BSc(Hons) Building Surveying

Through lectures, tutorials and practical experiments, this module will explore construction materials and the physics of internal building environments. You'll investigate the properties and uses of timber, masonry, steel, concrete, glass, plastics and emerging materials. Experimental work will examine light and lighting, noise and acoustics, air quality and ventilation, thermal comfort and heat flow. By connecting material science with environmental performance, you'll develop an understanding of how design choices influence comfort, health, energy use, climate change, and both operational and embodied carbon in buildings.

This module will introduce domestic construction from foundations to roof, including finishes and building services. Topics are likely to include, but will not be limited to, structural behaviour and load distribution, construction techniques, services integration, and technical drawing and communication. You'll compare traditional, contemporary and emerging practices while considering regulation, sustainability, health and safety, ethics and professional standards. Further study may cover feasibility, circular economy principles and passive or environmental design, helping you understand how materials, systems and services combine within domestic buildings.

This module will introduce the process of recording, designing and specifying buildings while developing fundamental drawing and measurement skills. Topics are likely to include, but will not be limited to, architectural context, design theory, function, form and style, user requirements, briefing and design methodology. You'll consider structural and environmental appraisal, urban and housing design, accessibility, load paths, sustainability and professional ethics. Practical work will introduce sketching, computer-aided design, building information modelling, detailing of simple buildings, planning applications, and design and access statements.

This module will introduce legal, economic and management principles relevant to the built environment. You'll develop an understanding of the frameworks within which property and construction activities take place, considering how legal responsibilities, economic influences and management decisions affect professional practice. Through applied examples, you'll learn to interpret information, recognise the interests of different parties and make reasoned judgements about practical situations. The module will strengthen your analytical, communication and decision-making skills while providing a foundation for later study of contracts, organisations, markets and project delivery.

This module will develop professional consultancy and contract administration skills for building surveying practice. You'll examine construction procurement routes, JCT and NEC contracts, tendering, contract administration and the roles of project parties and construction professionals. Topics are likely to include dispute resolution, client briefs, inspection procedures and survey reporting, alongside relevant legal implications. You'll also explore landlord and tenant matters, dilapidations, party walls, boundaries and expert witness work, building your understanding of the building surveyor's responsibilities across varied professional appointments.

This module will investigate building pathology and help you analyse failures and defects across a range of buildings and components. You'll examine how materials, design, construction, use, maintenance and environmental conditions can contribute to deterioration. Through systematic inspection and diagnosis, you'll learn to recognise symptoms, identify likely causes and evaluate appropriate remedial responses. The module will develop your ability to gather and interpret evidence, communicate technical findings and exercise professional judgement when considering building condition, performance and the consequences of different repair or management strategies.

This module will help you develop the professional, academic and reflective skills needed to succeed within the built environment sector. You'll engage with employers, professional bodies and university support services while exploring career opportunities and future directions in a rapidly evolving and increasingly digital industry. Topics may include professional ethics, career planning, job applications, business and data skills, critical writing, literature reviews and the use of feedback. By reflecting on your development, you'll strengthen your professional identity and prepare for future employment or placement opportunities.

This module will explore the design and evaluation of contemporary commercial developments, focusing on medium-rise framed office buildings. You'll investigate how building structures, services, environmental systems and design strategies contribute to performance, adaptability and long-term value. Topics may include envelopes, façades, roofing, acoustics, fire safety, foundations, ventilation, lighting, security and vertical circulation. Sustainable development and building performance will provide an important context throughout. By considering technical, environmental and financial factors together, you'll learn how to appraise and develop commercially effective building solutions.

This module will explore how residential retrofit projects can be planned and managed to improve existing homes. You'll consider the technical, organisational and professional factors that shape retrofit work, including building condition, energy performance, project risk and the needs of residents and stakeholders. The module will help you understand how retrofit measures are selected, coordinated and delivered across a project lifecycle. Through applied project management approaches, you'll develop skills in evaluating options, planning work and supporting effective, responsible improvements to residential buildings.

This module will develop your ability to work collaboratively across built environment disciplines. Taking on a professional role within a development project, you'll consider financial, socio-economic, political, environmental, legal and technical factors at different stages of the process. Topics are likely to include procurement, contracts, planning, building regulations, health and safety, development appraisal, finance and asset management. You'll explore team roles, barriers and enablers to collaboration, stakeholder and community engagement, professionalism and ethical responsibility while strengthening communication, teamwork and informed decision-making.

This module will support you to complete an independent dissertation on an agreed topic relevant to your programme. You'll define a focused question, critically review appropriate literature and select methods suited to your enquiry. With academic supervision, you'll manage an extended research process, address ethical considerations, analyse evidence and develop a coherent argument. The dissertation will strengthen your independence, critical judgement, project management and written communication while allowing you to investigate a subject in depth and demonstrate how your findings contribute to academic or professional understanding.

This module will explore sustainable strategies for managing property throughout its lifecycle. You'll consider how environmental, social and economic priorities influence decisions about buildings, assets and portfolios, including their operation, maintenance and improvement. Topics may include resource and energy use, performance, resilience, stakeholder needs and responsible management. By evaluating evidence and alternative approaches, you'll develop the ability to identify opportunities, balance competing priorities and recommend practical strategies that support long-term value while reducing environmental impacts and responding to wider sustainability goals.

This module will explore the refurbishment, adaptation and improvement of commercial buildings within complex urban environments. You'll investigate how obsolescence, changing user needs and business objectives influence decisions about repair, redevelopment and value enhancement. Topics may include condition assessment, feasibility studies, value engineering, commercial building defects, deleterious materials, regulatory compliance, project risk management and financial planning. The module will also examine project execution, stakeholder considerations and technical due diligence. Through applied activities, you'll develop the knowledge needed to evaluate and manage commercial refurbishment projects effectively.

This module will explore the principles, policies and practices involved in conserving buildings and places. You'll examine the concept of cultural significance and consider how it informs conservation philosophy, management approaches and technical interventions. Topics may include conservation planning, listed buildings, conservation areas, maintenance and repair, adaptive reuse, energy and carbon management, and statutory planning frameworks. Through case studies, seminars and site-based learning, you'll develop a critical understanding of how heritage assets can be protected, managed and enhanced within contemporary social, cultural and environmental contexts.