Aims:

The unit is mapped against the Chartered Institute of Building’s Project Evaluation and Development (PED) module within the Institute’s Professional studies framework. It will allow students to examine and evaluate the overall process within which buildings are conceived, designed, procured, constructed and delivered for use. The unit will enhance students’ appreciation of the needs of the construction industry’s clients by taking a hypothetical development, but ‘real site’ usually situated in the European Union, covering a range of activities in which a typical international construction client would have an interest.

By integrating material learned in other units on this honours degree programme, students will have a sufficient breadth of knowledge to understand the totality of the development process, not only from a United Kingdom standpoint but also from a wider European dimension. The unit is delivered as a major group project, where students will be asked to assume the roles and responsibilities of a project management organisation.

Objectives:

The specific objectives of the PED unit are to:

Make the student aware of the overall process within which buildings are conceived, designed and built, improving comprehension of the whole of the project management and development process. As such it forms an integrating element to the degree programme.
	Enhance the appreciation of the needs of the industry’s clients by requiring the student to undertake a hypothetical development covering a range of activities in which a typical construction client will have an interest.
	Produce a virtual project for the built environment, demonstrating overall management of the development process, and be able to present their proposals to a client panel.
Learning Outcomes:

On completion of this unit, the student will be able to demonstrate a range of understanding of the role of the project manager in the interpretation of client’s requirement in the areas of feasibility studies and development proposals. In addition to this the student should be able to:

Appreciate the advantages and problems of working within a group or team structure.
	Understand the need to deliver their part of the group project as part of a team in terms of time management and co-operation.
	Appreciate how other units on the programme fit together to enable an integrated approach to be adopted.
	Develop presentation skills to a high level, and be able to deliver facts confidently to a client panel
	Gather relevant information both from the site and other sources to complete the project.
Syllabus:

Consists of a series of introductory lectures to cover the format of the project, and a one or two day field trip to visit the site chosen for the unit. Areas for study include:

Measurement of the site including geotechnical considerations.
	Production of outline sketch proposals.
	Production of a development programme.
	Project appraisal.
	Selection of procurement options and proposals for the development of the clients brief.
	Presentation skills and use of visual aids.
	Group workshops concentrating on individual projects.