Inclusion of Sustainability Concepts in Architectural Education The Current and Expected Situation in Egypt

Salah Gharib, Mohamed; George Mikhael, Maged; Ahmed Aboushal, Esraa

doi:10.21608/erj.2022.259425

Inclusion of Sustainability Concepts in Architectural Education The Current and Expected Situation in Egypt

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

¹ Assistant professor, High Institute for Engineering and Technology at El Beheira (BHI), Architectural Department - Egypt

² Assistant Professor, The Higher Canadian Institute for Engineering at 6th October (CIC), Architectural Department – Egypt

³ Assistant professor, High Institute for Engineering and Technology at El Beheira (BHI), Architectural Department - Egypt.

10.21608/erj.2022.259425

Abstract

Technology is the actual motor for sustainable development. The construction industry is witnessing an unprecedented technological boom in materials, tools, and methods of execution which necessitates good preparation for newly graduated architects to deal with these technologies, be aware of the sustainable development principles and use the most contemporary techniques to apply these principles. This analytical survey research aims at studying the inclusion of sustainable development principles in the credit hours architectural programs in Egyptian universities in the light of the last National Academic Reference Standards (NARS-2018) and its learning outcomes (LOs.). The authors analyzed three Egyptian architectural programs (Cairo, Helwan, and Benha universities) and compared the results with three international programs in (MIT-USA, Bath-UK, and Malaya-Malaysia). The survey included the principal educational process parties – students, instructors, and courses curricula – to examine the achievement of the related necessary skills and competencies in these programs. The comparison and survey declared that although the recent Egyptian programs emphasize the sustainability concepts and principles in different courses, the application in the professional field still waits for more regardless of some individual efforts from a few academic staff members. Thus, more enhancements in courses curricula – especially in architectural design and planning courses -, methods of learning and applications are crucial to coping with the needs of applying sustainable development principles in the professional field.

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