VUB equips students for sustainable building practice

Circular or material-neutral construction is a policy priority. It is therefore essential that students are taught even more knowledge and skills for sustainable design and construction. Late 2022, the VUB Education Council therefore approved an adaptation of the study programme Architectural Engineering.

In the programme, from the academic year 2023-24 onwards, the courses on sustainable construction will be expanded. With this adaptation, our programme is the first in Flanders to offer a course on circular construction.

"We make a strong case for training the architectural engineers of tomorrow: creative, critical and technically skilled designers who can get to work in the exciting but demanding world of construction," states chairman professor Niels De Temmerman.

 

From the first year, students are introduced to the most common building materials and elements, their environmental impact and service life in the course 'Sustainable Construction and Detailing'. In the second year, the link between material choice and construction method with the architectural design and life cycle of the building becomes explicit in the course 'Circular design and construction'. In the third year, the subject 'Bioclimatic design' makes the bridge to the building environment and the materials and energy metabolism present in every neighbourhood. In the fourth year, students take the subject 'Energy performance of buildings' and in the fifth year, they can choose several sustainable electives.

"A construction economy of closed material loops allows us to always adapt our buildings to everyone's changing needs and restore our impact on the environment and climate," adds researcher and lecturer professor Waldo Galle.

In the design studio - where students work on design proposals individually or in groups - sustainability is also omnipresent. Already in the first year, reuse is central to the design studio 'people and adaptability'. In the second year 'habitat and heritage', the focus is on conservation and repurposing. And in the third year 'city and structure', we design for longevity, etc.

"Thanks to this modification, the character of our programme takes on extra colour," emphasises professor Ine Wouters. "With knowledge of engineering science and respect for what already exists, creating innovative architecture with a positive impact on people and the environment is what we stand for."

Teachers, assistants and students of the programme of Architectural Engineering have a long-standing commitment to sustainable building. For instance, they investigate how material reuse can make housing affordable again, and how innovative structures and shapes reduce our environmental footprint. They do this together with designers and contractors in practice, and this is also evident in the courses: during guest lectures, group discussions, or sketching assignments on construction sites, students and lecturers together give meaning to the teaching material.

 

Photo: Thierry Geenen, on assignment for Vrije Universiteit Brussel.

A message via the VUB Press Office.