Taking the interdisciplinary nature of the program and its diverse intake into account, this levelling course is designed to introduce the basic and advanced building science principles with a focus on heat, air, and moisture transfer in buildings. Topics include heat conduction, convection and radiation, psychrometric chart, airflow through building components due to combined forces, and moisture transport in air and porous materials including vapour diffusion, convection, and capillarity. The theory is illustrated through the application of analytical methods such as the thermal network in solving typical heat and mass transfer problems through building envelope components and heat and mass balance within buildings. Concepts such as surface heat and mass transfer coefficients, equivalent solar-air temperature, clear sky long-wave radiation, thermal and moisture storage, psychrometrics and condensation due to vapour and airflow are covered.

This course provides advanced understanding of all major building materials used within the construction industry. The course will discuss the typical manufacture/processing, structure, properties, performance, end uses and maintenance requirements of each material. At the course end a case study of a project will be discussed to bring everything together and show the relevance of the taught content to the real world. The course will be split into the following topics: 1. Materials science, including the primary material classes, material properties and testing, 2. Primary building materials - Wood; Stone; Cement and Concrete; Brick and Block; Ferrous Metals; Non-Ferrous Metals, 3. Secondary building materials (topic will constitute the majority of course time) - Board Materials; Plastics and Fabrics; Insulation Materials; Composite Materials; Glass and Structural Glazing; Sealing Materials; Coatings and Finishes; Membranes; Fire and Smoke Resistant Materials; Sustainable Materials; New and Innovative Building Materials, 4. Building material case study. The course will enable the student to select and specify the appropriate material and testing for use on buildings. In addition, the student will be able to assess the condition of building materials, propose possible causes of deterioration, evaluate if maintenance is required and plan remediation.

This is a first course in Building Envelope. This course will cover the design and performance of Wall Assemblies and Fenestration including Window Assemblies. The remaining assemblies of the overall Building Envelope are covered in the course Building Envelope 2. The initial intent is to show the relationship of the building enclosure to the structure, the service systems and the fabric of the building and to also demonstrate the overlapping interests of the architect, the structural engineer, the enclosure consultant, the electrical and mechanical engineers and other building professionals. Topics include Building Enclosures in general and the Process and the Parties involved; Loadings, from the assembly itself and the exterior and interior environments; Wall Assemblies, including an introduction to the four primary sets of functions (support, control, finish and distribute) and the various manual and computer-based methods of analysis, especially hygrothermal analysis; Window Assemblies and Fenestration with emphasis on the lite, the frame and the interfaces; and Joints and Penetrations. Prerequisites: BSCI 9000 and BSCI 9020

The acoustical theory introduced in the Building Science pre-requisite courses will be advanced through the measurement, prediction and evaluation of the acoustical environment. Through lab work and a major design/evaluation project, to be conducted in parallel with lectures, the site level acoustical environment which impacts the building layout, building envelope and mechanical system design will be characterised. Sound behaviour in rooms will be investigated through research in reverberation and propagation theories, sound absorption and materials, and speech intelligibility. Performance criteria for the acoustical environment, defined in policies, guidelines and current green building design and rating systems will provide the context for the major project. The project goal will be to optimize the integrated design solution of all building systems to meet acoustical performance targets. Prerequisites: BSCI 9170** (** must be taken concurrently)

This course is a continuation of Building Science 1 and focuses on environmental conditions and human factors relevant to building performance. Topics include solar time, solar geometry, and solar radiation; the atmosphere, oceans, and land; the large scale weather context for buildings and the influence of small scale circulations; human thermal comfort; indoor environmental health; human responses to sounds and odours; urban factors; and climate change. Students will apply mathematics, science, and technology to analyze and discuss problems and solutions related to fundamental aspects of passive solar design, wind and rain on buildings, natural ventilation, off-gassing and pollutants, environmental sustainability, and auxiliary inputs. The course is delivered through lectures, assignments, and seminars. Prerequisites: BSCI 9000 and BSCI 9170** (** must be taken concurrently)

The course is presented as lectures and assignments, with a major design/evaluation project to be conducted in parallel with lectures. The course is broken into seven segments: 1. Energy Loads in Buildings – heating and cooling loads (includes envelope transmission losses and gains, solar gains, internal gains, lighting and appliance loads, and climatic and operating considerations). 2. Passive Solar Design Concepts – solar heating and cooling, thermal mass, natural ventilation, daylighting, building orientation. 3. Operation of HVAC Equipment – various types of heating, cooling and ventilation equipment and controls. 4. Energy-efficiency Measures – appliances and fixtures, lighting, envelope modifications, window performance. 5. Whole-Building Energy Models – simplified calculations, peak-load calculations, annual energy models. 6. Evaluation of Results – simple and complex payback, life-cycle costing and present-value analyses. 7. Regulatory and Voluntary Programs – ASHRAE 90.1 and 90.2, Model National Energy Codes, LEED, CBIP. Each week's lesson will comprise a preparatory learning session (online), including one ½-hour lecture, and a two-hour lab period for project work. The sensitivity of the design to local climate will be discussed during the course. Prerequisites: BSCI 9000 and BSCI 9020

