Overview
This unit provides an introduction to modern building construction technology with an emphasis on multi-unit and low-rise construction. In this unit, you will briefly touch upon the legislative requirements applicable to modern building construction. You will discover how key functions and performance requirements are linked to material selection, structural design, and construction methods. You will learn about advancements in materials technology and construction methods, how they are interlinked and all come together to influence the construction of buildings. The unit relates and outlines procedures, principles, and methods of modern construction of residential and commercial projects including multi-story buildings as designated by the National Construction Code for building classes 1 to 10.
Details
Pre-requisites or Co-requisites
There are no requisites for this unit.
Important note: Students enrolled in a subsequent unit who failed their pre-requisite unit, should drop the subsequent unit before the census date or within 10 working days of Fail grade notification. Students who do not drop the unit in this timeframe cannot later drop the unit without academic and financial liability. See details in the Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework).
Offerings For Term 1 - 2025
Attendance Requirements
All on-campus students are expected to attend scheduled classes - in some units, these classes are identified as a mandatory (pass/fail) component and attendance is compulsory. International students, on a student visa, must maintain a full time study load and meet both attendance and academic progress requirements in each study period (satisfactory attendance for International students is defined as maintaining at least an 80% attendance record).
Recommended Student Time Commitment
Each 6-credit Postgraduate unit at CQUniversity requires an overall time commitment of an average of 12.5 hours of study per week, making a total of 150 hours for the unit.
Class Timetable
Assessment Overview
Assessment Grading
This is a graded unit: your overall grade will be calculated from the marks or grades for each assessment task, based on the relative weightings shown in the table above. You must obtain an overall mark for the unit of at least 50%, or an overall grade of 'pass' in order to pass the unit. If any 'pass/fail' tasks are shown in the table above they must also be completed successfully ('pass' grade). You must also meet any minimum mark requirements specified for a particular assessment task, as detailed in the 'assessment task' section (note that in some instances, the minimum mark for a task may be greater than 50%). Consult the University's Grades and Results Policy for more details of interim results and final grades.
All University policies are available on the CQUniversity Policy site.
You may wish to view these policies:
- Grades and Results Policy
- Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework)
- Review of Grade Procedure
- Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure
- Monitoring Academic Progress (MAP) Policy and Procedure - Domestic Students
- Monitoring Academic Progress (MAP) Policy and Procedure - International Students
- Student Refund and Credit Balance Policy and Procedure
- Student Feedback - Compliments and Complaints Policy and Procedure
- Information and Communications Technology Acceptable Use Policy and Procedure
This list is not an exhaustive list of all University policies. The full list of University policies are available on the CQUniversity Policy site.
Feedback, Recommendations and Responses
Every unit is reviewed for enhancement each year. At the most recent review, the following staff and student feedback items were identified and recommendations were made.
Feedback from SUTE
Link content to real-world application.
Videos on construction processes were included in the workshop slides. It is recommended that some site visits be included for a better understanding of Australian construction practices.
Feedback from UC reflection
Classroom arrangement for the online quiz.
The A3 is an online quiz, and students can take it from any location. Nevertheless, some students could not locate a suitable venue to complete the quiz. Consequently, it is advisable to utilise a classroom to ensure that all students may be seated in a single location to complete the quiz without complications.
- Critically evaluate modern construction technology methods as they relate to the building and construction industry within national and international construction sectors
- Synthesise and evaluate the range of contemporary construction technology methods and how these affect construction management teams in terms of appropriate management techniques to ensure the construction is delivered on time, within budget, and quality
- Consider economic, environmental, social, and cultural sustainability when selecting relevant construction technology
- Generate and justify solutions to complex construction problems using cognitive, technical, and creative skills.
The Royal Australian Institute of Building has provided provisional approval.
