Introducing sustainability into the architecture curriculum in the United States

Abstract

A brief review of the five collateral organizations that influence architectural education in the USA and their priorities indicate they may have reached the point of recognizing that sustainability is a core issue of architecture. To reflect this recognition, sustainability will need to be integrated into the architecture curriculum. The question is now one of how to achieve integration. Differing approaches to introducing sustainability into an architectural program are proposed and examined. They range from assuming sustainability already permeates the curriculum by its nature and therefore is integrated, expanding the existing courses concerning environmental systems, and revising the entire curriculum to fully integrate into each subject. To assist in the task of integration, criteria are proposed. The task of integrating sustainability is not to be understated, but if architectural education and practice is to focus beyond state and national levels a global responsibility will need to be assumed.