Environmental Ethics in the Built

SUSTAINABLE ENVIRONMENTAL DESIGN Environment (3678)

Supplementary Material
Spring, 2021

ALLAMA IQBAL OPEN UNIVERSITY, ISLAMABAD

Department of Environmental Design, Health and Nutrition Sciences

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 ALLAMA IQBAL OPEN UNIVERSITY, ISLAMABAD
(Department of Environmental Design, Health and Nutrition Sciences)

Course: Environmental Ethics in the Built Environment (3678)

Level: Post-Graduate Semester: Spring, 2021
Credit Hours: 4(3+1)

CONTENT LIST

This study pack includes the following items:

1. Course Book
Ethics and the Built environment by Warwick Fox
Urban Ethics (Design in the Contemporary City) by Eamonn
2. Tutor Guide
3. Student Guide
4. Assignments (1 & 2)
5. Marking Guide
6. Assignment forms
7. Schedule for submitting the assignment and tutorial meetings

Note: If any of the above mentioned material is missing from your pack, please
contact at the following address:

Mailing Officer
Services and Operations Block
Allama Iqbal Open University
H-8 Islamabad

OR

Dr. Hajra Ahmad

Chairperson / Programme Coordinator
Department of Environmental Design, Health and Nutrition Sciences
Allama Iqbal Open University, Block 6 H-8, Islamabad
Ph. No. 051-9057744, 051-9057746, 051-9057743

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 TUTOR GUIDE
Dear tutor,

On behalf of AIOU and course team of “M.Sc. Sustainable Environmental Design

Programme” I welcome you as tutor to “Environmental Ethics in the Built Environment”
course. You might be aware, that the students enrolled in this programme have varied
professional background and work experience. This course might be easier for some
students than others. You should guide them on course contents according to the
difficulty level of different students.

Ethics the major branch of philosophy is the study of values and customs of a person or a
group. It covers the analysis and employment of concepts such as right and wrong, good
and evil, and having sense of responsibility.

As we all know, more and more people are choosing or being forced to live in densely
built urban developments. This results in rapid urban development that causes massive
use of non renewable resources and excessive waste generation.

The transformation of the Built Environment along “industrial and consumerist lines” is
creating future inequalities, inequities, social injustice and loss of community, loss of
place identity and loss of a spiritual dimension to life. This course is addressing all these
issues in relation to the built environment.

The course is conceived on demand of students who have passed or are enrolled in the
programme. Environmental Ethics is one of the new emerging fields in developed
countries and is also needed globally at all levels to raise awareness on principles of
Environmental Ethics.

Objectives:
The specific objectives of this course are to:
1. Introduce the basic concept of ethics, principles of ethics and ethics in Built
Environment.

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2. Raise awareness on the conceptual basis of building ethics including values and
value judgment.
3. Sensitize the building design professionals towards the competing logics of green
buildings and its related ethical issues.

Course Structure
This is four credit hours course and comprises nine units (The course outline and chapter
wise distribution is explained below for your reference.).
Unit 1 is to introduce the Environmental Ethics in the Islamic perspective. The relevant
articles are available in the soft version.
Unit 2 is covered in chapter 3 and 4 of your book and focuses on ethical dimensions of
Built Environment.
Unit 3 is included in the chapter 5 of your book and raises growing concern for the
Global Warming and how building design can minimize this ethical responsibility.
Unit 4 is covered in chapter 12 of your book and relates to the objectives three of the course and
outlines the conceptual basis of building ethics including values and value judgment.
Unit 5 addresses the ethical problems regarding Architecture and the need for ethical analysis.
Unit 6 covers ethical criticism of Aesthetics in Architecture.
Unit 7 includes Ethical challenges with reference to various aspects of Green Buildings.
Unit 8 specifically directs the reader towards the concept of vernacular architecture and
its ethical implications.
Unit 9 covers Ethics with reference to Urbanism including transport, layout, communal
and commercial places.

As you might be aware these students have very limited contact with their course mates
and the part time tutors. It is therefore, important to keep in mind that some of the
blended-learning students have had no links with education during the past few years
after completing their formal education; therefore, they might back confidence. Secondly
distance learning students are involved in studying during their spare time, probably after
office hours. You are therefore, requested to guide and help the students while keeping
these issues in mind. Some students may need help in developing professional attitudes
as well as understanding in regard to eco-neighborhood.

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Study Center
The main purpose of establishing the study center for distance learning students is to
provide help and guidance for the difficulties faced by the students while studying at
home. The study centers have been established in local institutions (Main Campus of
AIOU in Islamabad, Regional Campus of AIOU in Karachi, Lahore, Multan, Quetta and
Peshawar etc.). During the tutorial it is required to provide guidance to the students to
sort out their problems.

Assignments
In the blended-learning system, studying the course units has its own importance but
assignments and workshops are the major source of link between tutor and the student.
Therefore, it is important to offer your comments through these assignments. Express
your views in such a way that the student is motivated to learn, not hurt or feels depressed
after going through your comments.

