Integrated Building Design and Construction University of Porto

Overview

The Integrated Building Design and Construction programme of the University of Porto aims to be a space where the distance between the views of architecture and engineering, still recurrent in the professional environment, will fade leading its students to understand the greatest efficiency, transversal to all expertise, which results from an integrated approach of the processes that go through the stages of inception, design, construction and use, obtaining the skills and tools necessary to achieve this goal.

Taking into account that some of MPRINCE students may want to follow the course in parallel with their professional activity, the calendar will define schedules that may enable it.

Objectives

The MPRINCE MSc in Integrated Building Design and Construction, developed by the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Porto with the collaboration of the Faculty of Architecture of the University of Porto, offers an opportunity for training under the operational and methodological domains of Integrated Design and Construction. In addition to the theoretical and applied knowledge in the diverse scientific and technological areas required for the development of building projects, it also will provide the tools needed to ensure that the objectives, constraints and specifics of the different expertise may be developed under a logical, coordinated and efficient way.

This programme will provide to all of its students an integrated view of areas of Civil Engineering and Architecture, in particular:

• Systematic understanding in the scientific and technological areas relevant to the design and development of integrated and sustainable construction solutions;

• Professional and scientific skills associated with the fields of constructive processes and systems;

• Competencies for the management of multi-expertise teams in the several stages of the process, from design to construction and in operation;

• Competencies in the use of tools and methodologies for Integrated Project Development.

Professional Abilities

The MPRINCE MSc in Integrated Building Design and Construction will provide further training and competences beyond the ones offered by the degree of MSc in Civil Engineering. At the end of this programme, the students will have acquired skills and competences that will allow them to have a global and integrated vision of the Civil Engineering and Architecture professional areas and of the conceptual and technical components that the development of a construction project involves, in both areas of civil engineering and architecture.

Thus, they will be able to coordinate multi-disciplinary project teams, participating through supported decision-making processes, therefore being possible to respond more effectively to all performance requirements of construction, ensuring the search and achievement of more sustainable, integrated and coherent solutions.