Construction Industry and Environment

This subject has the following teaching availabilities in 2012:

120 hours

For the purposes of considering requests for Reasonable Adjustments under the Disability Standards for Education (Cwth 2005), and Students Experiencing Academic Disadvantage Policy, academic requirements for this course are articulated in the Course Description, Course Objectives and Generic Skills of this entry.

The University is dedicated to provide support to those with special requirements. Further details on the disability support scheme can be found at the Disability Liaison Unit website: http://www.services.unimelb.edu.au/disability/

This subject aims to develop an understanding and awareness of the life cycle environmental effects of building design and construction, including the approaches that can be used to assess and minimise them, with a particular emphasise on life cycle assessment.

Through an introduction to environmental assessment, including ‘input-output analysis’, this subject articulates the many linkages connecting construction to the rest of the national economy, the production underlying it, and the resources consumed in the process.

Organised as an advanced seminar, the subject will expose students to the latest developments in environmental assessment techniques and their application within the built environment.

• To develop an awareness of the current techniques for quantifying and assessing environmental effects.
• To teach students how to use environmental assessment techniques to improve the environmental performance of the construction industry.
• To provide a theoretical framework for macro-scale examinations of the construction industry.
• To build an appreciation for the position of construction within natural and economic environments.
• To supply analytical and critical tools for the evaluation of construction strategies at industry and project level.

• Class participation (10%).
• Class presentation (30%).
• Case studies and professional reports equivalent to 3,500 words (60%).

R. Crawford, Life Cycle Assessment in the Built Environment, London, 2011.

This subject is not available as a breadth subject.

At the completion of the subject students should have developed the following skills and capabilities:

• Ability to capture and analyse data to make informed decisions;
• Ability to map or imagine construction-related connections within the economy;
• Ability to present environmental performance information in a range of formats;
• Ability to appreciate the indirect consequences of construction activity;
• Ability to critically evaluate the work of others and provide constructive feedback.