Education for sustainability: Implementation of energy and environment curricula in architecture training

Abstract

The current scenario of climate change and its consequences for the environment has created a need to redefine what we understand as university education, considered in relation to concepts of global conscience and education for sustainability. The great number of future architects that are studying today will tomorrow have an important role in the sustainable development of the country. The university has to assume the goal of educating its students in environmental competencies. In this way, the School of Architecture of the Universidad Católica del Norte believes in an education that shifts its central focus to the integration of environment and energy in the curriculum, taking sustainability as a social objective and an essential competence of architecture training. This innovation involved a reorientation and modernization of the architecture curriculum in the areas of energy, environment and territory, through "integrated exercises", which are characteristic of the UCN School of Architecture methodology. An exercise is called integrated when it involves students of different semesters that work together to combine their knowledge and skills. The Plan of Studies of the architecture degree is divided into different streams: Technology, design, laboratory and a special stream called "Man and Environment". Integrated exercises allow for the evaluation of knowledge transmission and the optimization of the stream model: for example, in determining if "Man and Environment 3 - Climate and Comfort" is consistent with the subsequent "Man and Environment 4 - Materials". Additional instruments that have been used to improve teaching of sustainability concepts are: inclusion of the Ecotect tool in laboratory teaching for the "Man and Environment" stream; specific training for teaching staff. This paper presents the advance of the MECESUP project that permitted the implementation of sustainability. It is divided into three aspects or sections: curriculum revision through integrated exercises, inclusion of Ecotect and general software issues, and staff training and strengthening research.