IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v17y2025i9p4170-d1649569.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Ten Aspects Concerning Educational Design Within Environmentally Sustainable Design Studios

Author

Listed:
  • Niranjika Wijesooriya

    (School of Architecture, Design and Planning, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia)

  • Arianna Brambilla

    (School of Architecture, Design and Planning, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia)

  • Lina Markauskaite

    (School of Education and Social Work, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia)

Abstract

Environmentally sustainable design (ESD) is the critical response in the building sector needed to mitigate ecological impacts caused by high resource consumption and enabling us to achieve sustainability targets. Education is crucial for sustainability, and architectural education has openly welcomed and introduced ESD studios into pedagogy. These sustainable studios possess both similarities and deviations from a conventional design studio, arousing interest among scholars. Hence, a growing body of knowledge is found, covering numerous important aspects of ESD educational design. Understanding the anatomy of an ESD studio–defined by unique characteristics, challenges, sustainability concepts, learning outcomes, underpinning learning theories, embodied educational design elements, design artefacts, and design thinking–are the major concerns for educators. An extensive literature review on ESD education projects within built environments revealed themes for these concerns, presented across ten aspects. The study is concluded with a synthesized concept map that could be used for pedagogical designs within ESD studios.

Suggested Citation

  • Niranjika Wijesooriya & Arianna Brambilla & Lina Markauskaite, 2025. "Ten Aspects Concerning Educational Design Within Environmentally Sustainable Design Studios," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 17(9), pages 1-25, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:17:y:2025:i:9:p:4170-:d:1649569
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/17/9/4170/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/17/9/4170/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Flavio Martins & Maria Fatima Almeida & Rodrigo Calili & Agatha Oliveira, 2020. "Design Thinking Applied to Smart Home Projects: A User-Centric and Sustainable Perspective," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(23), pages 1-27, December.
    2. Stanislav Avsec & Magdalena Jagiełło-Kowalczyk, 2021. "Investigating Possibilities of Developing Self-Directed Learning in Architecture Students Using Design Thinking," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(8), pages 1-25, April.
    3. Ehsan Daneshyar & Shahin Keynoush, 2023. "Developing Adaptive Curriculum for Slum Upgrade Projects: The Fourth Year Undergraduate Program Experience," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(6), pages 1-41, March.
    4. Marija Maruna, 2019. "Toward the Integration of SDGs in Higher Planning Education: Insights from Integrated Urbanism Study Program in Belgrade," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(17), pages 1-17, August.
    5. Magdalena Celadyn, 2020. "Integrative Design Classes for Environmental Sustainability of Interior Architectural Design," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(18), pages 1-18, September.
    6. Chieh-Hsin Tang, 2023. "Constructing Operational Methods for the Continuous Development of Design Concepts," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(11), pages 1-17, May.
    7. Katja Brundiers & Arnim Wiek, 2013. "Do We Teach What We Preach? An International Comparison of Problem- and Project-Based Learning Courses in Sustainability," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 5(4), pages 1-22, April.
    8. 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.
    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. Stanislav Avsec & Magdalena Jagiełło-Kowalczyk, 2021. "Investigating Possibilities of Developing Self-Directed Learning in Architecture Students Using Design Thinking," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(8), pages 1-25, April.
    2. Xiaodan Zhou & Ling-Hsiu Chen & Chin-Ling Chen, 2019. "Collaborative Learning by Teaching: A Pedagogy between Learner-Centered and Learner-Driven," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(4), pages 1-14, February.
    3. Chuhan Chen & Syarmila Hany Haron, 2023. "The Influence of Multistakeholder Value Cognition and Risk Attitudes on Sustainable Interior Landscape Design Decisions," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(3), pages 1-22, February.
    4. repec:osf:osfxxx:uq8t3_v1 is not listed on IDEAS
    5. Teresa Magraner & Isabel C. Gil-García & Ana Fernández-Guillamón, 2025. "Linking SDGs, Competencies, and Learning Outcomes: A Tool for Curriculum Alignment in Higher Education," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 17(19), pages 1-18, October.
