Unit Outline

As a natural but biodegradable material, timber's durability and resistance to biological and other attack are related to its natural durability, any treatment applied to improve this durability and the exposure that results from inclusion in a structure. This unit provides students wishing to use or maintain timber structure or elements effectively with the principles and techniques of design and construction for effective timber durability. It introduces the key mechanisms of biodegradation, including fire, and the level of hazard expected in particular applications before covering treatment, coating and design options for improved performance and extended service life. This includes fire performance in bushfire and National Construction Code compliance in buildings of all types.

Intended Learning Outcomes

As per the Assessment and Results Policy 1.3, your results will reflect your achievement against specified learning outcomes.

On completion of this unit, you will be able to:


1.	Explain the major hazards to timber and wood products in the built environment.
2.	Understand timber’s natural and treated resistance to major hazards in the built environment
3.	Design timber-rich solutions for architectural, structural and building envelope applications exposed to regular built environment hazards
4.	Design timber-rich solutions for architectural, structural and building envelope applications exposed to extreme environmental hazards

Alterations as a result of student feedback

How will I be Assessed?

For more detailed assessment information please see MyLO.

Assessment schedule


ASSESSMENT TASK #	ASSESSMENT TASK NAME	DATE DUE	WEIGHT	LINKS TO INTENDED LEARNING OUTCOMES
Assessment Task 1:	Design/Drawing	See the MyLO site for the due date	25 %	LO2, LO3
Assessment Task 2:	Report	Week 4	30 %	LO1, LO2
Assessment Task 3:	Project	Week 11	25 %	LO2, LO4
Assessment Task 4:	Quizzes	Refer to Assessment Description	20 %	LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4

Assessment details

Assessment Task 1: Design/Drawing

Task Description:

Design of Timber Structures for Durability (Regular Environment)

Task Length:

7-8 A4 pages + 2 A3 Drawings

Due Date:

See the MyLO site for the due date

Weight:

25 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Identify exposure and major hazards to the durability of a given timber structure in accordance with relevant standards	LO2
2	Design and specify the timber structure in accordance with relevant standards to mitigate these hazards	LO3
3	Produce drawings and specifications to industry standards	LO3

Assessment Task 2: Report

Task Description:

Report on the Impact of Design on the Overall System Durability

Task Length:

12-15 A4 Pages including drawings (max 3000 words)

Due Date:

Week 4

Weight:

30 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Identify the major hazards to a given timber structure in the built environment.	LO1, LO2
2	Correctly specify timber species, grade, moisture content and other parameters in response to these hazards	LO1, LO2
3	Recommend additional solutions to improve the durability of a given timber structure.	LO2

Assessment Task 3: Project

Task Description:

Design of Timber Structures for Durability (Extreme Environment)

Task Length:

7-8 A4 Page + 2 A3 Drawings

Due Date:

Week 11

Weight:

25 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Identify exposure and major hazards to the durability of a given timber structure in accordance with relevant standards	LO2
2	Design and specify the timber structure in accordance with relevant standards to mitigate hazards in extreme environments	LO4
3	Produce drawings and specifications to industry standards	LO4

Assessment Task 4: Quizzes

Task Description:

Weekly Quizzes

Task Length:

30 min

Due Date:

Refer to Assessment Description

Weight:

20 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Correctly answer MCQ and short answer questions related to ILO1 and ILO2	LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4

How your final result is determined

To pass this unit, you need to demonstrate your attainment of each of the Intended Learning Outcomes, achieve a final unit grade of 50% or greater, and pass any hurdle tasks.

Submission of assignments

Where practicable, assignments should be submitted to an assignment submission folder in MYLO. You must submit assignments by the due date or receive a penalty (unless an extension of time has been approved by the Unit Coordinator). Students submitting any assignment in hard copy, or because of a practicum finalisation, must attach a student cover sheet and signed declaration for the submission to be accepted for marking.

Requests for extensions

If you are unable to submit an assessment task by the due date, you should apply for an extension.

A request for an extension should first be discussed with your Unit Coordinator or teaching support team where possible. A request for an extension must be submitted by the assessment due date, except where you can provide evidence it was not possible to do so. Typically, an application for an extension will be supported by documentary evidence: however, where it is not possible for you to provide evidence please contact your Unit Coordinator.

The Unit Coordinator must notify you of the outcome of an extension request within 3 working days of receiving the request.

Late penalties

Assignments submitted after the deadline will receive a late penalty of 5% of the original available mark for each calendar day (or part day) that the assignment is late. Late submissions will not be accepted more than 10 calendar days after the due date, or after assignments have been returned to other students on a scheduled date, whichever occurs first. Further information on Late Penalties can be found on the Assessments and Results Procedure.

Review of results and appeals

You are entitled to ask for a review of the marking and grading of your assessment task if there is an irregularity in the marking standards or an error in the process for determining the outcome of an assessment. Details on how to request a review of a mark for an assignment are outlined in the Review and Appeal of Academic Decisions Procedure.