Designing better, more sustainable buildings requires interdisciplinary analysis and improvement from all members of the design team throughout the design process.
Advanced Building Design is an interdisciplinary innovation course that has been runnning at DTU for 15 years. It offers participants a collaborative, analysis based, professional design experience. As an innovation course we do not just wish to replicate real world design processes. We want to define new ways of working that ultimately, through the integration into the [circular education system] demonstrate how we can design better, more sustainable buildings.
- Collaboration experience with peers to produce a 'real' design in one of 6 possible roles.
- Roleplay the management of a design/engineering consultancy; do the work and keep the lights on.
- Receive input from leading industry design, engineering and collaboration mentors.
- Engage in deep disciplinary sparring and feedback with subject expert teachers (chief consultants)
- Apply OpenBIM Technologies to support the OpenBIM Transition in the AEC.
- Benchmark your performance against previous years to help you design 'better' buildings.
- Track your design progress with project BEATS and 4 KPIss (Key Performance Indicators)
- Gain experience working with DGNB 2025 (simplified version)
- Selected Projects get to present their work in Mentor's office.
The course runs over the spring 13 week period on monday afternoons continuing throughout the June 3 week period.
The course is designed to give interdisciplinary design and analysis experience to MSc Architectural Engineering and Civil Engineering students at the Technical University of Denmark. However other relevant disciplines are welcome to apply, please see the available [roles] for a better idea.
In 2025 the course has 175 students.
- Participants choose a subject
- form a consultancy within that subject (1-2 students per consultancy)
- submit a tender to become part of a team (6 consultancies per team)
- contribute to the design of a building as part of that team.
Traditionally we have focused on new tall office buildings but in 2025 we will change to focus on the options of renovating buildings on DTU Campus that comply with DTU Campus plan and the municipalities plan. Check this year's project for more information.