Are you interested in urban wellness and are you creative? During this minor you will make a multifunctional urban construction design for the city of the future. You will also gain in-depth knowledge directly related to your own discipline, which you can apply directly to the group project. If you have a proactive attitude and you enjoy learning from other disciplines and countries, this minor is for you.

 

 

What will you be doing?

The main semester task is the making of initial design and a 25 year project plan for a multifunctional urban construction that comprises farming, working & living functions. The initial design and project plan contains the architectural, engineering and managerial solutions to make an energy-positive, sustainable, circular proof and long-term economically feasible urban construction.

The main project is based on an actual case and involving a genuine commissioning party from the industry to who the students will present their initial design and project plan at the end of the semester. A special attention is addressed to team work within interdisciplinary and intercultural teams. 

Three teaching modules are offered during the semester.

·         Smart Design

·         Building Systems

·         Sustainable Exploitation

The modules are divided in two phases, basic knowledge and in-depth knowledge. In the first phase, 6 weeks, all students are required to follow the three modules. The knowledge acquired in this phase will be assessed by an individual exam at week 7. In the second phase, 10 weeks, students can choose which course/s to follow, the students should at least follow one of the three modules. The knowledge acquired in this phase will be assessed within the project deliverables.

www.sustainableurbanengineering.nl

Final objectives/competencies

The main competency acquired by students during the minor is the ability to apply the knowledge and insight gained through their own study programmes within a multidisciplinary team, as required in the planning & design of a multifunctional urban construction.

- Knowledge of design issues, environmental issues, energy issues, economical issues and social issues related to the construction of a multifunctional urban construction.

- The students’ ability to convert a complex problem from professional practice into a clear overview of requirements for their own discipline, taking the needs/prerequisites of other disciplines into consideration.

- The students’ ability to solve a problem within their own discipline for use in an integrated solution using methods such as research, systems thinking and modelling.

- Being able to justify and explain the principles and results to other members of the design team.

- The ability to combine knowledge and understanding from various disciplines into an integrated design that creates added value.

Entry requirements

Students must follow a program (higher professional education), in architecture, civil engineering, building construction, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, technical business management, climate management, industrial design engineering, facility management or equivalent.

Students from other disciplines with a big affinity for the course topics could also register for the international semester after getting the approval of the program coordinator.

Because of the interdisciplinary and intercultural composition of the student’s teams, there is a limit of students per discipline and per nationality. The subscriptions will be accepted in first-come first-served basis.

• Course notes in each discipline
• Open digital resources.
• Subscription digital resources freely available for HHS students.
• Software simulations

An email with information about scheduling will be sent to you no later than a week before the start of the minor lessons. Please send an email to tis-minoren@hhs.nl if you haven't heard anything by then.

Minorbrochure

If you want to know more about other minors at The Hague University of Applied Sciences, view our Minorbrochure.

Description of tests and minimum pass rate

Group assignment, 20 study points (70% report + 15% presentation + 15% team work)

Basic modules, 3,3 study points for each of the basic modules (10 study points in total).

30% individual assignments + 70% final exam (for each module) 

The group assignment accounts for 20 credits, the end products of which are an initial design report (70%), a presentation (15%) and a set of activities related to the team work (15%).   Multidisciplinary design methods and specialization in own discipline (in-depth knowledge modules) are tested through the group assignment. If the report is found insufficient, the group has a second chance to improve it within one week. Performance within the team and individual contributions are assessed separately, meaning that each student gets an own grade varying between the group’s grade ± 2 points.

The basic knowledge modules account for 10 credits, 3,3 credits per module. Each of the three modules is assessed via individual small assignments (30%) and final exam (70%). In case a retake is needed the final exam will account for the 100% of the module score.

The student passes for the minor if the group assignment grade is higher than 5,5 and the average grade from the 3 basic modules is higher than 5,5. The grade for each of the basic modules cannot be lower than 4,5. The credits for the minor (30 EC) will be awarded when the minor is completed.

Target group

International and Dutch students from the programmes architecture, civil engineering, building construction, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, technical business management, climate management, industrial design engineering and facility management, who are   interested in planning and designing multifunctional constructions comprising farming, working & living functions within an urban environment. The minor is addressed to students with a proactive attitude and aiming to learn from other disciplines and cultures.

Teaching methods + studyload

There is a commissioning party from outside the university (a client), and students play their own role (consultant in their own discipline). Students are coached on the process (2 coaches) and on subject content (one contact person per discipline).

- Systems engineering and multidisciplinary design methods are common themes that run throughout all subjects.

- Three modules are given at the level of introductory courses:

§  Smart Design

§  Building Systems

§  Sustainable Exploitation

Specialization in each discipline is offered through the in-depth modules of the second semester phase.

The basic modules make use of blended learning. Part of the content is to be learned and assessed via short assignments digitally previous the lecture. The in-depth modules have a part with classical lecture (by the teacher or by a guest lecturer) and a part for expert advice related to the project.

Partners

- Internal: TIS Faculty (Mechanical Engineering and Architecture), M&O faculty (Facility Management).

- External: AAB INT, Studio Leon Thier, Research group Energy and the Built Environment.

Minimum- and maximum participation

Minimum 12, maximum 40.

All of the various study programmes must be represented; the goal therefore is to achieve a balanced spread of disciplines within each group (~ 5 students). If there is too great an imbalance, some applications may be rejected.

Contact hours

Total study-load: 40 hours per week

-       Lectures/tutorials: 9 hours a week

-       Project workshops, incl. excursions: 8 hours a week

-       Coaching: 4 hours a week

-       Group meetings / self-study: 19 hours per week

It is a full time minor where presence to all classes, workshops and group work is compulsory.

Miscellaneous

This minor is especially indicated for international students. The language of instruction is English and literature is in English.  

Some sections of this minor are given in Delft and others in The Hague.