SDG through Eyes of Architecture
International University of Sarajevo (IUS) has been implementing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in its curriculum for several years. Courses dealing with sustainability topics, such as ecology, renewable energy sources, micro and macroeconomics, globalization and sustainable development, resource management, waste management, gender equality, etc., were gradually introduced to the majority of IUS study programs.
The Architecture study program was among the first to start incorporating the SDG topics into its curriculum.
In the Spring Semester 2023, Building Systems II (ARCH211) course was offered with a special emphasis on sustainability. The students learned how to integrate passive and active energy systems into the design of several buildings around the globe. After learning about different natural and artificial lighting, heating, cooling, and ventilation systems, the students were divided into teams to work on the design of specific projects. They were free to select the climate zone to locate their building sites. The locations ranged from Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Istanbul, Turkiye to Singapore and Syria.
The course was taught by Dr. Tarek El-Akkad with the aim of enriching the Architecture study program and its students with additional knowledge, values and skills, and raising awareness among students about the importance of the concept of sustainability, and its application in architecture.
In addition to offering professional knowledge, this course also had an additional educational role: to guide and equip students for further action in society and everyday life.
As Dr. Tarek El-Akkad said: "The application of the concept of sustainable development in everyday life is a long-term and complex process. Sustainable development education is not a one-time course, but constant learning and teaching people to live and act in a way that contributes to sustainable development. In order to achieve a sustainable future, it is necessary to continuously strengthen awareness of the necessity for sustainable development, and the need to educate the future generations about sustainable development."
