Abstract
Sustainability is currently one of the biggest concerns in the field of architecture and civil engineering. The presented study elaborates on the students’ expectations vs. experience of sustainable and ecological design in their architectural education. Students were surveyed after the interdisciplinary Hybrid Factory Design (HFD) course carried out at the Faculty of Architecture WUST, Poland. Respondents were asked to anonymously fill in a two-part online questionnaire in the last week of the summer semester of the academic year 2020/2021. The questionnaire was composed of 30 compulsory single-choice questions and 8 optional open questions. The single-choice questions were prepared using a five-point Likert scale, ranging from 1 (negative answer) to 5 (positive answer). Additionally, the Expectation Fulfilment Rate (EFR)—an original tool developed by the authors—was used to assess students’ expectations. The conducted survey revealed a significant disproportion between students’ expectations and experience regarding sustainable and ecological design aspects. There are also knowledge gaps in certain areas that should be addressed. Topics related to urban planning, green areas design, renovation and adaptation are not sufficiently represented in the curriculum. Moreover, it is essential to provide students with a broad, cross-disciplinary overview of sustainable architecture to deepen their understanding of different design aspects.
Highlights
The survey revealed a significant disproportion between students’ expectations regarding the sustainable and ecological design aspects in architectural education and the range of knowledge they receive in university courses
Sustainability aspects are incorporated into the curriculum, there are knowledge gaps in certain areas that should be addressed
Students have high expectations regarding sustainability in their education; they often gain their knowledge outside the classroom
Summary
Sustainable Development and UN 17 Sustainable Development Goals. The term sustainable development started to be used in the 1960s and 1970s; it entered a global debate in the 1980s, with increased awareness of the social and environmental cost of economic growth. There is no fixed definition of sustainable development, it is usually understood as “development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs” [1]. In. 2015, the ongoing degradation of the natural environment, population growth, the problem of poverty and social inequality have led the United Nations to adopt the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, including 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The document indicates 17 interconnected areas of world development that should be addressed before 2030, to lead to a more sustainable future [2].
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