Integrating sustainability into construction education

Abstract

The demand for sustainable development and construction has become increasingly popular over the years. New data is constantly emerging about the sources and effects to the built environment and society from construction related activities and the most cost effective manner in which to address them. A compounding issue related to sustainability is the fact there is no definitive right or wrong answer. Critical thinking, information analysis, and interdisciplinary collaboration are all vital to developing the best solution for sustainable development. Education is the cornerstone of this process. Continuing education will always be necessary; however, an initial fundamental understanding of sustainable concepts is needed in order to construct more knowledge. The most opportune time for future industry leaders to establish these concepts is in parallel of other construction fundamentals in higher education. While many construction education programs have successful history with construction fundamentals, they have not yet fully integrated sustainable education. This paper addresses sustainable construction student objectives, strategies for implementing sustainable education, and challenges and successes other institutions have encountered. Research has shown that full implementation, rather than isolated sustainable courses, has the most impact for students. A well-developed plan accounting for faculty support, active learning, and development of "soft" skills is vital to successful implementation.