CIVL5533: Semester 2, 2023

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Units CIVL5533 Semester 2 2023 [Normal day]

Unit outline_

CIVL5533: Energy-efficient Building Systems

Semester 2, 2023 [Normal day] - Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney

Overview

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

Academic unit	Civil Engineering
Credit points	6
Prerequisites ?	None
Corequisites ?	None
Prohibitions ?	None
Assumed knowledge ?	CIVL1900 Introduction to Civil Engineering and CIVL2110 Materials and CIVL2201 Structural Mechanics and MATH2061 Linear Mathematics and Vector Calculus
Available to study abroad and exchange students	Yes

Teaching staff

Coordinator	Fengji Luo, fengji.luo@sydney.edu.au
Lecturer(s)	Fengji Luo, fengji.luo@sydney.edu.au

Type	Description	Weight	Due	Length
Supervised exam ?	Final Exam Questions and answers	35%	Formal exam period	1.5 hours
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Assignment 1 Questions and answers.	15%	Week 06 Due date: 07 Sep 2023 at 23:59 Closing date: 22 Sep 2023	6-10 hours
Outcomes assessed:
Small test	Mid-Term Quiz Questions and answers.	25%	Week 08 Due date: 21 Sep 2023 at 13:00 Closing date: 21 Sep 2023	1 hour
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Assignment 2 Report and presentation	25%	Week 12 Due date: 26 Oct 2023 at 23:59 Closing date: 03 Nov 2023	12-20 hours
Outcomes assessed:
= group assignment ?

Assessment summary

- Submission of assignment 1 in Canvas.
- Submission of assignment 2 in Canvas.
- In-semester exam in Canvas.
- Final exam will be managed by the Exam Office

Assessment criteria

Result name	Mark range	Description
High distinction	85-100	Have a through understanding of the concepts in this Unit of Study and are able to apply these concepts to new problems.
Distinction	75-84	Increasing understanding and abstractions.
Credit	65-74	Increasing understanding and abstractions.
Pass	50-64	Are able to apply the analysis and design approaches covered in this Unit of Study to basic problems.
Fail	0-49	Have no understanding of the concepts covered in this Unit of Study and are not able to solve basic problems.

For more information see guide to grades.

Late submission

In accordance with University policy, these penalties apply when written work is submitted after 11:59pm on the due date:

Deduction of 5% of the maximum mark for each calendar day after the due date.
After ten calendar days late, a mark of zero will be awarded.

This unit has an exception to the standard University policy or supplementary information has been provided by the unit coordinator. This information is displayed below:

Late penalties: (i) 10% per day of full mark of assignment; (ii) late penalties for mid-semester exam to be managed in accordance with University policies and (iii) late penalties for final exam to be managed in accordance with University policies.

Academic integrity

The Current Student website provides information on academic integrity and the resources available to all students. The University expects students and staff to act ethically and honestly and will treat all allegations of academic integrity breaches seriously.

We use similarity detection software to detect potential instances of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breach. If such matches indicate evidence of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breaches, your teacher is required to report your work for further investigation.

Use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) and automated writing tools

You may only use generative AI and automated writing tools in assessment tasks if you are permitted to by your unit coordinator. If you do use these tools, you must acknowledge this in your work, either in a footnote or an acknowledgement section. The assessment instructions or unit outline will give guidance of the types of tools that are permitted and how the tools should be used.

Your final submitted work must be your own, original work. You must acknowledge any use of generative AI tools that have been used in the assessment, and any material that forms part of your submission must be appropriately referenced. For guidance on how to acknowledge the use of AI, please refer to the AI in Education Canvas site.

The unapproved use of these tools or unacknowledged use will be considered a breach of the Academic Integrity Policy and penalties may apply.

Studiosity is permitted unless otherwise indicated by the unit coordinator. The use of this service must be acknowledged in your submission as detailed on the Learning Hub’s Canvas page.

Outside assessment tasks, generative AI tools may be used to support your learning. The AI in Education Canvas site contains a number of productive ways that students are using AI to improve their learning.

Learning support

Simple extensions

If you encounter a problem submitting your work on time, you may be able to apply for an extension of five calendar days through a simple extension.  The application process will be different depending on the type of assessment and extensions cannot be granted for some assessment types like exams.

Special consideration

If exceptional circumstances mean you can’t complete an assessment, you need consideration for a longer period of time, or if you have essential commitments which impact your performance in an assessment, you may be eligible for special consideration or special arrangements.

Special consideration applications will not be affected by a simple extension application.

Using AI responsibly

Co-created with students, AI in Education includes lots of helpful examples of how students use generative AI tools to support their learning. It explains how generative AI works, the different tools available and how to use them responsibly and productively.

