This unit (NEA2201) aims to give students sufficient skill and knowledge of the various forms of building development that can be encountered in suburban settings, ranging from domestic building projects. In this unit students learn how to identify and use Federal, State and local council required codes and standards relevant to low rise and medium rise buildings and how to apply these mandatory constrains in building design from start of design process to building construction completion stage. They will learn how to develop construction details to respond to governmental mandatory requirement. They also learn about various building trades, professions and authorities involved in building design and construction and how they communicate and how this communication can be facilitated using project documentation.

Unit details

Location:
Footscray Park
Online Real Time
Study level:
Undergraduate
Credit points:
12
Unit code:
NEA2201

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Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, students will be able to:
  1. Assess the involvement of various building trades, professions and authorities in building design and construction;  
  2. Identify and specify compliance requirements for design and development of low rise and medium rise buildings by undertaking real-word case studies;  
  3. Interpret and apply federal, state and local building regulations, codes and standards in low rise and medium rise building design and development;  
  4. Demonstrate understanding and skills of building design and construction processes using project documentation; and  
  5. Develop and design new innovative and conventional building construction details according to international and Australian standards.  

Assessment

Assessment type Description Grade
Test Tests (2) (90mins duration each) 30%
Presentation Group Presentation 25%
Exercise In-class Exercises 10%
Project Design Project and Oral Presentation 35%
The portfolio is to feature work done in tutorials and team work assignments, including graphical and written designs and specifications detailing creative building solutions appropriate to various property development scenarios, a reflective journal, and self and peer assessment. One of the tests is to undertake a real bushfire assessment using information from a real world scenario. The project-based learning creates an open-ended, spontaneous and authentic exercise of interpreting a set of drawings and evaluating the BAL (Bushfire Attack Level) rating using the proforma from VBA's (Victorian Building Authority) website. The Design project involves the acquisition of a set of drawings from a real building of reasonable complexity (i.e. not a house) and developing a system of checking the compliance of the case study building against individual clauses of the NCC.

Required reading

Building Code of Australia Class 2 to Class 9 Buildings Volume One
National Construction Code Series (2019)
ABCB Publications, Canberra

Building Code of Australia Class 1 to Class 10 Buildings Volume Two
National Construction Code Series (2019)
ABCB Publications, Canberra

RECOMMENDED TEXTS: Ching, F.D.K., (2014) Building construction illustrated 5th ed. John Wiley & Sons, Inc, Hoboken, New Jersey

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