MEng Civil and Structural Engineering

Year of entry: 2024

Course unit details:
Civil Group Design Project

Course unit fact file
Unit code CIVL41530
Credit rating 30
Unit level Level 4
Teaching period(s) Full year
Available as a free choice unit? No

Overview

Design is the creation and development of an economically viable product, process or system to meet a defined need. It involves significant technical and intellectual challenges and can be used to integrate all engineering understanding, knowledge and skills to the solution of real problems. Graduates will therefore need the knowledge, understanding and skills to:

- Investigate and define a problem and identify constraints including environmental and sustainability limitations, health and safety and risk assessment issues.
- Understand customer and user needs and the importance of considerations such as aesthetics.
- Identify and manage cost drivers.
- Use creativity to establish innovative solutions.
- Ensure fitness for purpose for all aspects of the problem including production, operation, maintenance and disposal.
- Manage the design process and evaluate outcomes.

Projects are submitted by industrial partners and each is tackled by a group of 4 students.

Aims

For students to gain an awareness of the creative and holistic nature of design and the design process. For students to recognise the pressures and constraints imposed on a project team in the professional and commercial world of enterprise and business, and in the context of a range of stakeholder interests and other external factors.  For students to bring together technical and non-technical knowledge, working in a team to address a realistic design problem and produce a professionally presented design solution.

Syllabus

Projects are provided by industrial partners and each is tackled by a team of approximately 5 students, supported by an academic supervisor and an industrial supervisor.  Lectures and other support sessions are provided to the class as a whole to support or reinforce understanding of effective team working, CDM and risk, environmental impacts, computer modelling, and presentation of design drawings (total ~8 hours).

Assessment methods

Method Weight
Other 3%
Report 90%
Oral assessment/presentation 7%

Other - poster 3%

Feedback methods

Feedback on interim report from supervisor start of semester 2Feedback on presentation 2 weeks after presentation

Feedback on presentation 2 weeks after presentation

Feedback on poster 2 weeks after poster session

Study hours

Scheduled activity hours
Lectures 8
Project supervision 40
Tutorials 15
Independent study hours
Independent study 237

Teaching staff

Staff member Role
Gregory Lane-Serff Unit coordinator

Return to course details