GREEN STRATEGIES FOR BUILDING DESIGN (202504)
This module explores passive sustainable design strategies and how they can be integrated into architectural elements to enhance spatial quality and user comfort. Students study site planning, daylighting, façade design, natural ventilation, strategic landscaping, and other green approaches, with an emphasis on climate and cultural context. Learning is delivered through lectures, tutorials, discussions, and self-directed study, supported by case studies and a green building visit. By the end of the module, students will be able to analyze, evaluate, and apply sustainable strategies to their own architectural projects, aligning with both environmental responsibility and creative design practice.
PROJECT 1-: Passive Green Building Case Studies Poster & Booklet (Grouping)
Students work in teams to select two architectural projects—one from a tropical climate and one from another climatic region—and analyse their passive sustainable design strategies. The study covers key aspects such as site planning, daylighting, façade design, natural ventilation, and strategic landscaping, with an emphasis on how these strategies respond to the building’s context, climate, and user needs.
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The deliverables include an A0 infographic poster, an A4 landscape booklet (20–25 pages), and a 5-minute pre-recorded presentation, combining textual analysis, diagrams, sketches, and relevant drawings. The assignment aims to develop students’ ability to critically appraise and compare passive design strategies, evaluate their impact on spatial quality and user experience, and communicate findings through clear and creative visual presentations.
PROJECT 2 - CONSTRUCTION DETAILS —— INTEGRATION WITH ADII
Integrated with the student’s final architectural design studio project. The task requires students to develop and document both passive and active green building strategies tailored to their own design proposals, drawing on knowledge gained from Assignment 1 and a green building visit.
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Students must analyse site context, identify suitable sustainable design strategies—including site planning, daylighting, façade and envelope design, natural ventilation, strategic landscaping, and renewable energy—and demonstrate how these are integrated into their final project. Deliverables include a reflective write-up (Week 13, 10%) and a comprehensive A3 design report (Week 16, 50%) with textual analysis, diagrams, drawings, and APA-referenced sources.
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The assignment aims to deepen understanding of climate-responsive design, encourage critical application of green strategies to enhance spatial quality and user experience, and strengthen students’ ability to communicate design decisions through both narrative and visual presentation.
REFLECTION
"Working on Assignment 1 and Assignment 2 in the Green Strategies for Building Design module has been both enriching and transformative.
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In Assignment 1, our group explored two case studies—Vancouver Convention Centre West and the NTU School of Art, Design and Media—to investigate passive design strategies such as green roofs, daylighting, natural ventilation, and strategic landscaping. The process deepened my understanding of how climate-responsive design is shaped by site context, orientation, and building form. Creating the poster challenged me to condense complex details like façade angles, bioswale systems, and cross-ventilation mechanisms into clear visual communication. This experience sharpened my analytical skills, particularly in comparing different climates and contexts, and gave me a strong foundation for applying similar strategies in my own design work.
For Assignment 2, I integrated the lessons from Assignment 1 into my Ludipark architectural design studio project. I applied strategies such as wall-less roofed spaces for cross ventilation, floating roofs with clerestory gaps for stack effect cooling, and deep overhangs for glare reduction. Site-specific considerations—like prevailing monsoon winds and strong east–west sunlight—guided decisions on building orientation and placement. Strategic landscaping was used to block unpleasant views, enhance the arrival experience, and preserve natural shading. This process not only improved the environmental performance of my design but also reinforced the importance of harmonizing aesthetics with sustainability.
Overall, these two assignments bridged research and application. Assignment 1 gave me the technical and conceptual tools to understand passive strategies in real-world contexts, while Assignment 2 allowed me to adapt and innovate these strategies for a specific site and programme. Together, they have strengthened my ability to design spaces that are environmentally responsive, contextually appropriate, and experientially rich."