This course introduces students to the most important indoor air contaminants and their respective emission sources, including building materials, occupants of spaces, and ventilation systems. Students will learn how to measure typical indoor air contaminants and assess their impact on the built environment and health. Strategies to improve IAQ, by building material selection, modelling low-emitting materials, and ventilation are addressed. The following topics are covered: Emissions from indoor environment sources (construction materials) with impact on Indoor Air Quality (IAQ); Bio-effluents from human beings, animals and plants with impact on IAQ; Strategies of improving Indoor Air Quality, including typical ventilation types and IAQ modelling; Behaviour of indoor air contaminants and the formation of health-relevant by-products; Mould growth and detection, and mould refurbishment; Relationship between occupants’ behaviour and moisture and other pollutant productions; Health effects of relevant indoor air contaminants and the Sick Building Syndrome (SBS); Guidelines in respect to IAQ; Design and purpose of air handling (HVAC) systems and their impact on IAQ, including an excursion; Analytical methods for determining typical IAQ parameters.

This is a second course in Building Envelope. In the first course Wall Assemblies and Window Assemblies were covered. In this course the remainder of the Building Envelope assemblies will be covered. This course will discuss the design and performance of the Roof, the Foundation Wall and the Base Floor Assemblies. Doors, both Person and Industrial, are also dealt with. By the end of the course the student will have developed a good knowledge of the theoretical and practical aspects of the design and the likely performance of the whole Building Enclosure. Topics also include the various methods of testing for commissioning or proof of concept and new and innovative Enclosure Assemblies. Prerequisites: BSCI 9110

This course leads students to proficiency in the mathematical and numerical modelling of heat and mass transfer for the hygrothermal design of buildings, building zones and building components. Some applications include ventilation flows, thermal stratification, interior moisture buffering, interstitial condensation, and driving rain absorption. The course covers the mathematical models for discrete/continuum, steady-state/transient, and potential/non-potential heat, air and moisture transfer. Through the translation of physical phenomena into mathematical equations, students are exposed to the underlying limitations and simplifications of numerical modelling. Control volumes and finite elements for spatial discretisation and finite differences for temporal discretisation are presented. Their accuracy, reliability, efficiency and suitability are discussed. Linearization approaches, such as the Picard and Newton-Raphson methods, are introduced and complemented with exercises in convergence criteria. Verification of developed code by comparison to analytical or other numerical solutions are addressed, along with model validation by comparison to experimental data. Students practice implementation and application of numerical models and discuss efficient programming. Some ready-made numerical simulation platforms are introduced. Prerequisites: BSCI 9100 and BSCI 9110

This course introduces the issues, principles and procedures that are fundamental in scientific research. It introduces research methodologies and techniques for identifying research problems and goals. Topics include scientific approaches for developing research design including data gathering, literature survey, experimental designs, measurement strategies, statistical analysis of data, database searches, the use of available analytic software resources, and presentations of findings. Various information resources will be explored including emerging resources such as technical society publications and the internet. Students will be expected to understand and develop profiles of research approaches and share, compare and contrast them with other students in the course.

The course is a one two-hour session to orient students to the requirements of the Graduate Seminar series, BSCI 9055. The Graduate Seminar series is a required, non-credit course for graduation which will include invited experts from within and outside BCIT, and visits to construction sites and building materials manufacturing plants.

The Graduate Seminar series is intended to expose students to current development and issues related to their fields of specialization. The seminar format will include invited experts from within and outside BCIT, and visits to construction sites and building materials manufacturing plants. The topics covered in this course are expected to widen students’ professional outlooks and increase their efficiency in carrying out tasks. Possible topic areas include: construction processes, construction management including setting up contract agreements, quality assurance, regulatory affairs (including national and international standards), intellectual property, market assessment, risk assessment, professional skills (for example, teamwork, and conflict resolution), prototyping, product evaluation and testing, technology transfer, project management and time management. Students are also expected to communicate their research/project findings to their peers through oral presentations.

The Research Proposal course prepares the students to define a research problem, develop a viable research methodology, and publish or present their results. They are expected to demonstrate their understanding of the subject matter, define a research problem through analysis of relevant literature and defend the appropriateness of their research design during their research proposal examination. Prerequisite: Supervisor approval. Corequisite: BSCI 9050

Students are required to submit their thesis as partial fulfillment of the Master of Applied Science degree program requirements. Their thesis should be based on original investigation and must demonstrate scholarship and critical judgement, as well as familiarity with methods of research and relevant literature in the chosen building science topic. The thesis should be at a high level of originality and examine a problem in depth. Elements of the thesis that are considered to constitute original scholarship and an advancement of knowledge must be clearly indicated. Prerequisites: BSCI 9650