Urban Energy Technical Note 09: University Curriculum Development

The transition towards clean energy and sustainable use of resources calls upon all stakeholders across different sectors of society to make fundamental changes. While significant efforts need to be made to create awareness and build the capacity of existing practitioners in the building sector, future professionals in the sector should receive targeted training that will give them the skills and tools they need planning, designing and building sustainable human settlements.

The ideal approach is to incorporate the principles of integrated design, including energy and resource efficiency, into the existing curriculum rather than making it a separate course. However in cases where environmental design principles are completely lacking in the curriculum, a new course in Environmental Building Science should be introduced.