About EDUCATE

What is EDUCATE?

EDUCATE (Environmental Design in University Curricula and Architectural Training in Europe) is an Action funded by the European Commission - Energy Agency for Competitiveness and Innovation (EACI) under the “Intelligent Energy Europe” 2008 Programme (Contract n. IEE/08/635/SI2.528419). The Action started in June 2009 and will have a duration of three years.

A comprehensive presentation of the EDUCATE Action (available in six languages) can be found here

What is the mission of EDUCATE?

The promotion of sustainability in the design of the built environment is a key-factor for addressing the challenges mankind faces in response to finite resource availability, energy consumption and climate change.

Awareness of the role that buildings play in the current environmental crisis - together with the requirements arising from recent regulations - is triggering professional demand for architectural graduates with advanced skills in environmentally sustainable design, presenting new challenges for students, educators and practitioners.

To address these challenges, the mission of EDUCATE is to deconstruct the pedagogical barriers to the integration of sustainability and energy efficiency in university curricula and in the practice of architecture, disseminate know-how and exempla of best practice on environmental design, and propose the harmonisation of qualification prescriptions across Europe.
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Who are the partners involved in the EDUCATE Consortium?

EDUCATE is built on a Consortium of seven European academic partners:

• University of Nottingham (Coordinator) - Department of Architecture and Built Environment / School of Computer Science (UK)
• Architectural Association School of Architecture (UK)
• Catholic University of Louvain - Architecture et Climat, Faculté des Sciences Appliquées (Belgium)
• Technical University of Munich - Facultat fur Architektur (Germany)
• University of Rome La Sapienza - Dipartimento ITACA, Facoltà di Architettura (Italy)
• Seminar of Architecture and Environment, SAMA Sociedad Civil (Spain)
• Budapest University of Technology and Economics - Faculty of Architecture (Hungary)

What are the objectives of EDUCATE?

To meet environmental challenges, the objectives of EDUCATE are to:

• Define and test a curriculum which bridges current divides between sustainability-related technical information and the design studio in architectural education
• Develop an intelligent Portal on sustainable environmental design and energy efficiency in architecture that facilitates such integration in higher education and supports continuing professional development for building practitioners
• In concert with Chambers of Architects, harmonise architectural curricula and standardise qualification requirements in Europe, enhancing the establishment of a comparable, compatible and coherent European Higher Education Area - one of the objectives of the Bologna process -and clarifying the level of awareness, knowledge, understanding and skill in sustainable environmental design and energy efficiency expected of graduates qualifying as architects in Europe
• Promote and disseminate environmental know-how and exempla of best practice amongst students, educators, building professionals and the public at large, fostering change of behaviour and expectations towards the integration of sustainable design and energy efficiency in building practices

Who is supporting EDUCATE in Europe?

The EDUCATE Action is supported in Europe by Chambers of Architects in participating countries (United Kingdom, Belgium, Germany, Italy, Spain, Hungary), networks and associations of educators and practitioners, international architectural firms and energy agencies.

Specifically, EDUCATE has received so far the formal support of the following market players:

Chambers of Architects (Subcontractors)

• RIBA - Royal Institute of British Architects (United Kingdom);
• CNOA - Conseil National de l’Ordre des Architectes de Belgique (Belgium);
• Bayerische Architektenkammer (Germany);
• Ordine degli Architetti, Pianificatori, Paesaggisti e Conservatori di Roma e Provincia (Italy);
• Consejo Superior de Colegios de Arquitectos de España (Spain);
• Magyar Építész Kamara (Hungary).

Architects / Building Professionals

• Peter Clegg - Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios (London, UK);
• Edward Cullinan - Edward Cullinan Architects (London, UK);
• Alistair Guthrie - ARUP (London, UK);
• Ken Shuttleworth - MAKE Architects (London, UK);
• Mario Cucinella - MCA Architects (Bologna, Italy);
• MEDIOMUNDO Arquitectos (Sevilla, Spain).

Academic Institutions / Association of Educators

• Architectural Association (United Kingdom);
• The Higher Education Academy - CEBE Centre for Education in the Built Environment (UK);
• SCHOSA Standing Conference of Heads of Schools of Architecture (United Kingdom);
• Prima Facoltà di Architettura “L. Quaroni” - Università di Roma La Sapienza (Italy);
• Conferenza Nazionale dei Presidi delle Facoltà di Architettura (National Association of Heads of Schools of Architecture, Italy);
• Escuela Técnica Superior de Arquitectura - Universidad de Sevilla (Spain).

Professional Associations

• BDA Bund Deutscher Architekten - Association of German Architects (Germany);
• Agencia Andalusa de la Energía - Consejería de Innovación, Ciencia y Empresa (Spain);
• Magyar Èpitomuvèszek Svovetsège - Association of Hungarian Architects (Hungary);
• ÈMI - Non-profit Company for Quality Control and Innovation in Building (Hungary).

What are the expected outcomes of EDUCATE?

At the end of the three years of its duration, the expected outcomes of EDUCATE are to:

• Consolidate and build on the existing state of play of environmental awareness, knowledge and ability-base in architectural education and practice in Europe, sharing experiences and transferring know-how from countries that have energy efficiency embedded in their curriculum to countries that have not
• Provide a pedagogical framework enabling the adoption and incorporation of sustainable environmental design at different levels and stages of architectural education to meet current professional demands and expectations
• Harmonise differences in the requirements for the accreditation of architectural curricula and the registration as architect in Europe
• Disseminate know-how, expertise and exempla of best practice on environmentally sustainable design and energy efficiency in buildings
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Which are the target groups of EDUCATE?

The target groups of the EDUCATE Action are:

• Students of Architecture
• Academics
• Professional Bodies
• Architects
• General public
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I am part of a target group. How will I get involved in EDUCATE?

• Students of architecture across Europe will be engaged in EDUCATE through the development of an integrated curriculum and will gain access to a vast body of technical knowledge via the EDUCATE web page and its downloadable documents.
• Academics across Europe will be involved through participation at events (workshops and symposia) and targeted communication. They will take on ownership and put in practice the developed pedagogical framework.
• Professional bodies will be directly involved in EDUCATE through dissemination of environmental knowledge towards continuing professional development (CPD) activities and through the proposition of homogeneous criteria for architectural qualification in Europe.
• Architects will be engaged through events (workshops and symposia), targeted communication, dissemination of knowledge and best practice, and continuing professional development via the EDUCATE web page.
• The public will be engaged via events (workshops and symposia) and via the EDUCATE web page, which will represent an open source for best practice in sustainable design.

To receive continuous updates on the developments of EDUCATE, relevant news and the monthly electronic newsletter, members of target groups can subscribe on https://www.educate-sustainability.eu/subscribe.php
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Will an EDUCATE event be held in my country?

Throughout the duration of the Action (2009–2012), the EDUCATE Consortium will run an Action event in each of the cities where the consortium partners are based.

The schedule for the EDUCATE events is as follows:

• Educational Workshop: July 2009, Nottingham (UK)
• Symposium: December 2009, Budapest (HU)
• Technical Workshop: July 2010, London (UK)
• Technical Workshop: January 2011, Seville (Spain)
• Educational Workshop: July 2011, Munich (Germany)
• Symposium: January 2011, Rome (Italy)
• Symposium: July 2012, Brussels (Belgium)
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The sole responsibility for the content of this webpage lies with the authors. It does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the European Communities. The European Commission is not responsible for any use that may be made of the information contained therein.

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