CE3CBP: Building Surveying Projects

Module code: CE3CBP

Module provider: School of Construction Management and Engineering, School of Built Environment

Credits: 20

Level: Level 3 (Honours)

When you'll be taught: Semester 1 / 2

Module convenor: Mr Adrian Tagg, email: a.tagg@reading.ac.uk

Pre-requisite module(s):

Co-requisite module(s):

Pre-requisite or Co-requisite module(s):

Module(s) excluded:

Placement information: NA

Academic year: 2024/5

Available to visiting students: No

Talis reading list: Yes

Last updated: 21 May 2024

Overview

Module aims and purpose

To equip final year Building Surveying students with the necessary skills set to inspect existing commercial buildings, analyse the construction technology and recommend advice to resolve immediate defects as well as medium- and long-term cost advice for maintenance. 

Module learning outcomes

By the end of the module, it is expected that students will be able to: 

1. Evaluate a client’s brief and undertake a detailed site inspection and collect data for an existing building. 
2. Appraise critically the condition of a building and advise on the RED Flag (critical issues) which may affect acquisition or maintenance of a building. 
3. Provide an Executive Summary or summary report detailing the initial findings of the building inspection and review of technical documents. 
4. Provide a detailed 10-year cost plan to maintain the building in a ‘like for like’ condition and undertake an audit on the property to ascertain legal / compliance with the relevant legal prescriptions. 

Module content

The module is based on the need to meet a client’s brief in the acquisition or maintenance of existing buildings. The module starts with an examination of a client’s brief followed by a series of site visits to a building owned by the client. During these inspections students are required to undertake a physical survey of the buildings including measuring and condition assessment. Any subsequent recommendations are to be evidence based in accordance with the site observations and knowledge of building materials as well as their lifecycle, in line with the RICS guidance notes. 

Structure

Teaching and learning methods

Formal lectures, seminars and practical sessions to introduce the necessary technical content for commercial building pathology.  

Study hours

At least 50 hours of scheduled teaching and learning activities will be delivered in person, with the remaining hours for scheduled and self-scheduled teaching and learning activities delivered either in person or online. You will receive further details about how these hours will be delivered before the start of the module.

Please note the independent study hours above are notional numbers of hours; each student will approach studying in different ways. We would advise you to reflect on your learning and the number of hours you are allocating to these tasks.

Semester 1 The hours in this column may include hours during the Christmas holiday period.

Semester 2 The hours in this column may include hours during the Easter holiday period.

Summer The hours in this column will take place during the summer holidays and may be at the start and/or end of the module.

Assessment

Requirements for a pass

Students need to achieve an overall module mark of 40% to pass this module.

Summative assessment

Penalties for late submission of summative assessment

The Support Centres will apply the following penalties for work submitted late:

Assessments with numerical marks

• where the piece of work is submitted after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): 10% of the total marks available for that piece of work will be deducted from the mark for each working day (or part thereof) following the deadline up to a total of three working days;
• the mark awarded due to the imposition of the penalty shall not fall below the threshold pass mark, namely 40% in the case of modules at Levels 4-6 (i.e. undergraduate modules for Parts 1-3) and 50% in the case of Level 7 modules offered as part of an Integrated Masters or taught postgraduate degree programme;
• where the piece of work is awarded a mark below the threshold pass mark prior to any penalty being imposed, and is submitted up to three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline), no penalty shall be imposed;
• where the piece of work is submitted more than three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): a mark of zero will be recorded.

Assessments marked Pass/Fail

• where the piece of work is submitted within three working days of the deadline (or any formally agreed extension of the deadline): no penalty will be applied;
• where the piece of work is submitted more than three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension of the deadline): a grade of Fail will be awarded.

The University policy statement on penalties for late submission can be found at: /cqsd/-/media/project/functions/cqsd/documents/qap/penaltiesforlatesubmission.pdf

You are strongly advised to ensure that coursework is submitted by the relevant deadline. You should note that it is advisable to submit work in an unfinished state rather than to fail to submit any work.

Formative assessment

Formative assessment is any task or activity which creates feedback (or feedforward) for you about your learning, but which does not contribute towards your overall module mark.

Reassessment

Additional costs