This year we welcomed students from a range of backgrounds but who shared an ambition to reduce the impact of the built environment while meeting occupant comfort requirements. Our students are all following a path encompassing the fundamentals of:

sustainability and architectural science,
the evaluation of site,
passive design strategies and their application in a free-running building,
the consideration of active services and the potential contribution of renewable energy,
the calculation of whole life building carbon,
the options available to investigate the built environment.

Despite continuing COVID issues, this year has seen the return of field trips to St Fagan’s open-air museum and the Pierhead Building in Cardiff, with plans made to see acclaimed environmental buildings in June.

Environmental design of buildings aims to develop designs – and a design process - which support occupant comfort for the roles being accommodated, while addressing local site and climate issues and minimising environmental impact (including resource use). The environmental design process is essential to ensuring that the appropriate evidence is used to inform an appropriate solution to maximise each of these aims. There is no single “environmental building design” which can be applied as a panacea; therefore, it is the ability to apply the process in any future scenario which is the “takeaway” from the course!

Our students provided excellent examples of applying the Environmental design process in a collaborative workshop with MA Architectural Design students and CAUKIN Studio. These ideas will support CAUKIN Studio’s final design to improve conditions for worthwhile projects in developing countries.

In looking to the future of this course, we are considering module restructuring and elective components which will allow students to focus more on specific topics relevant to environmental design of buildings and their future professions.

Dr Vicki Stevenson, Programme Leader