Sustainability in Architectural Education

On June 30, 2000 two dozen representatives of various design-related organizations (joined by deans from some of the nation’s leading architecture schools via video teleconference) met at the World Resources Institute in Washington, D.C. to discuss

sustainability in architectural education. The event was organized by The American Institute of Architects’ Committee on the Environment and WRI, and included a panel discussion sponsored by

Architectural Record magazine. A model for the discussion was research conducted by WRI on environmental education at business schools, which suggests that at least some schools are highly responsive to public rankings of their green performance. Topics of debate included whether sustainable design is best taught in classes dedicated to that subject or integrated into standard design studies, and whether there is merit to ensuring that students master basic design skills before introducing them to the raft of environmental considerations. An interesting twist suggested by Rosalie Genevro of the Architectural League of New York, and reinforced by others, is that what the U.S. design profession really lacks is creative mechanical engineers! It was noted that since World War II, engineering education in the U.S. has focused on industrial applications, and thus mechanical engineers learn only about equipment, while in Europe engineers are still taught about the buildings themselves.