Environmental education for sustainable architecture

Abstract

Awareness of the role that buildings play in the current climate crisis poses new onerous tasks for architectural educators and practitioners. The promotion of sustainability in the design of the built environment is a key-factor for addressing the challenges that mankind faces in response to finite resource availability, ecological deterioration and climate alteration. No longer can the global environmental system support fully-serviced carbon-intensive buildings with the energy consumption and CO2 emissions they trigger. In response to these challenges - and considering the swift development of construction methods and techniques in the building industry - nowadays the professional market demands graduates of architectural disciplines endowed with a number of competences that range from creative design and visualization skills up to detailed technical and environmental competence. A new pedagogical methodology has consequently to be developed in order to overcome existing educational and professional barriers and act as a communication platform that facilitates the transfer of knowledge between sustainability-related building sciences and creative design in the architectural curriculum. The aim of this paper is to critically analyze the hindrances to the successful integration of sustainable environmental design in the pedagogy and practice of architecture and introduce a European Action set to promote the comprehensive implementation of environmental sustainability in building design.