Sustainable Built Environment (BSc)

NMITE's BSc (Hons) Sustainable Built Environment programme is the first full degree from NMITE’s state-of-the-art Centre for Advanced Timber Technology (CATT).

Housed in a purpose-built campus in the heart of Hereford's Enterprise zone, this future-driven campus showcases the most advanced and sustainable design and construction methods available.

The programme has been designed to help educate a new generation of construction professionals and enable them to create a more sustainable future. The course has been designed using NMITE's distinctive approach to education; rich challenge-led learning, and extensive industry and community engagement. NMITE is committed to sustainable development; we know it's a topic of global importance, and one of interest to current and future generations - we know it's of importance to you.

• Embodying NMITE’s commitment to sustainable development, our BSc (Hons) Sustainable Built Environment degree will enable you to directly enter the work place or pursue further postgraduate qualifications, including various MSc pathways.

• Sustainability is woven throughout the course as a central standpoint, included from Year 1 and in every year of study. In particular, the focus on biogenic materials in the built environment will be unparalleled.

• Challenge led learning - hands on with real world problems

• Practically learn to navigate and add value to contemporary building practice

• Gain extensive knowledge through consistent industrial and community engagement

• Receive support, whenever needed - 1:1 support through your allocated Personal Tutor, use of the Academic Skills and Knowhow Centre, and Student Services.

Subject to validation and NDAPs (New Degree Awarding Powers)

Level 4

Materials for the Built Environment - Explore materials used in the built environment – both inorganic and biogenic (including timber, steel and concrete). You'll be introduced to materials science, selection, and characterisation and learn how different materials have different environmental impacts.
Sustainability and Construction - Get to grips with the foundation of sustainability, its principles, and our professional responsibilities in the built environment. You'll learn about the built environment lifecycle, fundamental sources of sustainability outcomes, and commercial pressures at different points in the lifecycle.
Technologies for the Built Environment - Develop your understanding of simple construction technologies including building fabric and building services. You'll be introduced to some of the digital tools used in construction including CAD, BIM and monitoring technologies with an emphasis on the effective interpretation of digital data and the design of monitoring regimes that support environmental performance, health, safety and wellbeing.
Construction Methods - Here, through a focus on on-site planning and management you'll become familiar with construction methods, the concept of the construction site and construction project management. You'll understand multiple stakeholders and their competing expectations of performance and compliance

Level 5

Construction Applications - You'll integrate and extend your knowledge to date, by planning a relatively complex construction project such as a multi-storey building. Implicit in this will be site, process, materials, technology, commercial and KPI estimation and analysis and a detailed understanding of external constraints and compliance responsibilities.
Built Environment Lifecycle and Circular Economy - Here, you'll dive deeper into the lifecycle of buildings to consider maintenance and supply chains. You'll analyse the concept of zero-carbon building design, learn about obstacles to circularity and navigate and propose strategies to enhance circularity and environmental performance.
Industrial Placement - This is your opportunity to apply and deepen your knowledge and experience in a professional context. You'll work alongside built environment professionals and gain first-hand experience working in a construction environment with the associated requirements for health, safety and well-being, ethical practice, and professionalism

Level 6

Construction Project Management - You will conceive, design and plan performance management plans that enable you to understand, monitor and communicate performance holistically in a multi-contractor environment. Along the way, you will critically appraise your own leadership skills, and develop strategies for adaptive leadership.
Regulatory Framework and Professional Practice in Construction - You'll gain a deeper, more critical engagement with the regulatory and professional context by designing and planning 'arms-length' assurance plans that enable you to be confident of regulatory performance and compliance in a multi-contractor environment.
Digital Technologies for Retrofitting and Building Management - Here, you'll bring together perspectives on digital technologies for building management (including BMS) and retrofit challenges. You will specify a sensing and digitisation regime to monitor the performance of a building, and use this kind of data to identify retrofit opportunities that enhance environmental performance and durability.
Bachelor Built Environment Project - Here, you will identify an area of interest and undertake a sustained independent project. You'll undertake research into a contemporary issue that links construction and the built environment to sustainability and along the way will demonstrate your ability to select and apply suitable ethical frameworks and research methodologies.

We believe that your assessment should be as reflective of a real workplace as possible and that means no traditional exams. Instead, our assessments take the form of in-studio quizzes, presentations and debates, display of artefacts you’ve developed and built, industrial reports, development of specifications, test reports and project plans, creative media presentation and general question and answer sessions where your participation and knowledge can be assessed.

To work as a teacher at a state school in England or Wales, you will need to achieve qualified teacher status (QTS). This is offered on this course for the following level:

• Course does not award QTS