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes
| Assessment Tasks | Learning Outcomes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | |
| 1 - Written Assessment - 30% | ||||
| 2 - Research Assignment - 50% | ||||
| 3 - Online Test - 20% | ||||
Alignment of Graduate Attributes to Learning Outcomes
| Graduate Attributes | Learning Outcomes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | |
| 1 - Knowledge | ||||
| 2 - Communication | ||||
| 3 - Cognitive, technical and creative skills | ||||
| 4 - Research | ||||
| 5 - Self-management | ||||
| 6 - Ethical and Professional Responsibility | ||||
| 7 - Leadership | ||||
| 8 - First Nations Knowledges | ||||
| 9 - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultures | ||||
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Graduate Attributes
| Assessment Tasks | Graduate Attributes | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | |
| 1 - Written Assessment - 30% | |||||||||
| 2 - Research Assignment - 50% | |||||||||
| 3 - Online Test - 20% | |||||||||
Textbooks
There are no required textbooks.
IT Resources
- CQUniversity Student Email
- Internet
- Unit Website (Moodle)
- Word processing software such as MS Word
All submissions for this unit must use the referencing style: Harvard (author-date)
For further information, see the Assessment Tasks.
h.khan@cqu.edu.au
Week 1
Begin Date: 10 Mar 2025Module/Topic
A brief introduction to legislation, building permits, public protection, and demolition.
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
On-going quizzes are supplied at tutorials
Assignments 1 handed out—see Moodle for details
Week 2
Begin Date: 17 Mar 2025Module/Topic
Basement excavation and support.
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
On-going quizzes are supplied at tutorials.
Week 3
Begin Date: 24 Mar 2025Module/Topic
Underpinning, underground wall construction, and dewatering.
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
On-going quizzes are supplied at tutorials.
Week 4
Begin Date: 31 Mar 2025Module/Topic
Site logistics, vertical access, and waste management.
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
On-going quizzes are supplied at tutorials.
Week 5
Begin Date: 07 Apr 2025Module/Topic
Foundations and footings.
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
On-going quizzes are supplied at tutorials.
Vacation Week
Begin Date: 14 Apr 2025Module/Topic
Vacation Week: No lectures or tutorials
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Assignment 1: To be handed in
Assignment No 1 - see Moodle site for specific details Due: Vacation Week Friday (18 Apr 2025) 11:59 pm AEST
Week 6
Begin Date: 21 Apr 2025Module/Topic
Core construction, bracing, and formwork.
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
On-going quizzes are supplied at tutorials.
Assignments 2 handed out.
Week 7
Begin Date: 28 Apr 2025Module/Topic
Slab, floor, column, & beams.
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
On-going quizzes are supplied at tutorials.
Week 8
Begin Date: 05 May 2025Module/Topic
External facades and cladding
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
On-going quizzes are supplied at tutorials.
Week 9
Begin Date: 12 May 2025Module/Topic
Building services & fire protection
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
On-going quizzes are supplied at tutorials.
Week 10
Begin Date: 19 May 2025Module/Topic
Roofing, drainage, and waterproofing.
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
On-going quizzes are supplied at tutorials.
Week 11
Begin Date: 26 May 2025Module/Topic
Building motion stability & vertical transport systems.
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
On-going quizzes are supplied at tutorials.
Week 12
Begin Date: 02 Jun 2025Module/Topic
Internal fitout, commissioning, & handover.
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Assignment 2: hand-in date
Assignment No 2 - see Moodle site for details Due: Week 12 Friday (6 June 2025) 11:59 pm AEST
Review/Exam Week
Begin Date: 09 Jun 2025Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Exam Week
Begin Date: 16 Jun 2025Module/Topic
ONLINE TEST DURING LECTURE TIMES: SPECIFIC DATE AND TIME TO BE ADVISED
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
1 Written Assessment
Assignment 1 - General description - Select a construction method as approved and focus on the technical aspects of your topic.
You need to commence the 3000 word assignment immediately.
N.B. Go to the Moodle site for specific details.
You need to obtain a pass in this assignment to pass this unit
Vacation Week Friday (18 Apr 2025) 11:59 pm AEST
Submit on line via Moodle and pdf through Turnitin
Week 7 Friday (2 May 2025)
Student access Turnitin - Marks and feedback will be released as soon as all the marking process is completed. Students will be advised
The assignment will be assessed on the quality of the work submitted, relevance, and coherence to the specific question and tasks. This includes clear argumentation and use of quality references (in-text and bibliography). The content prepared is to expand beyond the learning material provided and demonstrate the student's development of the unit learning outcomes and graduate attributes.
