DESC9067: Semester 2, 2023

University home

Library

Current students

Staff intranet

Find an event

Give

Current students

Units DESC9067 Semester 2 2023 [Block mode]

Unit outline_

DESC9067: Mechanical Services

Semester 2, 2023 [Block mode] - Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney

Overview

This unit reviews the need for and application of Mechanical services in the built environment - in particular commercial buildings. Mechanical services are responsible for significant portion of energy and water consumption in buildings. Thus they have become important components of most modern building complexes, with a strong influence on other services and the architecture. This unit provides an introduction to these services by experienced presenters, including from the industry, for recent graduates or diplomats in mechanical engineering and an understanding of fundamental principles and practice for people from backgrounds other than mechanical engineering. Students will acquire skills in appreciation of impact of mechanical services on the environment, including recent mandatory regulations, together with estimating ventilation, cooling and heating requirements, design of simple ventilation, air conditioning and smoke hazard management systems, combined with an overview of water, refrigerant, ducted systems, with applicable equipment, energy, noise, human comfort, air quality criteria. Principles of heat transfer and fluid flow are applied to applications of mechanical ventilation, air conditioning and smoke hazard magagement, to satisfy regulations and standards, occupant and community expectations. The practical basis of the programme leads to a design assignment involving selecting equipment and systems to provide mechanical services in a building.

Unit details and rules

Academic unit	Architectural and Design Science
Credit points	6
Prerequisites ?	None
Corequisites ?	None
Prohibitions ?	None
Assumed knowledge ?	None
Available to study abroad and exchange students	Yes

Teaching staff

Coordinator	Thomas Parkinson, thomas.parkinson@sydney.edu.au
Lecturer(s)	PC Thomas, p.c.thomas@sydney.edu.au
Lecturer(s)	Thomas Parkinson, thomas.parkinson@sydney.edu.au

Type	Description	Weight	Due	Length
Assignment	Assignment 1 Report	40%	Week 08 Due date: 24 Sep 2023 at 23:59	Max. 10 pages (A4)
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Assignment 2 Report	60%	Week 12 Due date: 29 Oct 2023 at 23:59	Max. 20 pages (A4)
Outcomes assessed:

Assessment summary

Assignment 1: Estimate heating and cooling loads for a building using the load calculation software; discuss and test options to reduce these loads to reduce environmental impact.
Assignment 2: Develop the overall HVAC system design concept for a selected building.

Detailed information for each assessment will be given in the class.

Assessment criteria

The University awards common result grades, set out in the Coursework Policy 2021 (Schedule 1).

As a general guide, a high distinction indicates work of an exceptional standard, a distinction a very high standard, a credit a good standard, and a pass an acceptable standard.

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:

Work submitted after the deadline will incur a penalty of 5% of the total marks earned for the assessment per calendar day. Work submitted 20 calendar days or more after the deadline will not be assessed and will receive a mark of zero.

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 02	Lecture: History of air-conditioning; Introduction to factors that impact heating and cooling for buildings. Tutorial: Introduction to DesignBuilder; testing the impact of building fabric – Assignment 1 discussion.	Lecture and tutorial (7 hr)
Week 04	Lecture: Psychrometry and comfort consideration. Tutorial: The role of factors other than building fabric on heating and cooling loads – application to Assignment 1.	Lecture and tutorial (7 hr)
Week 06	Lecture: HVAC system components. Tutorial: Differentiating between ‘peak’ building loads and varying loads at different times; Introduction to Assignment 2	Lecture and tutorial (7 hr)
Week 08	Lecture: HVAC system configurations, spatial requirements. Tutorial: Review and discussion of the case study buildings.	Lecture and tutorial (7 hr)
Week 10	Lecture: Energy efficient HVAC systems, refrigerants, other services. Tutorial: Assignment 2 discussions, Q&A.	Lecture and tutorial (7 hr)

Attendance and class requirements

Please refer to the Resolutions of the University School:

University of Sydney School of Architecture Design and Planning Faculty Resolutions 2022.

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.

Required readings

Readings and various support materials will be posted to the unit’s Canvas site throughout the semester.

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. appreciate the building design factors that impact cooling and heating requirements
LO2. use the load calculation software to estimate heating and cooling loads, and test the impact of these variables
LO3. learn about the role of the various system components
LO4. appreciate the different ways that an air-conditioning system can be configured in response to the proposed building use
LO5. learn to appreciate and incorporate spatial requirements for each configuration in a building design
LO6. learn about energy efficiency in air-conditioning systems and GHG emissions

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.

No changes have been made since this unit was last offered

Additional information

Additional costs

N/A

Site visit guidelines

N/A

Work, health and safety

There are no specific WHS requirement for this unit.

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

Attendance and class requirements

Study commitment

Required readings

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Additional information

Additional information

Additional costs

Site visit guidelines

Work, health and safety

Disclaimer

On this page

Useful links

Media

Student links

About us

Connect