    6. Shogo Kudo & Huma Mursaleen & Barry Ness & Masafumi Nagao, 2018. "Exercise on Transdisciplinarity: Lessons from a Field-Based Course on Rural Sustainability in an Aging Society," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(4), pages 1-14, April.
    7. Mojtaba Ashour & Amir Mahdiyar & Syarmila Hany Haron, 2021. "A Comprehensive Review of Deterrents to the Practice of Sustainable Interior Architecture and Design," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(18), pages 1-19, September.
    8. Ming Yuan Hsieh, 2020. "The Most Sustainable Niche Principles of Social Media Education in A Higher Education Contracting Era," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(1), pages 1-18, January.
    9. Kajetan Sadowski, 2021. "Implementation of the New European Bauhaus Principles as a Context for Teaching Sustainable Architecture," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(19), pages 1-21, September.
    10. Nicole Motzer & Aleta Rudeen Weller & K Curran & Simon Donner & Ronald J. Heustis & Cathy Jordan & Margaret Krebs & Lydia Olandar & Kirsten Rowell & Linda Silka & Diana H. Wall & Abigail York, 2021. "Integrating Programmatic Expertise from across the US and Canada to Model and Guide Leadership Training for Graduate Students in Sustainability," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(16), pages 1-20, August.
    11. Genbao Liu & Tengfei Zhao & Hong Yan & Han Wu & Fuming Wang, 2022. "Evaluation of Urban Green Building Design Schemes to Achieve Sustainability Based on the Projection Pursuit Model Optimized by the Atomic Orbital Search," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(17), pages 1-23, September.
    12. Schneidewind, Uwe & Singer-Brodowski, Mandy & Augenstein, Karoline & Stelzer, Franziska, 2016. "Pledge for a transformative science: A conceptual framework," Wuppertal Papers 191, Wuppertal Institute for Climate, Environment and Energy.
    13. Hartmut Derler & Simon Berner & Daniela Grach & Alfred Posch & Ulrike Seebacher, 2019. "Project-Based Learning in a Transinstitutional Research Setting: Case Study on the Development of Sustainable Food Products," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(1), pages 1-15, December.
    14. Bryn Durrans & Jonathan Whale & Martina Calais, 2020. "Benchmarking a Sustainable Energy Engineering Undergraduate Degree against Curriculum Frameworks and Pedagogy Standards from Industry and Academia," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(4), pages 1-32, February.
    15. Aleksandra Milovanović & Miloš Kostić & Ana Zorić & Aleksandra Đorđević & Mladen Pešić & Jovana Bugarski & Dejan Todorović & Neda Sokolović & Andrej Josifovski, 2020. "Transferring COVID-19 Challenges into Learning Potentials: Online Workshops in Architectural Education," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(17), pages 1-21, August.
    16. Madhavi P. Patil & Anosh Nadeem Butt & Carolina Rigoni & Ashraf M. Salama, 2025. "Integrating Circular Economy Principles into Architectural Design Pedagogy," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 17(20), pages 1-31, October.
    17. Andrea Micangeli & Vincenzo Naso & Emanuele Michelangeli & Apollonia Matrisciano & Francesca Farioli & Nicola P. Belfiore, 2014. "Attitudes toward Sustainability and Green Economy Issues Related to Some Students Learning Their Characteristics: A Preliminary Study," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 6(6), pages 1-20, May.
    18. Thomas-Julian Irabor & Peegdsom Simplice Assomption Yameogo & Lucille Perrin & Benoit Pétré & Daniel Faulx & Simon R. Ruëgg & Nicolas Antoine-Moussiaux, 2025. "Gaming for change - exploring systems thinking and sustainable practices through complexity-inspired game mechanics," Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 12(1), pages 1-14, December.
    19. Stanislav Avsec & Vesna Ferk Savec, 2022. "Mapping the Relationships between Self-Directed Learning and Design Thinking in Pre-Service Science and Technology Teachers," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(14), pages 1-28, July.
    20. Andrea L. Hicks, 2022. "The role of community‐based learning in teaching about industrial ecology and sustainability in the context of engineering education: A case study from the field," Journal of Industrial Ecology, Yale University, vol. 26(3), pages 1136-1146, June.
    21. Rebeka Kovačič Lukman & Vasja Omahne & Lobna Tag el Sheikh & Peter Glavič, 2021. "Integrating Sustainability into Logistics Oriented Education in Europe," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(4), pages 1-24, February.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    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:17:y:2025:i:9:p:4170-:d:1649569. 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.