Postgraduate Courses

Business framework and strategic approach for facility and energy management, due diligence auditing, project management tools and processes, assessing performance requirements over the facility lifecycle, energy efficiency, life safety systems, IT infrastructure and information systems, workplace automation.

Automation, communication and security; mechanical, electrical, electronic subsystems and their integration with the building envelope; environment, energy and sustainability; configuration and operational characteristics; performance specifications; analytical models; design methods; and case studies.

This course introduces the advanced heating, ventilation, air-conditioning and refrigeration systems. Topics include refrigeration, psychometrics, solar radiation, heating and cooling loads in buildings and design of duct and piping systems. Theory and analysis are emphasized throughout.

Theory and development state of advanced energy conversion systems including fuel cells, solar energy, heat pipes, heat pumps, thermoelectrical cooling, and other advanced systems.

Acoustics wave equations; psychological acoustics; outdoor and indoor airborne sound propagation; interaction of air-borne and structure-borne sound with building structures; sound transmission between rooms; architectural acoustics; design and criteria in room and building acoustics; vibration control; audio systems; multi-media environment; application of computer-aided simulation tools in architectural acoustics.

Fluid dynamics and transport of energy and contaminants in building environment; modeling of turbulent mixing; concepts and techniques of computational fluid dynamics (CFD); applications of CFD to indoor and outdoor environmental problems; case studies and projects.

Renewable and non-renewable energy resources, review of energy conversion technologies, energy use in domestic/non-domestic buildings, energy economics, design guides, energy management and energy auditing.

Discussion of the various air contaminants in the indoor environment and their transport phenomena, sick building syndrome, building related diseases, thermal comfort, ventilation theory, advanced ventilation systems, air treatment systems, indoor air quality assessment and mitigation strategy, indoor air quality management in intelligent buildings.

Overview of materials issues in indoor environment as related to the structural and environmental performance of buildings, including organic sources of pollution. Detailed coverage on the materials science of building materials will be covered not only from the physical and chemical perspective, but also from the performance and pollution perspective. The learned materials science will be illustrated using practical cases studies on structural, thermal and environmental performance.

Free Vibration Single Degree-of-Freedom Linear System; Forced Vibration: Single Degree-of- Freedom Linear System; Two-Degree-of-Freedom Systems; Multi-Degree-of-Freedom Systems; Elements of Analytical Dynamics; Continuous Systems - Exact Solutions and Approximate Solutions; Finite Element Method; Nonlinear Systems - Geometric Theory and Perturbation Theory; Random Vibration; Vibration Control; Vibration and Noise.

This course introduces various occupational safety health issues in buildings, particularly those required by the Occupational Safety and Health Ordinance and other local regulations. Emphasis will be on the practical aspects of fire and life safety, lighting, general ventilation, exhaust ventilation, occupational hygiene, and hazardous material management.

This course aims to provide an understanding of the definition of risk, perception of risk, social acceptability of risk, risk assessment and management techniques, principle and process of risk management, contingency plans and disaster recovery, principle and process of risk-informed decision, multi-attribute utility theory, analytical hierarchical process and cost-risk benefit analysis in intelligent building management.

Modern technological advancements of intelligent building systems could provide safe, healthy and comfortable living with conveniences. The success of deploying these systems that are technically feasible requires accurate financial assessment. Basic tools and methods of financial assessment will be introduced to analyze the state-of-the-art technologies that could make the buildings inspirational in the contemporary and life cycle analyses of these inventions and power logistics offer solutions to secure sustainability for the humanity.

This course tries to equip students with the required knowledge to appreciate, specify and comment on what is a reliable as well as energy efficient electricity supply and consumption system for intelligent buildings. At the same time, those major electrical energy consuming appliances and systems in intelligent buildings are included as they heavily rely on a reliable and efficient electricity supply network. This will uplift the ability of students in designing better systems for intelligent buildings and managing their daily operations.

Selected topics of current interest. May be repeated for credit if different topics are covered.

An independent project carried out under the supervision of a faculty member. May be graded PP.