IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v14y2022i12p7355-d839979.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Long-Term Experience of Teaching Life Cycle Assessment and Circular Design to Future Architects: A Learning by Doing Approach in a Design Studio Setting

Author

Listed:
  • Vanessa Gomes

    (Department of Architecture and Construction, School of Civil Engineering, Architecture and Urbanism, University of Campinas-UNICAMP, Campinas 13083-852, SP, Brazil)

  • Maristela Gomes da Silva

    (Technology Center, Federal University of Espírito Santo—UFES, Vitória 29075-910, ES, Brazil)

  • Doris Catharine Cornelie Knatz Kowaltowski

    (Department of Architecture and Construction, School of Civil Engineering, Architecture and Urbanism, University of Campinas-UNICAMP, Campinas 13083-852, SP, Brazil)

Abstract

Architects and urbanists help to shape the built environment, which is both highly impactful and indispensable to support the sustainable development of any society. Hence, they must not only have a basic understanding but also be trained to routinely incorporate sustainability checks into their design practice. Published pedagogical experience with teaching life cycle assessment (LCA) in higher education usually covers students with engineering backgrounds, often at the graduate level. No records of regular courses for architecture and urbanism undergraduates were found. After eight years of teaching, and involving 213 students, this paper shares experience and insights gained in the only undergraduate architecture and urbanism course in Brazil openly dedicated to teaching LCA and circular design metrics within the design studio atmosphere. To encourage and inspire other initiatives, the article emphasizes the last four course offers. The current course design is aligned with recent recommendations and international practice. Still, the total workload is insufficient to adequately tackle complex design objects. Students’ final grades across different years show improvements, but actual knowledge retention evaluation requires some post-course follow-up. We confirmed that undergraduate students can successfully apply LCA during design development with compatible additional effort if equipped with adequate tools. An online calculator was developed and is expected to allow expanded design experimentations in future editions.

Suggested Citation

  • Vanessa Gomes & Maristela Gomes da Silva & Doris Catharine Cornelie Knatz Kowaltowski, 2022. "Long-Term Experience of Teaching Life Cycle Assessment and Circular Design to Future Architects: A Learning by Doing Approach in a Design Studio Setting," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(12), pages 1-29, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:14:y:2022:i:12:p:7355-:d:839979
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/14/12/7355/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/14/12/7355/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Ernesto Antonini & Andrea Boeri & Massimo Lauria & Francesca Giglio, 2020. "Reversibility and Durability as Potential Indicators for Circular Building Technologies," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(18), pages 1-14, September.
    2. Alexander Wandl & Verena Balz & Lei Qu & Cecilia Furlan & Gustavo Arciniegas & Ulf Hackauf, 2019. "The Circular Economy Concept in Design Education: Enhancing Understanding and Innovation by Means of Situated Learning," Urban Planning, Cogitatio Press, vol. 4(3), pages 63-75.
    3. Walter R. Stahel, 2010. "The Performance Economy," Palgrave Macmillan Books, Palgrave Macmillan, edition 2, number 978-0-230-27490-7.
    4. Walter R. Stahel, 2010. "The Performance Economy," Palgrave Macmillan Books, Palgrave Macmillan, edition 0, number 978-0-230-28884-3.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Millar, Neal & McLaughlin, Eoin & Börger, Tobias, 2019. "The Circular Economy: Swings and Roundabouts?," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 158(C), pages 11-19.
    2. Á. Pereira & A. Carballo-Penela & A. Guerra & X. Vence, 2018. "Designing a policy package for the promotion of servicising: A case study of vineyard crop protection in Galicia (Spain)," Journal of Environmental Planning and Management, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 61(2), pages 348-369, January.
    3. Claudia Marcela Betancourt Morales & Jhon Wilder Zartha Sossa, 2020. "Circular economy in Latin America: A systematic literature review," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 29(6), pages 2479-2497, September.
    4. Mariale Moreno & Carolina De los Rios & Zoe Rowe & Fiona Charnley, 2016. "A Conceptual Framework for Circular Design," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 8(9), pages 1-15, September.
    5. Jing Shao, 2019. "Sustainable consumption in China: New trends and research interests," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 28(8), pages 1507-1517, December.
    6. Alessio Franconi & Fabrizio Ceschin & David Peck, 2022. "Structuring Circular Objectives and Design Strategies for the Circular Economy: A Multi-Hierarchical Theoretical Framework," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(15), pages 1-26, July.
    7. Cristina Sousa Rocha & Paula Antunes & Paulo Partidário, 2023. "Design for Circular Economy in a Strong Sustainability Paradigm," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(24), pages 1-30, December.
    8. Knošková Ľubica, 2020. "Circular Design and Consumer Involvement in Circular Economy," Studia Commercialia Bratislavensia, Sciendo, vol. 13(43), pages 25-34, March.
    9. Luigi Fusco Girard & Marilena Vecco, 2021. "The “Intrinsic Value” of Cultural Heritage as Driver for Circular Human-Centered Adaptive Reuse," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(6), pages 1-28, March.
    10. Massimiliano Borrello & Stefano Pascucci & Luigi Cembalo, 2020. "Three Propositions to Unify Circular Economy Research: A Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(10), pages 1-22, May.
    11. Marina P. P. Pieroni & Tim C. McAloone & Daniela C. A. Pigosso, 2019. "Configuring New Business Models for Circular Economy through Product–Service Systems," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(13), pages 1-22, July.
    12. Isabel Mendes, 2020. "The Circular Economy: an Ancient Term that Became Polysemic," Working Papers Department of Economics 2020/02, ISEG - Lisbon School of Economics and Management, Department of Economics, Universidade de Lisboa.
    13. Doussoulin, Jean Pierre & Bittencourt, Mariana, 2022. "How effective is the construction sector in promoting the circular economy in Brazil and France? : A waste input-output analysis," Structural Change and Economic Dynamics, Elsevier, vol. 60(C), pages 47-58.
    14. Korhonen, Jouni & Honkasalo, Antero & Seppälä, Jyri, 2018. "Circular Economy: The Concept and its Limitations," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 143(C), pages 37-46.
    15. Costel Negrei & Nicolae Istudor, 2018. "Circular Economy – Between Theory and Practice," The AMFITEATRU ECONOMIC journal, Academy of Economic Studies - Bucharest, Romania, vol. 20(48), pages 498-498.
    16. Fehrer, Julia A. & Wieland, Heiko, 2021. "A systemic logic for circular business models," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 125(C), pages 609-620.
    17. Ke Xing & Ki Pyung Kim & David Ness, 2020. "Cloud-BIM Enabled Cyber-Physical Data and Service Platforms for Building Component Reuse," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(24), pages 1-22, December.
    18. repec:aud:audfin:v:20:y:2018:i:48:p:498 is not listed on IDEAS
    19. Daniela M. Salvioni & Alex Almici, 2020. "Transitioning Toward a Circular Economy: The Impact of Stakeholder Engagement on Sustainability Culture," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(20), pages 1-30, October.
    20. Erik G. Hansen & Ferdinand Revellio, 2020. "Circular value creation architectures: Make, ally, buy, or laissez‐faire," Journal of Industrial Ecology, Yale University, vol. 24(6), pages 1250-1273, December.
    21. Haradhan Kumar MOHAJAN, 2020. "Circular Economy can Provide a Sustainable Global Society," Journal of Economic Development, Environment and People, Alliance of Central-Eastern European Universities, vol. 9(3), pages 38-62, September.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:14:y:2022:i:12:p:7355-:d:839979. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.