SUSTAINABLE ENVIRONMENTAL DESIGN

ECOLOGY & ETHICS IN DESIGN

& ARCHITECTURE (3680)

Supplementary Material
Spring, 2022

ALLAMA IQBAL OPEN UNIVERSITY, ISLAMABAD

Department of Environmental Design, Health & Nutritional Sciences
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 ALLAMA IQBAL OPEN UNIVERSITY, ISLAMABAD
(Department of Environmental Design, Health & Nutritional 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: Ecology & Ethics in Design & Architecture (3680)

Level: M.Sc. Semester: Spring, 2022

Please read the following instructions for writing your assignments. (AD, BS, BEd,
MA/MSc, MEd) (ODL Mode).
1. All questions are compulsory and carry equal marks but within a question the
marks are distributed according to its requirements.
2. Read the question carefully and then answer it according to the requirements of the
questions.
3. Avoid irrelevant discussion/information and reproducing from books, study guide
or allied material.
4. Handwritten scanned assignments are not acceptable.
5. Upload your typed (in Word or PDF format) assignments on or before the due date.
6. Your own analysis and synthesis will be appreciated.
7. Late assignments can’t be uploaded at LMS.
8. The students who attempt their assignments in Urdu/Arabic may upload a scanned
copy of their handwritten assignments (in PDF format) on University LMS. The
size of the file should not exceed 5MP.

Total Marks: 100 Pass Marks: 40

ASSIGNMENT No. 1
(Units: 1-4)

Q.1 Write in detail about the following: (15)

a) History of Earth environment.
b) Healing on a Human Scale with reference to context of disasters in Pakistan.

Q. 2 Explain the following with reference to sustainable future:

a) Green Design strategies.
b) Process & development of Green Products.
c) Plastic Industry – A culprit for environmental degradation. (15)
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Q.3 Describe the concept of the following: (10)
a) Designer Intent for a sustainable future.
b) Public participation as part of the design process for ethical adherence.

Q.4 Explain with reference to Global and local context with examples the
environmental issues associated with: (15)
a) The collective unconsciousness.
b) Dimensions of Light.

Q.5 Define the role of the followings in the developing of a dwelling with emphasis on
the residential end usres: give examples: (15)
a) Smell.
b) Texture.
c) Sound / noise.

Q. 6 Devise the strategies and mechanism from at least 5 product or design case studies
and examples how Ethics and Aesthetics can be combined in design? Prepare 10
power point slides to present in the workshop. Print these slides as part of this
question in assignment 1. (30)

Total Marks: 100 Pass Marks: 40

ASSIGNMENT No. 2
(Units: 5-9)

Q.1 Explain the concept of the following: (15)

a) Traffic control in cities of the future.
b) Ideal Community Size.

Q.2 In the future of the urbanization, role of city planners, urban planners and architects
is pivotal towards developing the sense of location within a city and giving identity
to these urbanized centers of future. Discuss with examples. (15)

Q.3 Define the six fallacies about the vernacular architecture. What is the difference
between these three fallacies? (30)
a) Historic Fallacy.
b) Romantic Fallacy.
c) Sacred Fallacy.

Q.4 Explain the following and discuss with reference to modern day life in the context
of Pakistan with examples:
a) Quality of Life.
b) Ten questions before buying. (20)

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Q.5 With respect to the issues of the modern-day life and cities, discuss the following
and their significant roles for the sustainable development:
a) Modern day designer.
b) Inter disciplinary approach to design process.
c) Impact of modern day-built environment on society. (20)

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.

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 TUTOR GUIDE
Dear Tutor,

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

Programme” I welcome you as tutor to “Ecology & Ethics in Design & Architecture”
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.

Our home planet Earth is suffering from more and more environmental problems as the
time is passing. The environmental degradation started in the 19 th century and accelerated
in 20th century when the industrial development boosted, and human civilization boomed
to more sophistication.

The course “Ecology and Ethics in Design and Architecture” attempts to develop the
relationship between disciplines of design and architecture with ecology and concern for
the environment. This course calls for ethical responsibility and spiritual values in design
and architecture to help us find a sustainable and harmonious way of life. It gives us the
feel of dwelling through all our senses by discussing the buildings to human scale in
relation to town and community planning. In addition, this course will help us by getting
benefit by looking at and learning from past building traditions and designing for the
future to make sustainable built environment.

Objectives
1. To develop concern for the deterioration of our home planet due to modern ways of
living.
2. To develop a sense of ethical responsibility and a spiritual value in design and
architecture.
3. To recognize the ecological responsibilities for both professionals and end- users.
4. To give a direction to the building professionals to design for sustainable future.

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).

Units 1 and 2- “Existing Condition of Our Planet” and “Designing for Safer Future”
covers the existing condition of our planet due to environmental mismanagement during
the entire process of design and production.

Unit 3 “Design of Spirituality” identifies the spiritual responsibility of designer towards

ethics and aesthetics.

