Cursos / 1º Ciclo / Faculty of Architecture and Arts :: Architecture ( Integrated Master)

EDIFICAÇÕES - 2025/2026

3º curricular year
Semestralidade: 1st semester
ECTS: 3.5

Teachers

Leading Teacher: Prof. Doutor Jorge Amaral

Class type and School hours

Teórico-prática : 4 Horas

Teaching Language

Portuguese

Main Aims/Objectives

The Building Construction course aims to investigate, develop, and represent all essential constructive components for the correct functioning of a building, coherently integrating structural and constructive metrics derived from the adopted systems and solutions. It also seeks to relate the Building Construction course to project practice, integrating and cross-referencing information from other Curricular Units from an interdisciplinary perspective.

Specific Aims/Objectives

To build a project methodology supported by the application and exploration of constructive systems and materials studied in previous exercises, consistent with the language and spatial conception realized by students in their projects. To bring the act of designing closer to the ability to create constructive solutions and make well-founded material choices.

Skills to be acquired

Comprehension and representation, using both two-dimensional and three-dimensional means, of the coherence links between architectural form and the various constructive systems that materialize it.
Mastery of detailing residential buildings, especially the representation of construction sections and constructive details.

Teaching Procedures

Coursework develops through the articulation of theoretical and practical moments. In theoretical classes, exercises will be presented, themes and necessary information for the progress of the work will be introduced, and periodic presentations and discussions of results will be held. In practical classes, proposed exercises will be implemented and executed, then presented, analyzed, critiqued, and discussed, either in groups or individually.

Programme

The "node" is the minimum constructive element.
The semester exercise proposed for the Building Construction Curricular Unit will be carried out by groups of two students, who will be responsible for choosing a project developed in the Project I Curricular Unit [it may also be a project from another design course the student is currently attending]. Based on this chosen project, the study of the constructive node and its detailing should proceed.
The programmatic content of the Building Construction course is divided into three phases:
1. Description of Constructive Characterization
Investigate, develop, and represent all constructive components essential for the correct functioning of the building, coherently integrating structural and constructive metrics resulting from the systems and solutions adopted.
2. Rough Construction Project
This second phase also aims to introduce the theme of building construction, especially its physical understanding, which underpins the architectural project exercise in its transition to construction.
Structure: Representation, at a 1:10 scale, of the elements defining the building´s structure [retaining walls, foundations, load-bearing walls, slabs, pillars, etc.].
Masonry: Representation, at a 1:10 scale, of the materials defining the interior and exterior masonry of the building.
3. Finishing Project
Develop and define all coating and/or enclosure materials for the different spaces of the building, with an emphasis on the exterior facades and all surfaces defining the interior spaces.
Finishes: Representation, at 1:10 scales, of the various layers that incorporate the walls, ceilings, suspended ceilings, and floors of the spaces identified in each node.
Interior and Exterior Elevations: With the identification of the main coating materials, their stereotomy, and their implication in the expression and characterization of the spaces.

Evaluation Type

Attendance, class participation, continuity of work, and responsiveness to problems and challenges posed will be taken into account. Continuous assessment will also include two individual written tests (50%) and1 the submission of group assignments (50%), according to the academic calendar. The fundamental institutional assessment moments will also be fulfilled: the Midterm Exam and the Final Exam (75%) and the (re)submission of the group work (25%).

Teaching Resources

To achieve the required objectives and competencies, the following didactic resources will be used:
Computers;
Specialized bibliography available in the Lusíada University media library and library;
Indication of fundamental texts for learning and developing research work;
Multimedia material (documentaries, videos, images, etc.);
Laboratory classes that encourage research on construction systems and materials.

Sustainability Objectives

To make cities and communities inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable. The three pillars of sustainability in building design and construction: economic, environmental, and social dimensions. Territory, orientation, and materials; analysis of the life cycle of materials and buildings, recycling of materials and buildings; prefabrication and traditional construction. Reduce the adverse environmental impact of cities, paying special attention to waste management and energy consumption.

Keywords

Tectonics
Research
Materiality
Construction section
Constructive node

Main Bibliography

Complementary Bibliography