This international minor is interesting for students of Civil Engineering eager to develop their design talent. By assuming the role of civil engineer, you will develop the necessary skills to find design solutions for problems in urban areas. You will gain the necessary skills to find design solutions for problems in urban areas. You will develop the necessary skills to find design solutions for problems in the built environment. You will gain insight into your field of expertise. Your architectural work will be carried out at ‘building level’ and integrated into a broader context. You will work with students in the field of architecture, urbanism, spatial development, civil engineering and water management. As part of a team you will focus on water-related problems caused by climate change in urban areas. Although it is not strictly required, it is strongly recommended that you are a fourth year student  since the level expected will be based on 4th year Bachelor.

A challenging context
The urgent need to re-think, re-imagine and re-design cities by a worldwide network of architects and other players in the field, is the result of the threat being posed by rising sea and water levels. The strategy of fighting water is increasingly being replaced by the willingness to embrace it. Architectural designers therefore need to be inventive under such conditions: exploring the problems, for example, can lead to the opening up of a playground and even an unexplored toolbox (e.g. new materials, constructions, spaces, forms, ways of living, etc.). According to Waggonner Ball, designing for resilience, requires living with water and a willingness to see a threat as an opportunity.

The Dutch approach to solving water issues in urban residential and river areas has gained international attention. “Room for the river”, building with nature and the consensus economy are at the heart of this approach. In the minor, you will experience for yourself what this Dutch approach actually implies for your expertise as an architect. Furthermore, you will learn if or how it can be applied to projects abroad, while taking cultural differences and socio-economic issues into account.

Project
Like last year, this year the focus will be on Ho Chi Ming City (HCMC). Ho Chi Minh City is a low elevation coastal megacity with a very large and rapidly increasing population. Economic activity is also very high and rising in line with the population increase. Like most megacities in South East Asia or India that were built within a delta’s boundaries, HCMC is affected by flood related risks aggravated by the conjunction of heavy rains and high tide levels. This situation is driven by three factors: low elevation of the land above sea level, extensive urban growth yielding to soil subsidence, and an extension of impervious areas resulting in increased runoff (Tran Ngoc et al., 2016). International multidisciplinary cooperation is what we need to make our cities future proof. The ambition of this minor is imagining radical solutions and coming up with daring designs for a delimited area in this Vietnamese City. Making booming cities resilient, needs real courage. Only great vision and creativity can lead to innovations that are able to make such cities future proof. Students have to come up with solutions and new ideas for dealing with excesses or shortages of water and water pollution while (re)designing for resilience. The project work involves a concrete design at different scales and levels: from urban design to an architectural object. The challenge is to use ‘Water as Leverage’ as a design concept for Cities. More information  on this approach can be found on the website dutchwatersector.com.

Lectures, courses and workshops:
You will also take part in workshops and courses, attend lectures covering subjects related to the project and your area of personal expertise. The workshops will include the following:

1. FLOODGAME
2. DUTCH APPROACH
3. WATERWISE (RE)DESIGN
4. (RE)DESIGNING PUBLIC SPACE
5. INNOVATIVE DESIGN SKILLS
6. WORKING WITH OTHER CULTURES
7. BIOBASED AND CO2 NEGATIVE DESIGN
8. VISUALIZATIONS

This aligned study program is organized with relevant partners according to this year’s project: companies, architects and urban planners, civil engineers, partner Universities in Vietnam,...and Avans research groups.

International cooperation and excursion to Vietnam
We will work together with two universities in Vietnam. Vietnamese students will work on the same problem and project site as their Dutch peers. During the Minor activities are organized to work together with the Vietnamese students in order to learn from each other. An excursion to Ho Chi Minh City will be organized in mid-October where Dutch students and Vietnamese students will work closely together. This excursion is not obligatory and an alternative program is offered for those staying at home. Next to workshops and lectures there will be time to enjoy and discover Vietnam as well. We are currently working to make small financial sponsorship possible for this.

Individual design versus teamwork
You will choose and formulate your own particular research question within the framework of the Minor and you will work individually as an expert. You will be part of an interdisciplinary design team and contribute to the project design of that team. Yet you are accountable for your individual contribution to this design. Each project team consists of 3 experts; architect, civil engineer/water manager and an urban planner.

Professional products
What will you deliver as a civil engineer?
You will be expected to make calculations to solve flooding issues , a concrete design of a water related engineering project, while taking into account some of the following: use of materials, organization of space, spatial characteristics and elements, form, functionality, civil design concepts, urban context, cultural context, stakeholders, etc. Input from a team of experts (architects, civil engineers, urban planners, water managers etc.) will guide you through this course.  You will also have to submit a coherent set of drawings: elevations, plans, cross sections, etc. Additionally you will submit 3D models, sketches and other forms of visualizations which clearly illustrate the design process.

• Coming up with and testing innovative design solutions in order to embrace water instead of fighting it.
• By understanding what the Dutch Approach entails, you will be able to test its principles as water manager/engineer while exploring water and liveability problems abroad.
• By understanding the problem of climate change you will be able to make sustainable design decisions.
• By gaining knowledge of existing or newly designed iconic urban areas, you will be able to identify water related issues in relation to climate change and create your future-proof innovative solutions.
• By studying examples from all over the world, you will gain an understanding of cultural and social differences related to building practices which in turn will influence your design decisions.
• By understanding cultural and social differences, you will be able to offer solutions that are in compliance with the cultural context of the country involved.
• You will be able to visualize your results while making use of all the appropriate means.

Admission Requirements

This program is open to you if you have successfully completed at least 2 years of a bachelor's degree program relating to the built environment. Other disciplines are welcome after an intake interview.

Examples of eligible disciplines include:

• Architecture/Constructional Engineering
• Spatial Design
• Urbanism
• Watermanagement
• Civil Engineering

Important note: you will need to design, create 2d and 3d drawings.

This is a full-time program. The activities will be scheduled over the course of the week (2 to 3 days) and include workshops, lectures, project preparation, project execution, supervision and feedback sessions. You will be expected to attend at least 80% of all the activities. To promote the progress of the project, interim evaluations and presentations will be held. Monday, Wednesday and Fridays are in general reserved to come to the university. Tuesday and Thursday are for self-study.

• September: Start of the Minor (exact date will be communicated)
  • Mid October: Study trip to Vietnam or internationalization@home
  • End of January         Final presentation

In this program you can earn 30 ECTS credits as an integrated whole study unit. Assessments will take the form of reviews of and feedback on the weekly submissions and on the final product and presentation held as part of the closing symposium.

Language of instruction: English

Note: Although this program is located in Tilburg, this minor is part of the bachelor program “Bouwkunde Den Bosch (BOU-H)”. You will need this information to apply (Studielink). 

Location: The Avans campus in Tilburg is our main location.

For questions related to the content of the minor please contact:
Patrick Lenssen( coordinator), p.lenssen@avans.nl

For questions related to registration and other formal questions minor please contact:
minoren.adgo@avans.nl