After successful completion of the course, students are able to understand and apply fundamental principles of scientific work onto specific aspects and selected questions within the field of building physics and building ecology. The course intends to enable participants ot empower themselves with an overview onto current topics of Builing Physics and Building Ecology. The course outcome is the authorship of a seminar paper based on principles of scientific work.

This Seminar is one of a series of offered seminars, which can be chosen from as scientific conclusion work of the bachelor programme Architecture.

Graduate Students of Architecture of the TU Wien have - due to the structure of the curricula - a significant lack in knowledge of scientific work methodologies. In contrast to close to any other bachelor curriculum in Austria, in Europe, and Worldwide there is no 1st or 2nd Semester course focussing on scientific reasoning.

As such, the "Wahlseminar" encompasses the following aspects:

• Conducting background research and guided-readings upon a specific topic
• Formulating a research question or research objective in a specific domain, identification of research and developement gaps / needs.
• Selecting and/or developing a scientific methodology that is suitable for the specific research question or research objective
• Writing of a scientific article in a structured and concise way.
• Exercising scientific presentation / presenting within limited timeframes.

Methods of scientific working, such as:

• Identification of gaps in the state of the art
• literature review
• quantitative and qualitative methods
• scientific writing
• referencing and quoting
• authoring of a seminar paper
• presenting approach, methods, findings in a time-limited format.

Kick-Off on 8th of March 2024, 5:30 pm via ZOOM

further schedule tba / announced in the Kick-Off

• mandatory Presence
• timely delivery of different tasks and parts.
• Authoring of a scientific paper / seminar paper
• Presenting findings in a scientific way.

Knowledge of basics of Building Physics, Human Ecology, etc. are recommended, but no mandatory prerequisites, as long as motivation and interest are brought to class.