Duration
40h Th
Number of credits
| Master in architecture, professional focus in architecture and urban planning (Odd years, organized in 2025-2026) | 5 crédits |
Lecturer
Language(s) of instruction
French language
Organisation and examination
Teaching in the first semester, review in January
Schedule
Units courses prerequisite and corequisite
Prerequisite or corequisite units are presented within each program
Learning unit contents
Description
The course is in line with the courses of Building Technology (BACHELIER) and Sciences and Techniques (MASTER) and more specifically the courses related to materials and construction. It must also be related to the contents of the bachelor's courses addressing the principles of structure and history of construction. Finally, for MASTER 2 students, the course will be able to resonate with the WORKSHOP "Laboratory Raw Material".
Goals and reasons of the content selection
In the face of the climate crisis and the goals of the circular economy, it is now imperative for architects to rethink their approach to architecture. This involves fundamentally adapting the construction systems used in their projects and selecting and implementing building materials in a more responsible and sustainable way.
Indeed, while construction is one of the leading economic sectors in Europe, it is also among the most energy-intensive and polluting industries - a major consumer of natural resources and a significant producer of waste.
Today, architecture and construction must reinvent themselves and fully embrace an eco-responsible approach - one that is frugal in its use of land, materials, energy, and technical complexity, while making use of locally available raw and secondary materials.
In this context, the use of bio-based materials (such as bamboo, straw, grasses, hemp, and reeds), recycled materials (like cellulose and reclaimed cotton), and geosourced resources (such as earth and stone) provides local, simple, and sustainable technical solutions.
The course ARCH0606 "Materiaux géo et biosourcés, entre tradition et innovation" aims to demonstrate that
- These materials, which have enabled humans to build their habitats for over 10,000 years, remain relevant, efficient, and well-suited to today's environmental challenges.
- They offer a sustainable and eco-responsible alternative to conventional materials, which are often energy-intensive and high in emissions, while still meeting contemporary housing needs with minimal technical complexity.
Structure
The courses are structured in 09 sessions of 4:00. They are organized around theoretical sessions, the presentation of built examples that will be discussed, workshops and weekly interactions with experts to allow students to understand the subject from a technical perspective of professional practice.
One to two sessions will be devoted to visits. These visits are normally free of charge but mandatory. Only the journey to Brussels will be paid but normally reimbursed by the faculty.
The course sessions and visits are completed by individual work in autonomy, representing a total of about 80 hours per student.
Learning outcomes of the learning unit
By the end of this teaching unit, students will be able to:
- Identify and understand the mechanical, thermal, and hygrometric properties and behaviors of bio-based and geo-sourced materials;
- Relate these properties and behaviors to structural and construction choices (material selection based on intended use or application);
- Identify and analyze existing structures made of raw earth, solid stone, and/or wood, including their main structural joints and nodes;
- Understand and recognize various construction techniques associated with these materials, as well as the key construction nodes;
- Identify the strengths and weaknesses of these materials, justify them, and propose constructive strategies to leverage their advantages and mitigate their limitations;
- Formulate and justify construction solutions using these materials (for structure, insulation, and finishes) to design and build complete assemblies (walls, partitions, roofs, floors);
- Assess and discuss the environmental impact of these materials and construction systems
- Effectively integrate these materials into an architectural project and develop all associated technical details;
- Use and manipulate tools such as TOTEM, as well as teaching-developed resources including material identity cards, reusable inventories, and qualitative analyses of reversibility and circularity;
- Clearly articulate and defend the material and construction choices made in a project, presenting a well-reasoned combination of technical and environmental arguments to persuade a project owner of the relevance and suitability of these materials.
Prerequisite knowledge and skills
The approach developed in the ARCH0606 course builds upon the skills and knowledge acquired in the three core areas of construction, structure, and comfort throughout your Bachelor's and first year of the Master's program, particularly through the Building Technology courses (1 to 6).
It also draws on the understanding developed in courses related to the History of Construction at the Bachelor's level.
Furthermore, this course is designed to engage in a dialogue with the Science and Technology courses (1 and 2), reinforcing an interdisciplinary approach to architectural design and construction.
Planned learning activities and teaching methods
The approach proposed in the ARCH0606 course is reflective, multi-criteria, and technically grounded. It is centered around the study of a practical case and is supported by theoretical inputs, hands-on workshops, and interactions with a range of field experts. Students will engage in an experiential learning process, manipulating materials, testing and validating hypotheses, and progressively building their knowledge through direct action.
The learning activities organized throughout ARCH0606 will provide students with a coherent and comprehensive understanding of bio-based and geo-sourced materials, as well as the construction techniques used to implement them. Through the analysis and application of a case study, students will learn to formulate and justify structural and material choices as credible alternatives to conventional solutions (such as concrete, steel, and concrete blocks). They will also develop the ability to translate these choices into drawings and technical construction details.
The teaching methods used in the course include:
- Lectures and interactive sessions
- Independent (autonomous) learning
- Case study analysis
- Project-based learning and learning through hands-on experience (learning by doing)
Mode of delivery (face to face, distance learning, hybrid learning)
Face-to-face course
Further information:
The teaching unit will be delivered exclusively in person, unless the public health situation requires otherwise. In such a case, hybrid or remote teaching methods will be implemented as necessary.
In the interest of maintaining a high-quality learning experience, student attendance is mandatory during discussion sessions with experts (whether in-person or remote) as well as during organized site visits.
Any absence from these mandatory sessions must be duly justified by email to the course instructor. In the case of absence from a visit that includes a graded assignment, an alternative task will be assigned to ensure the learning objectives are met.
Course materials and recommended or required readings
Platform(s) used for course materials:
- eCampus
Further information:
Presentation slides will be made available on eCampus prior to each class session.
Each slide deck includes a bibliography tailored to the theoretical content covered in that session.
In addition, a curated selection of articles, documents, and technical guides relevant to the topics discussed throughout the course will be provided on the eCampus course page, offering further support for students' learning and project work.
Exam(s) in session
Any session
- In-person
oral exam
Further information:
Student mastery of the course content will be assessed through two individual assignments (2 × 10%) and an oral examination (80%). The oral exam will involve the presentation of each student's individual in-depth analysis of a selected case study, developed over the course of the semester.
1. Individual Assignments (20%) The detailed assignment briefs are available on the course's eCampus page.
- Assignment 1 (10%)
Deadline: Friday, October 24, 2025 (before midnight) - to be submitted via eCampus
Task: Produce a hand-drawn construction detail (plan and section) at 1:5 scale of one of the prototypes or projects presented at the MATERIA exhibition.
- Assignment 2 (10%)
Deadline: Friday, November 7, 2025 (before midnight) - to be submitted via eCampus
Task: Write a short illustrated report documenting the evaluation and characterization test of the available soil.
A detailed brief outlining expectations and evaluation criteria is available on eCampus.
Work placement(s)
Organisational remarks and main changes to the course
To streamline and optimize communication, all questions and exchanges related to this course will take place exclusively during scheduled class sessions.
All essential information-including the course calendar, instructions, and key updates-is clearly organized and available on the course's eCampus page. This information will also be regularly reiterated during class sessions and/or through eCampus announcements.
The eCampus platform also hosts all course materials, supplementary educational resources, and document submission folders.
Contacts
Sophie Trachte - sophie.trachte@uliege.be