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2025-2026 / ARCH0009-3

Sustainable building construction techniques III: networks

Duration

17h Th, 35h Pr, 1d FW, 45h Proj.

Number of credits

 Bachelor of Science (BSc) in Architectural Engineering5 crédits 

Lecturer

Shady Attia

Language(s) of instruction

French language

Organisation and examination

Teaching in the first semester, review in January

Schedule

Schedule online

Units courses prerequisite and corequisite

Prerequisite or corequisite units are presented within each program

Learning unit contents

The course is structured around a building design project based on the sustainable integration of technical systems, aiming to meet functional, construction, and performance objectives.

  • The theoretical part of the course introduces the technical criteria and the construction and material concepts of sustainable buildings, as well as the challenge of integrating systems into the design process. Group discussions are held around a reference case study to give a "practical" dimension to the theoretical contributions.

  • In parallel, students are expected to explore various systems as part of the study and production of execution plans for a sustainable house. The focus is on spatial and technical coordination - integration of equipment - and on the appropriate use of sustainable technologies. The plans to be produced describe the house and part of the specific systems it contains: plumbing systems, electrical, heating, ventilation, lighting. The studied house is a modest-scale dwelling with predefined preliminary design plans.

The course involves an in-depth study of sustainable building technologies, particularly technical systems, as well as the principles of integrating these systems into a comprehensive architectural concept.


(1) Sustainable construction and life cycle assessment of buildings.
(2) Spatial and technical coordination: principles for integrating systems into a global architectural concept.
(3-4) Sanitary systems I & II: design and planning, drainage, wastewater treatment, distribution, discharge and rainwater recovery, and solar domestic hot water production.
(5-6) Heating I & II: design approach, system selection, renewable energy, and heat distribution.
(7) Ventilation: building aeration, design approach, ventilation/air conditioning, and heat recovery.
(8) Cooling: design and planning.
(9) Electricity, home automation, and lighting: design approach, emergency lighting, and signage.
(10) Fire protection and safety: concepts, equipment, security, and anti-theft protection.

Learning outcomes of the learning unit

By the end of this course, the student should be able to:

  • Read professional texts and synthesize them on various topics related to technical building systems.

  • Analyze the constraints related to integrating different technical systems (safety, noise, energy, environmental impacts) into an architectural project.

  • Apply and propose architectural measures that ensure the spatial and technical coordination of building systems.

  • Design and develop building networks and systems (determine, size, and plan heating, plumbing, ventilation, and electrical networks).

  • Perform a preliminary sizing using appropriate tools (e.g., BIM) to integrate and visualize the project.

Transversal skills:

  • Coordinate a team to develop, agree on, and deliver a work plan.

  • Access and evaluate appropriate sources of information.

  • Persevere despite difficulties or initial errors to find an optimal solution.

  • Document and communicate a project.

  • Plan activities to make the best use of the available time.

The complete list of learning outcomes for my course is defined on https://www.programmes.uliege.be/cocoon/20182019/formations/descr/A1ICAR01.html

Prerequisite knowledge and skills

Mandatory prerequisite courses: Sustainable Building Construction Techniques 1a, b and 2

Key concepts to master: heat transfer, thermal storage, greenhouse effect, electrical circuit, heat pump, natural light.

Planned learning activities and teaching methods

The practical work focuses on developing technical details and conducting preliminary sizing calculations to assess the energy and technical performance of a building and its systems.

Activities: theoretical lectures, practical work, an integrated project, a construction site visit or a project visit.

Mode of delivery (face to face, distance learning, hybrid learning)

Face-to-face course


Further information:

The course follows a hybrid blended learning approach, offering a good balance between different learning methods and pedagogical approaches to achieve the training objectives.

In-person from September to December: lectures, practical sessions (lab work), and integrated project.

Assessment methods: written exam, continuous project evaluation throughout the semester, jury presentation, and final submission.

