Goals of Edcuation

A fundamental part of the education is to work on projects and to learn throughout the course of the design process. The focus of the department is not building engineering, but the design of inherent energy efficient buildings and the integration of the necessary building engineering. Therefore the purpose is primarily an architectural one.

The field’s core consists of the interaction between human and building and between building and environment. Subsequently the building acts as filter between humans and the environment. One important effect of planning the building engineering is the room climate that is generated. In the best case, it is especially caused by the optimisation of the building facade and construction. To align the energy demand of a building with the comfort of its user is the challenge.

A basic knowledge in the laws of physics is learned with real situations like those occuring between environment, human, building and building engineering. The student learns to understand this interaction without calculating the mathematical backgrounds. In fact, a feeling is generated, which makes it possible to understand the interactions and the interrelations and to evaluate them. With basic examples and analyses experience is gained and a kind of intuition develops. At a later time case studies and further analyses of current projects and architectural styles will be discussed to increase and assure the knowledge.

The goal is not just to convey a great theoretical knowledge, but to give the students a perspective, which allows them to solve real situations and problems in practice.

Computer simulation is used as a teaching aid to clarify the physical processes in the building. Similarly the  purpose is not to train the computer handling, but rather to get an intuition and a feeling for the interrelations.

Some kind of curiosity for the dynamics of room climatic processes in a building is getting motivated. The development of the intuition and the feeling for the processes allow students to find answers. This should not describe a closed process, but rather the beginning of continuity of thinking, which conducts the architect within his whole life.