Eco Building Design

Syllabus

Introduction to building biology

• Environmental considerations in a building
• Building biology
• Europe
• Biology and health of buildings
• Cleaning materials

Building materials

• Dangerous building materials
• Chemical effects on the body
• Timber
• Plastics
• Masonry/bricks and concrete
• Timber treatments
• Gas appliances, heaters and fireplaces

Construction

• Roofs and roofing materials
• Roof construction
• Floors
• Pests in buildings

Services

• Electricity
• Circuits
• Measuring electricity
• Power and Ohm's law
• Terminology
• Supply systems
• Safety with electricity
• Waste disposal
• Waste water treatment using reed-beds
• Suitable plants
• Temperature control
• Heaters and coolers

Temperature: heating & cooling

• Energy conservation
• Solar energy
• Applications and the nature of solar energy
• Greenhouses

The internal environment: Ventilation

• Children and the elderly
• Controlling excess moisture
• Mould and mildew
• Humidifiers
• Carbon monoxide risk
• Radon
• Air cleaners

Light

• Lighting principles and terms
• Types of lighting
• Replacing fixtures
• Day lighting
• Optimising energy efficiency
• Measuring light

Acoustics

• Human requirements for sound insulation
• Secondary sound transmission
• Speech privacy
• Reverberation time
• Measuring sound insulation
• Improving sound insulation

Ergonomic considerations

• Form, shape and dimension of spaces
• Furniture design
• Layout of interiors
• Potential injuries
• Office landscaping

Psychological considerations

• Colour
• Psychology of building interiors
• General principles for house design
• Qualities of the components
• Creating effects

For a more detailed syllabus on this course, click here

This is only an approximate figure and is dependant upon how much time you can dedicate to your studies and how well you grasp the learning concepts in the course material. Furthermore, at the end of each lesson there is a question paper that needs to be completed and returned to your tutor. You should allow at least 1 - 2 hours of study to complete each question paper.

The approximate amount of time required to complete the course is: 110 hrs.