Students will work with a marking rubric for self-review and receive formative and summative feedback.
- Critically evaluate modern construction technology methods as they relate to the building and construction industry within national and international construction sectors
- Synthesise and evaluate the range of contemporary construction technology methods and how these affect construction management teams in terms of appropriate management techniques to ensure the construction is delivered on time, within budget, and quality
- Knowledge
- Communication
- Cognitive, technical and creative skills
2 Research Assignment
Assignment 2: General description - Undertake a literature review to identify two case studies—one Australian and one international (preferably from your home country)—of high-rise building projects that used innovative technology or systems to facilitate construction.
1. Provide a detailed overview of both projects and the technology used. Your research is crucial in comparing how both countries' processes and legislative requirements differ.
2. Based on your research, analyse and evaluate how this innovative (modern) technology addresses managing risks, positively and negatively impacts cost and time, and how it differs between countries.
3. Critically analyse the impact of technology on economic, environmental, social, and cultural sustainability and formulate a conclusion with your recommendations for improving future construction technology processes.
You need to commence the 3500 word maximum assignment immediately in order to obtain the research bibliography evidence.
N.B. Go to the Moodle site for specific details.
You need to obtain a pass in this assignment to pass this unit
Week 12 Friday (6 June 2025) 11:59 pm AEST
Submit on line via Moodle and pdf via Turnitin
Exam Week Friday (20 June 2025)
Student access Turnitin - Marks and feedback will be released as soon as the marking process is completed
The assignment will be assessed on the quality of the work submitted, relevance, and coherence to the specific question and tasks. This includes clear argumentation and use of quality references (in-text and bibliography). The content prepared is to expand beyond the learning material provided and demonstrate the student's development of the unit learning outcomes and graduate attributes.
Students will work with a marking rubric for self-review and receive formative and summative feedback.
- Consider economic, environmental, social, and cultural sustainability when selecting relevant construction technology
- Generate and justify solutions to complex construction problems using cognitive, technical, and creative skills.
- Communication
- Cognitive, technical and creative skills
- Research
3 Online Test
CLASS TEST DURING EXAM WEEK: SPECIFIC DATE AND TIME TO BE ADVISED
Class test: You need to pass the class test to pass this unit
- Critically evaluate modern construction technology methods as they relate to the building and construction industry within national and international construction sectors
- Consider economic, environmental, social, and cultural sustainability when selecting relevant construction technology
- Knowledge
- Self-management
As a CQUniversity student you are expected to act honestly in all aspects of your academic work.
Any assessable work undertaken or submitted for review or assessment must be your own work. Assessable work is any type of work you do to meet the assessment requirements in the unit, including draft work submitted for review and feedback and final work to be assessed.
When you use the ideas, words or data of others in your assessment, you must thoroughly and clearly acknowledge the source of this information by using the correct referencing style for your unit. Using others’ work without proper acknowledgement may be considered a form of intellectual dishonesty.
Participating honestly, respectfully, responsibly, and fairly in your university study ensures the CQUniversity qualification you earn will be valued as a true indication of your individual academic achievement and will continue to receive the respect and recognition it deserves.
As a student, you are responsible for reading and following CQUniversity’s policies, including the Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure. This policy sets out CQUniversity’s expectations of you to act with integrity, examples of academic integrity breaches to avoid, the processes used to address alleged breaches of academic integrity, and potential penalties.
What is a breach of academic integrity?
A breach of academic integrity includes but is not limited to plagiarism, self-plagiarism, collusion, cheating, contract cheating, and academic misconduct. The Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure defines what these terms mean and gives examples.
Why is academic integrity important?
A breach of academic integrity may result in one or more penalties, including suspension or even expulsion from the University. It can also have negative implications for student visas and future enrolment at CQUniversity or elsewhere. Students who engage in contract cheating also risk being blackmailed by contract cheating services.
Where can I get assistance?
For academic advice and guidance, the Academic Learning Centre (ALC) can support you in becoming confident in completing assessments with integrity and of high standard.
What can you do to act with integrity?
