ARCH 594

Spring 2026 All Classes

All Classes

Special Problems in Building Performance

SHOW FINAL EXAM SCHEDULE

Credit: 2 TO 4 hours.

In-depth investigation of emerging issues and specific areas of research interest beyond what is covered in graduate courses of regular offering in the area of building performance. Students, as individuals or in groups, are expected to propose a research plan and methods for a specific topic of research interest in consultation with the instructor, and execute it under the guidance of the instructor through consultation on a regular basis.

May be repeated to a maximum of 12 hours. Prerequisite: Restricted to Graduate Students.

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ARCH 594 class schedule data for spring 2026
CRN	Type	Section	Time	Day	Location	Instructor	Section Details
55595	Seminar	FF	1:00PM -3:50PM	F	Lincoln Hall	Krishnan, S	Part of Term: 1 Date Range: 01/20/26-05/06/26 Section Title: Bldg Failures and Forensics Section Info: Three undergraduate hours / 4 graduate hours. Solving for 'Why?' Failures & Forensics in our Built Environment. Why do buildings and infrastructure fail, and what can we learn from these disasters? Failures in our built environment—whether involving loss of life, property, or both—offer crucial lessons for future practice. This interdisciplinary course features guest lectures by experts who were directly involved in investigating some of the most significant structural failures of the past 50 years. Through case studies, classroom lectures, and engagement with practicing professionals, students will explore the complex factors that lead to building failures and infrastructure collapses. The course is offered jointly at the undergraduate and graduate levels, with reflection essays and assignments tailored to each level. It is particularly valuable for architecture and engineering students interested in real-world examples of how multidisciplinary teams investigate and learn from catastrophic building failures. Enrollment is capped at 25 students and a waitlist is available; please contact the instructor(s) for more information.
74719	Seminar	LCC	2:00PM -4:30PM	T	Architecture Building	Boubekri, M	Part of Term: 1 Date Range: 01/20/26-05/06/26 Credit: 3 hours Section Title: Bldg Life Cycle Cost Assess Section Info: Building Life Cycle Cost and Financial Feasibility Analysis (LCCA) is a process of evaluating the economic performance of a building as an economic enterprise over its entire life. Sometimes known as “whole cost accounting” or “total cost of ownership,” LCCA balances initial monetary investment with the long-term expense of owning and operating the building. LCCA is based upon the assumptions that multiple building design options can meet programmatic needs and achieve acceptable performance, and that these options have differing initial costs, operating costs, maintenance costs, and possibly different life cycles. In Arch 594-LCC, students will learn the mechanics of how to make a full life cycle analysis of a given design alternative as well as how to estimate the return on a building investment solution. Using a real-life project, students will learn how to estimate the initial cost using the RS-Means Building cost estimator, then how to assess the economic feasibility of recurring costs of this project such as energy, item replacement, maintenance costs as well as potential income from this building given a real economic context.
46865	Seminar	SIM	11:00AM -1:50PM	R	Architecture Building	Strand, R	Part of Term: 1 Date Range: 01/20/26-05/06/26 Credit: 3 hours Section Title: Building Energy Simulation Section Info: In the US, buildings consume roughly 40% of all energy and this percentage continues to rise annually. Forward thinking architectural firms are now using energy simulation during the design process to drastically reduce building energy consumption during the design phase. This course will focus on learning one energy simulation program (EnergyPlus via the OpenStudio interface) and how to use it effectively to model building energy performance. Final projects will involve modeling a studio project or an existing building.