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Independent Study: Reusable Timber Blocks (BH&C, 4 ECTS)

Independent Study: Reusable Timber Blocks (BH&C, 4 ECTS)

Module Coordinator/Lecturers
Study Programmes
Master's degree programme in Architecture
Project Description
This optional module allows for various kinds of research studies. It is closely connected to the five units of the Liechtenstein School of Architecture and is usually part of ongoing research projects. The supervision consists of directing the students towards clear results within a given field of research. The individual study is reviewed within the respective unit.

Individual appointments will be set with the tutor, group projects are also possible, as well as group work with individual submissions, start, final submission and presentation can be individually defined with the respective tutors. Alongside established methods like timber framing, panel, and log construction, small timber building bricks open new perspectives for material-appropriate, demountable, reusable, and resource-efficient construction.

Modular block systems in solid timber, fibre-based or hybrid variants have appeared in numerous applications and patents, and are now being rediscovered amid sustainability debates - yet remain understudied. Through examples, we examine how prefabricated wooden modules have historically enabled assembly, disassembly, and reassembly with minimal material loss and labor.
Teaching Method
Self-defined design or research studies, developed individually or in groups agreed upon with research units and under the guidance of mentors. The size of the module is determined by the respective unit.
Learning Objectives
After successful completion of the course, students will be able to
Learning Outcomes The students...
Professional Competence
  • understand the broad issues of sustainability in a defined research area.
  • follow a given research topic and develop it coherently into a clear result.
  • manage their own learning within a research project.
Methodological Competence
  • identify a research topic and develop it coherently into a clear proposal.
  • analyse data and situations under guidance, using a range of techniques and methods appropriate to the subject.
  • critically evaluate evidence to support research topics, reviewing its reliability, validity and significance.
Social Competence
  • explain competently, discuss and critique their own work through oral presentation, writing or visual communication.
  • understand how to work with confidence in the complex organisational and community settings within which the applied methods and design processes are typically deployed.
  • collaborate in teams and support each other during the learning process.
Personal Competence
  • gain confidence in their own role in collaborating with an ongoing research project.
Requirements
Registration via the intranet of the University of Liechtenstein is not binding and is only valid in combination with the written consent of the respective unit. This applies to all Individual Electives in the Master's degree programme in Architecture.
Assessment Methods
Minimum 75% compulsory attendance, regular meetings with instructors, continuous assessment, portfolio and final review.
The final grade is calculated according to the weighting of the following components: submission (40%) and presentation/participation (60%).
Grade
Individual appointments will be set with the tutor.

Group projects are also possible, as well as group work with individual submissions.
Module number:
6212839
Semester:
WS 26/27
ECTS Credits:
4
Courses:
8 L / 6 h
Self-study:
114 h
Scheduled Semester:
3