, original and complex project related to innovative building and home design. The module is one year long but focuses on semester 3. The project is a substantial piece of work where you are expected to display a deep understanding of innovative building design and the critical skills necessary to identify, develop and implement solutions to real-world problems.
Assessment is through a project output (such as a digital model, physical structure, 10,000-word dissertation or equivalent) which outlines and evaluates your contribution to the multidisciplinary innovative building design project in which you are involved. The module is further assessed by a 20-minute viva, with 10 minutes for questions, where you present, discuss and defend your project, allowing you to evaluate and reflect critically on the identification, rationale, planning, implementation, sustainability and success of the project.
Future Houses
A dramatic increase in the construction of new housing is essential to meet current demand for homes. This module enables you to understand the major trends shaping future housing demand and to acquire the skills to inform the design and development of sustainable housing fit for the 21st century. This multidisciplinary module addresses how socio-demographic factors (for example, ageing populations and increasing numbers of single person households), environmental constraints (land availability, climate change) and technologies (digitisation) impact on the number and type of homes required for future housing demand in the UK.
You learn about new ways of living (for example, live/work, shared living, retirement communities) and innovative approaches to housing design (micro-houses) and construction. This includes a detailed exploration of methods of construction (such as the use of off-site manufacture and prefabrication and alternative building materials) and co-design strategies that place citizens at the centre of the design and delivery of housing. You have an opportunity to visit a manufacturing or fabrication plant and/or exemplar housing projects.
Future Thinking Technologies
You work collaboratively to investigate and research existing and emerging technologies related to networked devices, intelligent systems, the Internet of Things and other digital trends, and how these could enhance the built environment. Working with and securing opinions of local, national and international building and architectural practices to inform pioneering ideas is a key part of your learning. You work in teams to develop a visual online diary with each team member posting comments, opinions and research you have investigated. Using the rich resources developed through the online diary your team will challenge perceptions of what a digitally connected living space is, publishing your findings and future thinking through online and print media.
You are assessed through a team project where you research emerging digital technologies and consider how these could improve the end-user experience of the built environment. You compile an indexed, tagged, cross-referenced portfolio of evidence which contributes to the overall team online portfolio of research. You then use the collective portfolio and present your research findings either as a visual media-based presentation or a more traditional research paper for submission to an academic journal.
House and Home
This multidisciplinary module introduces you to the social, cultural and economic aspects of houses, living spaces and dwellings. You study the history of 20th and 21st century housing and communities including UK and international innovations in housing, spatial design and community design models and construction. You explore the cultural understanding of home, community and place. You discuss the impact of changing government policies, changing demographics, tension between rental markets and home ownership, and the influence of new technology on housing construction and provision. You also discuss the relationship between process and product and consider the changing role of the patron, user, client and designer during the industrial age. You are assessed by a journal review article and project with presentations.
Managing Innovation
You are introduced to the principles, skills and processes involved in leading and managing multidisciplinary teams, developing business models for housing projects, and fostering approaches to stakeholder engagement. You focus on developing communication, negotiation and advocacy skills. This module incorporates leadership diagnostic tools to aid self-assessment and develop personal action plans to enhance your effectiveness and leadership capability.
You deliver an individual 15-minute presentation to a panel of industry experts. The presentation focuses on addressing one of the key issues within the UK housing industry discussed throughout the course of the module. You are able to choose your own presentation format for the assessment, agreed with the module leader at the start of the module. The presentation is supported by an individual written action plan (1,500 words minimum) drawing on your engagement with the diagnostic tool and the experiential learning gained from the module.
