Course Details

Building Physics 2

Academic Year 2026/27

BHA045 course is part of 1 study plan

​ BPC-APS Summer Semester 3rd year

Truly good architecture is not only about aesthetics and form, but above all about the interior atmosphere and comfort of the people who live or work in the building. Can a building concept be successful if it lacks natural light or is noisy?

This course teaches you how to control two essential immaterial elements of architecture: light and sound. How to get enough daylight and sun into the interior and how to shape and size spaces to ensure ideal acoustics - from quiet apartments to functional offices to public spaces or courtyards. The knowledge gained can be immediately applied in studio projects and in subsequent practice.

Credits

2 credits

Language of instruction

Czech

Semester

summer

Course Guarantor

doc. Ing. Miloš Kalousek, Ph.D.

Institute

Institute of Building Structures

Forms and criteria of assessment

course-unit credit and examination

Entry Knowledge

Basic knowledge of mathematics and physical quantities, knowledge of building materials and principles of building structure composition, including solutions to building details.

Aims

The aim of the course is to provide architecture students with practical tools for designing high-quality interior environments of buildings and preventing design errors in the areas of acoustics and daylighting.
After completing the course, you will be able to:
• Design with light and sun: Correctly dimension and position window openings for optimal daylighting and sunning of living and working spaces.
• Shape acoustic comfort: Understand the principles of spatial acoustics (reverberation time) and design spaces so that they provide a pleasant speech and music environment.
• Protect buildings from noise: Design partition and perimeter structures with the required air and impact sound insulation (connections between rooms and protection against noise from the exterior).
• Prevent defects: Identify critical points in architectural details and prevent sound propagation and defects in buildings even at the concept and study stages.

Basic Literature

ČSN 73 05 32 Akustika - Ochrana proti hluku – Požadavky ve znění změn. (cs)
ČSN 73 05 80 – 1 Denní osvětlení budov –Část 1: Základní požadavky. (cs)
ČSN 73 4101 Obytné budovy ve znění změn. (cs)
Čuprová, D., Mohelníková, J., Čupr, K.: Denní osvětlení budov. Návody pro cvičení. VUT Brno, 2002. (cs)

Prerequisites

Basic knowledge of mathematics and physical quantities, knowledge of building materials and principles of building structure composition, including solutions to building details.

Offered to foreign students

Not to offer

Course on BUT site

https://www.vut.cz/en/students/courses/detail/301563

Lecture

13 weeks, 1 hours/week, elective

Syllabus

  • 1.-2. Daylighting and assessment of the daylighting factor
  • 3.-4. Daylighting of building-direct solar radiation
  • 5.-6. Physical fundamentals of acoustics, levels and calculations with levels. Propagation of sound in free space - sound field.
  • 7.-8. Noise and its assessment. Noise attenuation in the outdoor area. Defects and malfunctions in terms of stationary noise sources.
  • 9.-10. Room acoustics, sound absorption, room reverberation time.
  • 11.-12. Sound reduction of building structures. Assessment of air-borne sound insulation. Assessment of impact sound insulation. Methods of determining the sound reduction of building structures.
  • 13. Defects and malfunctions of buildings in terms of sound reduction properties - air-borne and impact sound reduction. Critical places in the newly designed building.

Exercise

13 weeks, 1 hours/week, compulsory

Syllabus

  • 1.-2. Daylighting and assessment of the daylighting factor
  • 3.-4. Daylighting of building-direct solar radiation
  • 5.-6. Physical fundamentals of acoustics, levels and calculations with levels. Propagation of sound in free space - sound field.
  • 7.-8. Noise and its assessment. Noise attenuation in the outdoor area. Defects and malfunctions in terms of stationary noise sources.
  • 9.-10. Room acoustics, sound absorption, room reverberation time.
  • 11.-12. Sound reduction of building structures. Assessment of air-borne sound insulation. Assessment of impact sound insulation. Methods of determining the sound reduction of building structures.
  • 13. Defects and malfunctions of buildings in terms of sound reduction properties - air-borne and impact sound reduction. Critical places in the newly designed building.