You are also expected to guide on issues like methods of solving assignments, effective
methods of studying and methods to improve study habits and working hard.

It is anticipated that the student will submit their assignment in time according to the
prescribed schedule. You are therefore, requested to mark the assignments within 15 days
and return these with detailed comments.

Marking Guides are provided to you. You are expected to follow the instructions and
make full use of these guides while marking the assignments. The students are expected
to avoid giving unnecessary details and try to be brief and comprehensive. While
marking the assignments the tutor have to assess whether the students have followed the
instructions provided to them or not.

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 STUDENT GUIDE
Dear Student,
Assalam-o-Alaikum
We welcome you to the M.Sc. Sustainable Environmental Design Course entitled
“Environmental Ethics in the Built Environment”. This course is part of the first semester
of your M.Sc.

Course Objectives
The purpose of incorporating the “Environmental Ethics in the Built Environment”
Course in the Sustainable Environmental design program is to introduce the
students/professionals to the Ethical responsibility towards aspects of Built Environment.
The course will also cover some case studies to elaborate the concept.

Part Time tutors

Students are allocated a part time tutor. The name and address of your tutor will be provided
to you. The tutor will help and guide you in studying the books and conducting activities
related to study units. You are expected to take full advantage of the tutor knowledge and
experience. These tutors are also responsible for marking your assignments.

Make all efforts to complete your written assignment according to the prescribed
schedule and try your best to attend all the study sessions according to the timetable
provided to you. Schedule for tutorial meetings/lecture sessions are arranged on
fortnightly bases. The specific dates in the form of schedule are being provided
separately. Try to attend these meetings regularly to get proper guidance from your tutor.

Assignments
The course includes two assignments, which are compulsory for successful completion of
the whole course. Each assignment is of 100 marks and out of these students obtaining 40
marks will be declared pass.
Assignments No. 1 and 2 are theory based and must reach your assigned tutor before the
due date. The schedule of submitting the assignment is provided separately. The tutor
will send the marked assignment back to the students within 15 days, if you do not
receive the marked assignment after 15 days please contact your tutor or Regional Office
of the Allama Iqbal Open University.

Note: Do not forget to dispatch the prescribed forms along with the complete
assignments.

Methods of Study
Study period of 16 weeks has been allocated for studying this course through distance learning
where as 17th and 18th weeks are kept for general assessment and for final examination.

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 S. No. Assignments Study period

Units
1 1-2 4 weeks
2 3-6 4 weeks
3 7 Assignment 1 2 weeks
4 8-9 2 weeks
5 Revision Assignment 2 4 weeks
6 Preparation for examination 2 weeks

You are expected to spend four weeks on studying first two units, this will help to
improve your reading speed and get familiar with the contents of the units. The next three
units 3 to 6 will become easier for you and you will be able to study them in
comparatively less time. You can spend four weeks on studying these four units, during
the ninth week you can study the unit no. 7 and during the tenth week you complete your
first assignment and dispatch to your tutor.
Unit 8 to 9 can be studied during 11 th and 12th week respectively and you can complete
your second assignment along with the revision of your book during the weeks 13-16.
The last two weeks can be kept for examination and its preparation.

Practical Workshop
Practical workshop will be arranged for three days. Schedule of the workshop and venue
will be sent to the students during the study period. Workshop will cover some of the
lectures of the specialist on important. The tutor will provide guidance for the workshop.
Attendance in workshop is compulsory for the students.

Final examination
At the end of the course there will be a final examination, all the students will be expected to
take this examination in the examination halls especially established for this purpose.
For any queries you can write to the course / program coordinator Suggestions for
improvement will also be welcomed.

We wish you all the best.

Programme Coordinator
Department of Environmental Design, Health and Nutrition Sciences
Allama Iqbal Open University, Block 6 H-8, Islamabad
Ph. No. 051-9057744, 051-9057746, 051-9057743

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 COURSE OUTLINE
Environmental Ethics in the Built Environment
Level: M.Sc. Credit: -04

Reference Books: Ethics and the Built Environment by Warwick Fox

Urban Ethics (Design in the Contemporary City) by Eamonn
Canniffe

Unit 1: Islam, Ethics and Environment

1.1 Islamic Beliefs and Ethical Practices
1.2 Islam and Environment
1.3 Ethical Values and Environmental Practices

Unit 2: Identifying Ethical Dimensions in the built Environment

2.1 Principles of Ethics
2.2 Social and Ethical Context
2.3 The Self-Interest of Healthy Buildings
2.4 Self-Interest and Energy Efficiency

Unit 3: Building, Global Warming and Ethical Concerns

3.1 Ethical Concerns in Relation to Global Warming
3.2 Different Ethical Positions
3.3 The Building Design problems

Unit 4: The Conceptual Basis of Building Ethics

4.1 Values in Ethics
4.2 Values and Value Judgment in Buildings
4.3 Value related Issues in Buildings
4.4 Responsive Cohesion as the Foundation of Value Theory
4.5 Responsive Cohesion and the Built Environment