Weekly schedule

WK	Topic	Learning activity
Week 01	Introduction to the fundamental concepts related to energy and its generation. Overview of the current infrastructure supporting energy distribution in cities and rural areas.	Lecture and tutorial (4 hr)
Week 02	Introduction to examples of infrastructure supporting energy distribution: smarts cities and smart buildings.	Lecture and tutorial (4 hr)
Week 03	Introduction to the estimation of energy consumption of buildings.	Lecture and tutorial (4 hr)
Week 04	Basic calculation approaches for the estimation of energy consumption of buildings.	Lecture and tutorial (4 hr)
Week 05	Heating and cooling load estimations for building energy calculations. Introduction on how different structural typologies and construction materials can influence the energy consumption of buildings by considering passive design.	Lecture and tutorial (4 hr)
Week 06	Considerations on passive and active design strategies for energy-efficient building systems. Overview of selected case studies with different structural topologies and construction materials.	Lecture and tutorial (4 hr)
Week 07	Introduction to basic calculation approaches to quantify the impact of climate change on the energy building consumption.	Lecture and tutorial (4 hr)
Week 08	In-semester exam.	Lecture and tutorial (4 hr)
Week 09	Concepts and design principles of net-zero energy buildings (NZEB) in modern construction from an engineering viewpoint.	Lecture and tutorial (4 hr)
Week 10	Basic principles and calculation approaches for energy optimisation in NZEB.	Lecture and tutorial (4 hr)
Week 11	Fundamentals of energy storage integration in buildings for minimising energy consumption and reducing the likelihood of blackouts as well as peak energy demands.	Lecture and tutorial (4 hr)
Week 12	Latest trends in smart, energy-efficient building technologies and building-to-grid integration to improve building’s energy performance and enhance buildings’ energy resilience in blackouts.	Lecture and tutorial (4 hr)
Week 13	Revision for final exam.	Lecture and tutorial (4 hr)

Study commitment

Typically, there is a minimum expectation of 1.5-2 hours of student effort per week per credit point for units of study offered over a full semester. For a 6 credit point unit, this equates to roughly 120-150 hours of student effort in total.

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes are what students know, understand and are able to do on completion of a unit of study. They are aligned with the University's graduate qualities and are assessed as part of the curriculum.

Outcomes
Graduate qualities

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.

Graduate qualities

The graduate qualities are the qualities and skills that all University of Sydney graduates must demonstrate on successful completion of an award course. As a future Sydney graduate, the set of qualities have been designed to equip you for the contemporary world.

GQ1	Depth of disciplinary expertise Deep disciplinary expertise is the ability to integrate and rigorously apply knowledge, understanding and skills of a recognised discipline defined by scholarly activity, as well as familiarity with evolving practice of the discipline.
GQ2	Critical thinking and problem solving Critical thinking and problem solving are the questioning of ideas, evidence and assumptions in order to propose and evaluate hypotheses or alternative arguments before formulating a conclusion or a solution to an identified problem.
GQ3	Oral and written communication Effective communication, in both oral and written form, is the clear exchange of meaning in a manner that is appropriate to audience and context.
GQ4	Information and digital literacy Information and digital literacy is the ability to locate, interpret, evaluate, manage, adapt, integrate, create and convey information using appropriate resources, tools and strategies.
GQ5	Inventiveness Generating novel ideas and solutions.
GQ6	Cultural competence Cultural Competence is the ability to actively, ethically, respectfully, and successfully engage across and between cultures. In the Australian context, this includes and celebrates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, knowledge systems, and a mature understanding of contemporary issues.
GQ7	Interdisciplinary effectiveness Interdisciplinary effectiveness is the integration and synthesis of multiple viewpoints and practices, working effectively across disciplinary boundaries.
GQ8	Integrated professional, ethical, and personal identity An integrated professional, ethical and personal identity is understanding the interaction between one’s personal and professional selves in an ethical context.
GQ9	Influence Engaging others in a process, idea or vision.

Outcome map

Learning outcomes	Graduate qualities
Learning outcomes

Responding to student feedback

This section outlines changes made to this unit following staff and student reviews.

The unit of study has been updated to provide more information on the energy systems used in buildings.

Additional information

Prescribed readings

F. Luo, G. Ranzi, and Z.Y. Dong, Building Energy Management Systems and Techniques, Elsevier, 2023.

S. Attia, Net Zero Energy Buildings (NZEB): Concepts, Frameworks and Roadmap for Project Analysis and Implementation, Butterworth-Heinemann, 2018.

M. Casini, Smart Buildings: Advanced Materials and Nanotechnology to Improve Energy-Efficiency and Environmental Performance, Woodhead Publishing, 2016.

N.Y. Jadhav, Green and Smart Buildings: Advanced Technology Options, Springer, 2016.

M.Lawson, R. Ogden, C. Goodier, Design in Modular Construction, CRC Press, 2014.

L. Reeder, Net Zero Energy Buildings, Case studies and lessons learned, Routledge, 2016.

Disclaimer

The University reserves the right to amend units of study or no longer offer certain units, including where there are low enrolment numbers.

To help you understand common terms that we use at the University, we offer an online glossary.

Current students

Overview

Overview

Unit details and rules

Teaching staff

Assessment

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment criteria

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

Weekly schedule

Weekly schedule

Study commitment

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Additional information

Additional information

Disclaimer

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