Ecologically sustainable building - analysis of training and further training courses
This study analyses the 32 most important training and further education courses for professionals who play an important role in the design phase of buildings. It was found that the differences between the individual educational institutions and courses of study are great with regard to the competences of sustainable building design that were examined.
The Swiss planning and construction industry is very important from the point of view of both the national economy and sustainability. The construction of new buildings and the renovation of existing buildings have a major impact, particularly on resource and energy consumption and CO2 emissions in Switzerland.
The present study is based on the postulate "Removing the barriers to resource efficiency and the circular economy" by Councillor of States Ruedi Noser and the associated report of the Federal Council. In this report, it is recommended that education and training in architecture and engineering be analysed and optimised in a targeted manner so that the circularity of the construction industry can be improved.
The Federal Office for the Environment is implementing this recommendation in a first step with the present study "Ecologically Sustainable Construction - Analysis of Education and Training". It has not focused the question solely on the circular economy, but has taken a somewhat broader view with a general look at ecologically sustainable construction.
32 degree programmes and 58 continuing education programmes examined
The analysis shows that environmental sustainability is anchored in the descriptions of most study programmes, but none of the descriptions achieve complete coverage. There is potential to make the competences taught more explicit. Cooperation and energy demand are the most frequently described topics, while material cycles, environmental pollution, greenhouse gas emissions, nature and landscape, and sufficiency are less frequent. The study recommends defining or supplementing target images for these topics, developing the know-how of teachers and taking further measures. These recommendations are to be implemented primarily through the "Buildings Education Campaign" of SwissEnergy.