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Unit 4 “Developing a Sense of Dwelling” and 5 “The Biotechnology of Communities”
focus on experiencing the built environment with all the senses. Planning issues are
raised to have ideal community size for aesthetics and functionality.

Unit 6 includes “Lessons of Vernacular Architecture” including six fallacies about

Vernacular Architecture and six explanations “Methodological, Dispersion and
Convergence Explanations, Evolutionary, Social-Environmental, Cultural, Formal
Aesthetic.

Units 7 highlights “Sharing Not Buying” an important individual and community

practice that indulge us towards impulsive buying going beyond needs. This leads to
waste of resources and energy.

Unit 8 and 9 lead to “Design for Future” for the coming generations. The argument is to
have a holistic approach towards design by drawing information and ideas from other
related disciplines. Design education at all levels can also create demand for good design
that may combine ethics and ecology.

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 lack 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.

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 tutorials 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.

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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.

STUDENT GUIDE
Dear Student,
Assalam-o- Alaikum

We welcome you to the MSc. Sustainable Environmental Design Course entitled

“Ecology & Ethics in Design & Architecture”. This course is part of the third semester of
your M.Sc. program.

Course objective
The purpose of incorporating the “Ecology and Ethics in Design and Architecture”
course in the Sustainable Environmental design program is to introduce the
students/professionals to the sustainable design guidelines. The course will also inculcate
the ethical responsibility towards design and architecture that focuses on need and not the
greed. Examples cover range from packaging and product design to large-scale
architecture.

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.

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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.

Assignment no. 1 (Q.6. to be presented in the workshop) and 2 are theory based (with
applied questions) and must reach your assigned tutor before the due dates. The schedule
of submitting the assignments 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 whereas 17th and 18th weeks are kept for general assessment and for final
examination.

Units Assignments Study period

1-2 4 weeks
3-6 4 weeks
7 Assignment 1 2 weeks
8-9 2 weeks
Revision Assignment 2 4 weeks
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 unit no. 7 and during the tenth week you complete your first
assignment and dispatch to your tutor.

Units 8 and 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 topics. The tutor will provide guidance for the
workshop. Attendance in workshop is compulsory for the students.
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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 programme coordinator. Suggestions for
improvement will also be welcomed. We wish you all the best.

Good Luck,

Programme Coordinator
Department of Environmental Design, Health & Nutritional Sciences
Allama Iqbal Open University
H-8, Islamabad
Phone no. 051-9250063

COURSE OUTLINE
Ecology & Ethics in Design & Architecture (3680)
Course Book: “The Green Imperative, Ecology & Ethics in Design & Architecture by
Victor Papanek

Unit 1: Existing Condition of Our Planet

1.1 Damages of our Planet
1.1 Environmental History of our Planet
1.2 Acceleration of Disaster
1.3 Healing on a Human scale

Unit 2: Designing for Safer Future

2.1 Production and Pollution
2.2 Product Assessment
2.3 Packaging and Shrouding
2.4 Problems with Plastics and Tyres
2.5 Green Design
2.6 Design in the 21st Century

Unit 3: Design of Spirituality

3.1 The Function of Beauty
3.2 The Designer’s Intent
3.3 Public participation
3.4 Design Ethics

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Unit 4: Developing a Sense of Dwelling
4.1 Mood and Environment
4.2 Dimension of Light
4.3 Footfalls and Fabric
4.4 Sense of Smell, Space and Sound/ Rhythm
4.5 Organic Geometry
4.6 The Collective Unconscious
4.7 Benign architecture
Unit 5: The Biotechnology of Communities
5.1 Determining Centre of the City
5.2 Traffic Control in Cities
5.3 Aesthetics of Site
5.4 Sense of location
5.5 Nature’s Magic Numbers
5.6 Ideal Community Size
Unit 6: Lessons of Vernacular Architecture
6.1 Six Fallacies about Vernacular Architecture
6.1.1 Historic Fallacy
6.1.2 Exotic Fallacy
6.1.3 Romantic Fallacy
6.1.4 Popular Culture Fallacy
6.1.5 Living Tradition Fallacy
6.1.6 Sacred Fallacy
6.2 Six Explanations
6.2.1 Methodological Explanation
6.2.2 Dispersion and Convergence Explanations
6.2.3 Evolutionary Explanations
6.2.4 Social-Environmental Explanations
6.2.5 Cultural Explanations
6.2.6 Formal Aesthetic Explanations
6.3 Dynamic Web
Unit 7: Sharing Not Buying
7.1 Getting and Spending
7.2 Consumer Triangle
7.3 The Quality of Life
7.4 Ten Questions before Buying
Unit 8: Design for Future
8.1 Drawing from different Disciplines
8.2 Search for good Form
8.3 Best Designers in the World

Unit-9: The New Aesthetics: Making the Future Work.

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