Towards Education for Sustainability in University Curricula and in the Practice of Design
(2013) PLEA - 29th International Conference on Passive and Low Energy Architecture — Location: Munich, Germany (10.September.2013)
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- Education for sustainability is an emerging imperative, requiring a paradigm shift in the way in which new generations of architects and engineers are taught within academic institutions and in professional training. In the modern university, the studio still serves as the forum for synthesising in coherent design the principles acquired in theoretical courses. However, technical teachings are often fragmented and alienated to applied coursework so that students are seldom able to deeply engage with an integrated design process centred on sustainability. Concurrently, the practice of sustainable design is not consistently supported by regulations and qualification procedures, whose prescription criteria are frequently characterised by ambiguous and inhomogeneous requirements. New pedagogical methods and the promotion of continuing professional development are needed to overcome existing barriers and facilitate knowledge transfer between scientific research and the creative implementation of sustainability in design. In response, the project EDUCATE (2009-12) was funded by the European Commission to promote the integration of sustainability at university and professional level. Building on its final outcomes, this paper aims to discuss the challenges - and the opportunities - that education and regulatory frameworks need to face to enhance the knowledge, skills, and competence in sustainability of students, educators and practitioners of disciplines of the built environment.
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Altomonte, S., Hana Reimer, Peter Rutherford, & Robin Wilson. (2013). Towards Education for Sustainability in University Curricula and in the Practice of Design. Proceedings of PLEA 2013. Published. PLEA - 29th International Conference on Passive and Low Energy Architecture, Munich, Germany. https://hdl.handle.net/2078.5/227821