Course materials and recommended or required readings

Other site(s) used for course materials
- G-Drive (https://shorturl.at/vJm1C)


Further information:

Références obligatoires

  • Course material: CONSTRUCTION TECHNIQUES
    SUSTAINABLE BUILDINGS III: NETWORKS.
  • Publications du CSTC, Centre Scientifique et Technique de la Construction: http://www.cstc.be/ (accès avec identification en bibliothèque FSA) - notamment les NIT 192 « La ventilation des
    habitations, 1ère partie », NIT 200 « Installations sanitaires, 1ère partie », NIT 203 « La ventilation des habitations, 2ème partie »

Exam(s) in session

Any session

- In-person

written exam

Written work / report

Continuous assessment


Further information:

Overall Evaluation A written exam focused on theory (case study): 50% of the final grade.

Evaluation of practical work: 50% of the final grade.

The course is designed to be interactive; therefore, it is essential that all students actively participate in the sessions. Attendance is mandatory during theoretical classes and site visits. It will be recorded. In other words, points may be deducted from the final grade in the case of unjustified absences. The same applies to any absence that hinders a team's work during practical sessions.

All students are required to attend the entire final presentation before the jury in order to benefit fully from the feedback provided.

Evaluation Criteria The list below identifies a set of elements whose presence and/or design quality will be systematically assessed in the exercises carried out throughout the semester (exam and practical work). This list is not exhaustive, but it highlights the main points of attention that students must consider.

Practical Work All submissions will be graded and will receive collective and/or personalized feedback.
Each student will have the optional opportunity, during the semester, to improve a portion of their work after receiving the corresponding feedback (except for the final submission). This updated version will be reassessed, thus allowing students to make mistakes the first time and correct them. They can learn from these errors and strengthen their learning outcomes.
The final submission will be presented before a jury and will receive a last round of feedback.

Evaluation criteria:

  • Completeness and accuracy of the plans (content and graphic conventions);

  • Completeness and accuracy of the reports;

  • Quality of the final presentation;

  • Compliance with submission deadlines.

Students who do not complete all required activities may not be admitted to the exam (if an exam is held).
Missing required elements prevents a numerical assessment of the student's work. In such cases, a grade of "A" (absent) will be given, unless a specific justification is examined fairly by the instructor and accepted.

Work placement(s)

Organisational remarks and main changes to the course

You must be enrolled in the course!

The course is structured around a design project focused on producing execution plans for a sustainable house. Students, working in teams of three, are expected to develop execution drawings (at 1:50 scale) and detailed plans (at appropriate scales, from 1:20 to 1:5), following a sequence of steps that progressively integrate building systems and networks while increasing project complexity.

Five performance domains - sanitary systems, electricity, heating, ventilation, and lighting - will be incorporated into the design process, in accordance with the theoretical course sequence. The constructive aspects of the house will be addressed in parallel to ensure the final proposal meets performance requirements (Belgian or European standards) while remaining realistic from a construction detailing perspective.

These components will be developed in three phases:

Phase one: development of a general concept sketch of the project.

Phase two: a more quantitative approach involving the analysis and application of the five performance aspects, as well as constructive considerations. The goal is to integrate them as fundamental elements of building design. This phase will unfold gradually, with each performance domain introduced through a theoretical lecture followed by a practical exercise.

Phase three: finalization of the project by integrating all aspects into a coherent and validated global house design.

Contacts

Aurélie Piette
Civil Engineer Architect, Part-Time Teaching Assistant
ARGENCO, Faculty of Applied Sciences, University of Liège

Building B52, Office: 0/441, Mailbox: 0/544
13A Allée de la Découverte, B52/3, Polytech 1 District
4000 Liège (Sart-Tilman), Belgium

Tel: +32 490 25 81 43 - Email: aurelie.piette@uliege.be - www.sbd.ulg.ac.be

Shady Attia
Civil Engineer Architect, Professor
ARGENCO, Faculty of Applied Sciences, University of Liège

Building B52, Office: 0/542, Mailbox: 0/544
13A Allée de la Découverte, B52/3, Polytech 1 District
4000 Liège (Sart-Tilman), Belgium

Tel: +32 4 366 91 55 - Email: shady.attia@uliege.be - www.sbd.ulg.ac.be

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