101-0588-01L  Sustainable Buildings: The Applied Viewpoint

SemesterSpring Semester 2015
LecturersG. Habert, N. Roussel
Periodicityyearly recurring course
Language of instructionEnglish


AbstractAfter a presentation of the general environmental context and the sustainability issues, this course will present exemples to implement sustainable practice in the built environment.
A particular focus will be done on materials and energy challenges related to urbanisation and climate change.
ObjectiveAfter the lecture series, you will be able to know which key parameters need to be taken into account during the construction and maintenance of buildings and infrastructure.

These are different depending on the context (geographic, economic, social) and it is therefore essential to find the appropriate technologies, planning processes or business models.

More than a deep knowledge on how to build and operate sustainable buildings and infrastructure, the lecture serie is highlighting why there is no unique perfect engineering method but rather fine-tuned individual solutions to sustain a comfortable built environment. The choice of lectures given by practitioners brings this applied view point.
ContentThe lecture series is divided as follows:
Lectures 1 to 4: In a first phase, the basics of sustainable construction are presented: General environmental context and sustainability issues, assessment methods and sustainability certificates. The fourth lecture closes with a graded test. This accounts for 50 percent of the total grade for the semester.

Lectures 5 to 11: In the main block, different constructive techniques and planning approaches are presented and discussed.
Examples in developped as well as in emerging countries are shown.

They show potential strategies for questions such as:
an efficient development of recycling in the construction
a large scale use of alternative materials
the implementation of sustainable building labels in regular practice
...

Lecture 12: The final phase summarizes the lecture series and provides the possibility to discuss the main findings and conclusions.

Additional lecture: An excursion will be organised.
Lecture notesFor each lecture slides will be provided.
LiteratureBasic knowledge of environmental assessment tools is a prerequisite for this class. Students that have not done classwork in this topic before are required to read an appropriate textbook before or at the beginning of this course (e.g. Baumann&Tillman, The Hitch Hiker's Guide to LCA: An Orientation in Life Cycle assessment Methodology and Applications, Studentlitteratur, Lund, 2004).

Suggested reading list:
D. Meadows et al. Limits to growth, the 30 years update
D. MacKay. Sustainability without hot air
F. Schumacher. Small is beautiful: economics as if people mattered: 25 Years Later...
J. Diamond. Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Survive
Prerequisites / NoticeThe lecture series will be conducted in English and is aimed at students of master's programs, particularly the departments ARCH, BAUG, ITET, MAVT, MTEC and UWIS.
No lecture will be given during Seminar week.

Currently, our other lecture series "Sustainable Construction" offered in the autumn semester is aimed to provide a general understanding of the topic.
A second lecture on the various available certification labels for buildings is offered in the autumn semester.
Finally, the lecture series "Building materials and sustainability" students' knowledge on environmental assessment of building materials and the potentials improvement.

Attendance of the autumn semester lectures is not a prerequisite for this lecture serie.