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Unit of study_
CIVL5533: Energy-efficient Building Systems
2025 unit information
Students will gain insight into energy consumption of building systems and how this is expected to vary considering different building solutions from an engineering design viewpoint in the context of climate change. The Unit of Study is articulated in the following four components. In the initial part of the Unit of Study, students are exposed to the fundamental concepts related to energy and its generation as well as to the current infrastructure supporting its distribution in cities and rural areas. Based on selected case studies that differ for the building typology, basic calculation approaches required for the estimation of the energy consumption of buildings are outlined and applied in the second part of the Unit of Study. In this manner, students will be exposed to an understanding of the expected impact that different structural typologies and construction materials have on the energy performance of a building. The third part of the Unit of Study presents the concepts and design principles of NZEB and how these can be successfully implemented in modern construction from an engineering viewpoint. In the final part of the Unit of Study, students are exposed to latest trends in building technologies and building-to-grid integration techniques aimed at minimising energy consumption and at reducing the likelihood of blackouts as well as peak energy demands. This part provides also insight into strategies adopted for the deployment of smart building systems and how these interact with the energy supply in the context of smart cities. All parts of the Unit of Study will be supported by the presentation of selected case studies.
Unit details and rules
Managing faculty or University school:
Engineering
| Study level | Postgraduate |
|---|---|
| Academic unit | Civil Engineering |
| Credit points | 6 |
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Prerequisites:
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None |
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Corequisites:
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None |
| Prohibitions:
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None |
| Assumed knowledge:
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CIVL1900 Introduction to Civil Engineering and CIVL1110 or AMME1362 Materials and CIVL2201 Structural Mechanics and MATH2061 Linear Mathematics and Vector Calculus |
At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:
- LO1. Demonstrate written, oral and graphical communication skills at professional engineering standard including capacity to justify an engineering position.
- LO2. Develop team skills through the completion of a project-based assignment.
- LO3. Evaluate & synthesise a wide range of resources demonstrating research skills & ability to work across disciplines.
- LO4. Evaluate the required energy supply to be provided to a building with possible inclusion of renewables.
- LO5. Perform analysis to gain insight into the impact of climate change on building energy consumption.
- LO6. Perform optimisation analysis to identify suitable energy strategies among available solutions.
- LO7. Address complex problems requiring interdisciplinary approaches amd solutions.
- LO8. Apply the fundamental methods of analysis for building energy consumption.
Unit availability
This section lists the session, attendance modes and locations the unit is available in. There is a unit outline for each of the unit availabilities, which gives you information about the unit including assessment details and a schedule of weekly activities.
The outline is published 2 weeks before the first day of teaching. You can look at previous outlines for a guide to the details of a unit.
| Session | MoA ? | Location | Outline ? |
|---|---|---|---|
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Semester 2 2025
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Normal day | Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney |
Outline unavailable
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Modes of attendance (MoA)
This refers to the Mode of attendance (MoA) for the unit as it appears when you’re selecting your units in Sydney Student. Find more information about modes of attendance on our website.
