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Overview
The UK is facing a massive Net Zero transition across its entire economy, and the built environment is no exception. As 2050 fast approaches, with pressure from all sides to meet ambitious but legally binding net zero targets, the sector is transforming the way we not only procure, design and construct buildings, but also how we operate and maintain them over their entire lifetime.
As such, the entire workforce is in urgent need of upskilling to ensure every individual is fully equipped to address the pressing and complex challenges ahead.
This new course, one of four launched by LSBU, presents an innovative model for teaching the skills and knowledge necessary to design net zero buildings of the future.
LSBU is proud to have created a ground-breaking, pilot programme with the support of the Office for Students (OFS) new Lifelong Loan Entitlement (LLE) scheme – meaning students on this short, effective degree level course can apply for a student loan to cover fees, irrespective of past loans and learning pathways.
Course content and structure has been developed in close partnership with leading employers in the construction sector, including Building Services Research and Information Association (BSRIA), Climate Framework, London Energy, Ashden, Clarion Housing Group, Lambeth Council and Southwark Council – ensuring highly relevant, actionable skills that can be acquired alongside a professional career and rapidly applied within the workplace.
Designing Net Zero Buildings, one of four short courses on offer, teaches the critical elements involved in designing buildings that don’t rely on fossil fuels. It focuses on the whole-building systems and HVAC engineering and is aimed at those who are familiar with the built environment but not with low-carbon building services.
During the immersive, one-semester course you will study: the importance and expectations of being a modern, professional building-services engineer in the context of the wider construction industry; the concept, purpose and philosophy of Net Zero carbon design; how passive and active building elements jointly contribute to the successful operation of a building, user comfort and health; and how building services impact on a building’s design and operation including energy needs, whole-life carbon impact, and maintenance throughout the lifecycle.
The course is delivered through lectures, workshops and private study, and involves individual and group projects, site visits, industry-leading guest speakers, and hands-on learning with real-life application.
The course will run concurrently with the three other Net Zero short courses in this programme, ensuring students benefit from insights from other roles within the built environment that impact on their own decision-making and ways of working.
The other courses are:
- Procuring Net Zero Buildings
- Operating Net Zero Buildings
- Leadership and Management for Net Zero Buildings
| ModePart-time | Duration1 semester | Start dateJanuary | Application code5823 | Application method Direct to LSBU |
Location
London South Bank University student union is located at 103 Borough Rd, London SE1 0AA.
If you are visiting our Southwark Campus, you may wish to use our downloadable campus map (PNG File 466 KB). For information on accessibility, see our DisabledGo access guides. See our location page for more details.
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Entry Level Requirements
- A Level BBC or;
- BTEC National Diploma DDM or;
- Access to Engineering qualifications with 15 Distinctions and 30 Merits or;
- Equivalent level 3 qualifications worth 128 UCAS points
- Level 3 qualifications must include Maths and Physics
- Applicants must hold 5 GCSEs A-C including Maths and English or equivalent (reformed GCSEs grade 4 or above).
- We welcome qualifications from around the world. English language qualifications for international students: IELTS score of 6.0 or Cambridge Proficiency or Advanced Grade C.
Mature students who do not possess any of the above formal qualifications but can demonstrate working experience which includes significant study or application of mathematical skills appropriate to level III (i.e. ‘A’ Level) or similar, may be allowed to join the course at the course director’s discretion.
AP(E)L {Accreditation of Prior (Experiential) Learning}
Applicants may use their experience (in work and life) to demonstrate:
- They have the necessary skills and knowledge for entry to the course;
- They have met the learning outcomes of one or more of the course modules and can claim credits without participating in those modules;
- Examples of APEL being a portfolio of prior written work;
- References
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Course status
United Kingdom
£3080.00
Tuition fees for home students
International
£5300.00
Tuition fees for international students
Tuition fees are subject to annual inflationary increases. Find out more about tuition fees
Home/EU applicants
| Mode Part-time | Duration 1 semester | Start date January | Application code 5823 | Application method Direct to LSBU |
- Introduction to Building Services Engineering (Level 4)
This module introduces the concept of building services engineering design in the context of net-zero energy and carbon buildings. It explains the meaning of net-zero and shows how the main system components impact the building performance. - Zero Carbon Building and Systems Design (Level 5)
This module explores high-level decision-making and developing strategies for designing building services systems for net-zero (energy and carbon) buildings. It explains the key methodologies for designing net-zero and presents a range of tools and best practices for delivering these outcomes.
- 100% Coursework
- Feedback will normally be available to students 15 working days after the submission of an assignment.
- Assignments should be submitted online.
Course commitment
The course runs over 1 semester (January to May 2023) and has the following study commitments:
Onsite Lectures/site visits: 44
Online tutorials: 8
Private study: 148
Total learning hours: 200
Students will be on campus for two full weeks (23-27 January and 13-17 March) and two two-day sessions (23-24 February and 27-28 April).
Each module includes two half-day online tutorials (8 February, 8 March, 29 March, 10 May).
For each hour of contact tuition the student is recommended to commit to three hours of self-study (including completion of coursework)
Careers
The qualification will enhance prospects for those with roles and careers in the built environment in the UK and internationally, in particular in roles involving the design of buildings that are Net Zero or ‘2050-ready’. Based on feedback from the industry, Net Zero skills are already in high demand as building owners increasingly view their bricks and mortar as assets and seek to reduce carbon consumption, running costs and reputational risk ahead of regulatory requirements. The skills enabled by this qualification will only increase in demand as Governments globally push to make Net Zero standards mandatory.