Dimensions of Building Sustainability

CONTENT

In response to demands of professional ethics and new building regulations, CO₂e emissions mitigation is becoming established as a central parameter of building performance. A contemporary challenge for architects is thus to integrate emissions mitigation strategies in ways that meet societal expectations and regulatory requirements while reinforcing good design and contributing to architectural meaning. Dimensions of Building Sustainability addresses the challenge of integrating sustainability into meaningful architecture by providing students with an overview of current range of CO₂e emissions mitigation strategies and techniques under seven dimensions: Evaluation, Regulation, Harmony, Materiality, Durability, Technology, and Circularity.

TEACHING AIMS

On successful completion of the course, students will be able to:

• Recognize relative impacts of building design, construction and use upon CO2e emissions in Switzerland and globally.
• Understand the range of strategies available to reduce building-related emissions, including fundamental concepts underpinning these strategies and the practical techniques through which they are integrated into architectural design.
• Understand and apply methods of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) to assess CO2e emissions impacts of architectural design decisions.
• Develop critical positions regarding the applicability and effectiveness of strategies for regulating, assessing, and reducing building-related CO2e emissions.

TEACHING METHODS

The course is structured around the seven dimensions: Evaluation, Regulation, Harmony, Materiality, Durability, Technology, and Circularity. Each week focusses on one dimension in sessions that explore foundational concepts, explain associated techniques, then use Life-Cycle Assessment (LCA) to assess their relative impacts on building-related CO₂e emissions.