Integrated sustainability curriculum

Abstract

Sustainable construction, specifically United States Green Building Council Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, places an emphasis on design integration, professional and industry education, and market transformation - both in products and design techniques. The question at hand is how to prepare construction and engineering students for what is quickly becoming the norm for construction in the United States. Previous research has discussed integration of curriculum and has found there are no existing standards in place. This study finds that when sustainability is viewed more in the light of integrated high performance design and delivery than course development it is more a function of integration than revision. No comparative outcome of success was measured. As sustainable construction continues to increase its market share in the commercial construction realm there is continued discussion regarding providing adequate exposure to sustainable practices in undergraduate curriculum. This paper reviews the progress made since 1998 to present in undergraduate integrated and supplemented education courses in a prominent four year construction program. The question of accreditation requirements and initial career offerings are also discussed. © 2012 American Society for Engineering Education.