INTEGRATING SUSTAINABILITY CONCEPT INTO ARCHITECTURAL EDUCATION

Architecture is one of the oldest professions of the world. It makes possible to generate shelters which are satisfying the unavoidable necessity of surviving for human beings. When the main subject area of architecture is a simple shelter, like an igloo, the user also acts like an architect and design for her/himself. However, with changing life styles and developing technologies, expectations from shelters have increased and this increase generated the need for an architect.

Architecture is based on the architectural design process. Architectural design leans on both tangible elements like; materials, structure, construction, cost, etc. and intangible elements like; psychology, time, space, etc. Architectural design mainly consists of 3 sub-processes; conceptual design, detail design, and construction. In conceptual design sub-process, which is mainly related with intangible elements, the architect generates a creative solution for the design problem. In construction sub-process, which is mainly related with tangible elements, the conceptual design idea is materialized. The material form of the design idea, in other word the building, is located in the nature and is affected by the natural factors. Hence in detail design sub-process the future behaviours of the building elements under the environmental factors are studied. These behaviours are called as the performance requirements; strength and stability, thermal and visual comfort, acoustical control, aesthetics etc. Until 1990s the importance of sustainability performance in detail design sub-process hasn’t been taken into account. Sustainability performance defines the long-term well-being of both the buildings and the natural environment thus it should be taken into consideration in the architectural design process. Almost 30% of all energy produced is consumed in the buildings. Attempts like the EU’s Horizon 2020 is trying to reduce this amount but it is lowering slower than planned. One of the reasons of this slowness in the reduction is related with the lack of knowledge of architects about the sustainability performance. It is also observed that the programmes of the architectural schools don’t equip the students with enough information about sustainability. During the course of the architectural education process, the knowledge and skills of 'sustainable and low-energy building production' acquired up to the 7th semester of the program should be questioned and improved. It is considered that the situation in which course catalogs in the department program are examined and the content research is carried out does not overlap with the sustainable design practice developed in practice.

In this study, the system data of the shell obtained from the construction project lesson in three different periods will be analyzed and the release of the harmful gases will be calculated during creation / formation and use. Thus, both the current state of sustainability of architectural education and low-carbon design will be identified and a method for improving this results will be proposed / developed. This development in architectural education is aimed at an educational model for architects at the center of construction activities to design more environmentally friendly constructions. Reduction of natural resources in the world increases the importance of this model for the architectural education process on which construction activities are based.