Core Courses

 1st Semester (October to February)

253.096 Research design and methods (VO 1.0 ECTS)
Introduction to research principles, designs and methods

253.120 Tools and Media (VU 5.0 ECTS)
In this course, students are exposed to various digital tools and media that are commonly used to support knowledge-based design decision making, to conduct research, and to disseminate results. These include spreadsheets and databases, mathematics and statistics packages, presentation media and script languages, simulation applications and the basics of programming.

253.117 Fundamentals in Building Science (VU 5.0 ECTS)
This course introduces the requisite scientific fundamentals for the major thematic foci in building science and technology. Specifically, the course covers the necessary foundations in mathematics (geometry, calculus, numeric methods, and statistics) and physics (thermodynamics, optics, and acoustics).

253.086 Energy and Buildings (VU 3.0 ECTS)
This lecture provides an introduction to building performance modeling. Topics: Introduction to thermal, acoustic and optical modeling, building simulation using CAD.

253.122 Thermal Building Performance (VU 3.0 ECTS)
Use of computational tools for the prediction and analysis of a building’s performance in regard to building physics.

253.069 Building Diagnostics (VU 1.5 ECTS)
Introduction to the concept of “intelligent building”, modern building systems and building control.

253.147 Visual and Acoustical Building Performance (VU 2.0 ECTS)

253.151 Building Systems and Controls (VU 3.0 ECTS)
Introduction to sustainability analysis of buildings and building components, life-cycle assessment and environmental impact analysis.

2nd Semester (March to July)

272.046 Current Issues in CAAD (SE 1.0 ECTS)

272.045 Design Methods (VU 2.5 ECTS)

272.050 Architectural Geometry (VU 4.0 ECTS)

272.041 Information Architecture (VU 2.5 ECTS)

272.042 Dynamic Simulation and Visualization (VU 2.5 ECTS)

272.092 Introduction to Information Systems (UE 5.0 ECTS)

253.116 Research Seminar (SE 3.0 ECTS)
This course follows a case-based approach to the application of scientific research methods in building science domain. Based on the foundation acquired in research design and methods, various concrete research projects and papers are discussed and analyzed in view of their strategies, methods, experimental design, data-collection approaches, and analysis approaches. Prerequisite: Research Design and Methods

253.104 Building Diagnostics Laboratory (VU 2.0 ECTS)
Introduction to building ecology by case studies and design exercises

3rd Semester (October to February)

253.145 Project Course in Building Performance or Design Computing (UE 12 ECTS)
This course involves work on realistic problems in the areas of building performance and design computing in collaboration with practitioners.

253.123 Advanced topics in building science (SE 3.0 ECTS)
Members of the institute of architectural sciences present current and recent research activities and projects. An in-depth understanding of international trends in various fields of building science and technology is offered.

253.155 Building Ecology (VU 1.0 ECTS)

253.144 Master Project Seminar (SE 3.0 ECTS)
Students explore and articulate ideas for a Master's project of choice. Each student writes and presents a Master's project proposal, a document that outlines the project, its motivation and background, as well as the methodology used. The proposal is reviewed and approved by a student's advisor(s). Prerequisites: Research Design and Methods and Research Seminar

4th Semester (March to July)

Master's Project (UE 30 ECTS)

Further information about the lectures can be found in the TUWIS++ lecture information system. Please note that for administrative reasons, some courses might be listed with their German title (e.g. "Energie und Gebäude" instead of "Energy and Buildings"). All core courses are taught in English, even if they are listed with their German title.