Unit 5: Ethics of Architecture

5.1 Architecture and need for Dedicated Ethical Analysis
5.2 Addressing Ethical Problems in Architecture
5.3 An Analytic Ethics of Architecture

Unit 6: Ethics and Architectural Aesthetics

6.1 Ethics, Aesthetics and Architectural Criticisms
6.2 Ethical Criticisms of the Aesthetics of Architecture
6.3 Aesthetic Attention to the whole of a Building

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Unit 7: Green Bui8lding and the Ethical Challenge
7.1 The Competing logics of Green Buildings and Ethics
7.2 Green Building as Technique – The Ecological and Smart Logics
7.3 Green Buildings as Appropriate Form – The Aesthetic and Symbolic
Logics
7.4 Green Buildings as Social Concerns – The Comfort and Community
Logics

Unit 8: Transformative and Vernacular Architecture

8.1 Transformative Architecture (Synthesis of Ecological and
Participatory Design)
8.2 The Healing Transformation
8.3 Transformation to Ownership
8.4 Ethics and Vernacular Architecture

Unit 9: The Ethics of Urbanism

9.1 Pattern and (City layout and Transport route)
9.2 Narratives (Building Form)
9.3 Spaces (Commercial/Utility Spaces)
9.4 Monuments (Commonplaces/Communal Places)
9.5 Case Studies (Regional and Local)

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 ALLAMA IQBAL OPEN UNIVERSITY, ISLAMABAD
(Department of Environmental Design, Health and Nutrition Sciences)

WARNING
1. PLAGIARISM OR HIRING OF GHOST WRITER(S) FOR SOLVING
THE ASSIGNMENT(S) WILL DEBAR THE STUDENT FROM AWARD
OF DEGREE/CERTIFICATE, IF FOUND AT ANY STAGE.
2. SUBMITTING ASSIGNMENT(S) BORROWED OR STOLEN FROM
OTHER(S) AS ONE’S OWN WILL BE PENALIZED AS DEFINED IN
“AIOU PLAGIARISM POLICY”.

Course: Environmental Ethics in the Built Environment (3678)

Level: M.Sc. Semester: Spring, 2021
Total Marks: 100

Pass Marks: 40
ASSIGNMENT No. 1
Q.1 With focus on the context of Pakistan and built environment, discuss the following:
a) Environment & Islamic perspective. Give examples.
b) Ethics & Islamic perspective. Give examples. (15)

Q.2 Society develops an effective form of acceptability framework based on ethical

values and environmental practices for its long term survival and sustainability.
Discuss the statement with reference to Pakistan. (15)

Q.3 Public practices and accepted norms in the form of ethics, have a strong and long
term impact on the climate/weather patterns in any community or society. Explore
the impact of climate change on the people in your context & city with reference to
ethics. (15)

Q.4 Discuss the following: (15)

a) How healthy buildings are directly related with the wellness of the
community?
b) Energy efficiency and self interest for better socio-economic improvement.

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Q.5 What are the major roles and key players who play a significant role in developing
the effective ethical framework in any society for environmental considerations and
education? How can these be related to built environment? Explain in detail. (20)

Q.6 a) Explore and explain the relationship between ethics and aesthetics in the built
environment? (10)
b) Select one public building in Pakistan to elaborate the relationship. Prepare
15 power point slides to present in the course workshop. (10)

ASSIGNMENT No. 2
Total Marks: 100
Pass Marks: 40
Note: Answer the following questions.

Q.1 a) How can green buildings have impact on the social and ecological concerns
of the developing countries?
b) How can the construction and design practices relate to these concerns in the
developing countries?
c) With focus on the role of the professionals engagement with built
environmental design and construction, Explain the issues / problems /
constraints / limits faced in delivering these services / duties to the society.
(30)

Q.2 Write notes on the following:

a) Aesthetic attention to the whole of a building.
b) The healing transformation in Pakistan.
c) Social ownership of the built environment. (20)

Q.3 Explore the impacts of rapid urbanization in cities of Pakistan with focus on the
following:
a) Modern day urban built forms in cities and urban centers of Pakistan.
b) Water management issues in Pakistan cities.
c) Transportation management issues in rural settings of Pakistan. (20)

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Q.4 How can the urban open spaces contribute to the wellingness of the local
community and public in addressing health and ethical concerns which are faced in
these spaces? Discuss. (20)

Q.5 How can designing and planning of the public open spaces be improved through
community participation and ethical design practices? (10)

MARKING GUIDE

It is anticipated that the tutors mark the assignments carefully and follow the similar
marking standard for all the students.

Please follow the guidelines below:

Assignment 1.................................................................100 Marks
Theoretical Understanding............................................70
Presentation in the Workshop........................................30 Marks
Workshop Presentation and 70% attendance is mandatory
Assignment 2.................................................................100 Marks
Theoretical Understanding............................................50
Practical Understanding................................................50 Marks

You are expected to stick to the guidelines provided to maintain the standardization and
uniformity.

-50

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