The course is divided into two distinct components - Ecological Sustainable Design and Structures. Ecological Sustainable Design : Introduction to the ecological and social issues facing society today with a particular focus on their relationship to the built environment. Particular focus on concepts of social responsibility, environmental accountability and ecological sustainability and their implications for the urban/built and natural environments. The Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of materials, their use in the built environment as well as national and international case studies and their relationship to ESD will be examined. Structures : Understanding and examining how structures work without the need for mathematical formulas. The concept of forces, load transfer, strength, stability and stiffness will be examined. The course will outline key structural behaviour, concepts and focus upon basic structural elements and systems. The emphasis will be upon general principles and their graphical analysis using case studies throughout history to examine this further.