Weighting 100 % of marks for module
Word Limit 3,000 (see notes on what is included in word count)
Submission instructions ALL students to submit a complete electronic copy of coursework submission through Moodle (and the Turnitin system ). This is the copy that will be used to assess the work so it is the FINAL copy.

Coursework Aims

The learning outcomes for this coursework are for the student to be able to:

• Outline the main building-related factors affecting health, comfort and wellbeing
• Investigate a topic of interest related to the module
• Learn how to carry out a literature search
• Learn how to structure and write a review of evidence
• Learn how to reference a document
• Practice writing an evidence-based summary for a targeted audience

Overall Brief

• Select a topic*from Appendix 4 (I have selected this topic: The impact of moisture on health and wellbeing in homes ) and write a review of evidence addressing the following:

1) What are the building-related factors affecting occupant health, comfort and/or wellbeing for your topic?
2) Considering selected exposures, what are the suitable/recommended conditions for preventing adverse effects and/or enhancing health, comfort and wellbeing?
3) Based on the review of evidence, write a blog post** (max. 500 words) to outline the main findings and practical implications. Please write this summary as a jargon free summary of the evidence.
4) Follow the essay structure outlined in Table 1.
** As part of the blog post task, you will be expected to produce an early draft, and review the draft of a fellow student. For further instructions on this, see section: Instructions on ‘Blog Post and Peer Assessment Exercise’.
Please structure your work into the following parts (which are also referenced in the marking scheme). See Appendix 4 for a list of topics to focus your review.

Table 1 Description and requirements for parts of the course work.
Part Description Points to include
Part 1 Introduction Introduce the report and outline:
• the aims of the report (including reference to your specific topic)
• the literature review methods (e.g. search criteria, sources, etc)
• the structure of the report.
Part 2 Critical review of health, comfort and wellbeing factors relevant to the building type of your topic Provide the following:
• Brief definitions of health, comfort and wellbeing as relevant to the chosen topic.
• Overview of the main factors affecting health and wellbeing in buildings for your topic of choice.
• Although the focus is primarily on building-related factors, you may wish to include a graph/table illustrating other factors which impact health and wellbeing of building occupants (e.g. social, individual, outdoor, etc.).
Part 3 Selected exposure, significance and recommendations Focus on one exposure relevant to your topic of choice and outline the following:
• Identification of ideal or recommended exposure levels.
• Summarise these levels/recommendations in a Table, clearly indicating the relevant source information. If you wish, you could try and rate the strength of evidence. Also, if appropriate summarise (in the same Table, if you wish) the associated impacts on health and wellbeing (again, with relevant references).
Part 4 Conclusions and identification of knowledge gaps Provide a conclusion that summarises the key points and knowledge gaps.
Part 5 Blog post Provide a 500-word blog post that does the following:
• Succinctly summarise the evidence from Parts 2 and 3 of the report, avoiding jargon
• Provide recommendations for a relevant built environment audience for your topic (e.g. architects, building facilities managers, etc.)
• Ensure the post is evidence-based with references.
• Consider how to find the right balance between providing clear messages and avoiding giving misleading information.

Note that Parts 2 and 3 will provide different information. For example, if your chosen building type is ‘schools’ you would focus on this for Part 2, and then outline a specific exposure within schools in Part 3, such as ‘lighting’. Your topic may also involve focusing the paper on a specific building type and population, e.g. ‘children and schools’.
Please note the word count restrictions. Some of the work can be organised in Table/Graphs, which are exempt from the word count (within reason!). The blog post is included in the overall word count.

Further Guidance Notes

When writing the essay, please consider the following points:

• The essay should consider the current scientific research in the field and should critically review the conclusions that researchers are drawing from their work. To demonstrate critical thinking, you should comment on the strengths and weaknesses of the evidence base.
• Whenever you quote or summarise information you find (i.e. not your own thoughts), you must provide references for the information source.
• You need to summarise the knowledge gaps, and you might like to suggest directions for future research.
• Although the focus is primarily on building-related factors, you could consider whether other factors also play a role, both within buildings (e.g. level of job-related stress, lifestyle choices, behaviour etc.) and at the largest scale (e.g. role of outdoor environment, urban-levels factors such as availability of green spaces, social capita, etc.) in relation to your selected topic.
• When appropriate, please consider health, comfort and wellbeing impacts on building occupants, but also of other people/communities – either locally or globally .
• Health, comfort and wellbeing: please define these concepts as relevant to your topic. For Part 3 (which focuses on your specific topic and exposure), please specify which aspects of health/comfort/wellbeing you are considering specifically (e.g. one or more specific health outcomes).
• Consider the strength of evidence sources and primarily use peer-reviewed evidence. For other sources of information (e.g. industry reports, websites, magazines), try to evaluate the quality of the information provided, and if needed, comment on the quality.
• Blog post: please select (and specify) a relevant audience for your topic (e.g. architects specialising in education buildings, if you have chosen to focus on schools) and direct recommendations toward the audience.