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Working Groups extending the state-of-the-art
Universities have responsibility and great opportunity to advance the goal of sustainability. This includes the practical implementation of cutting-edge knowledge on sustainability into the design and operation of their campus. By such programs, a full ‘sustainability immersion’ of students can be achieved with ‘buildings that teach,’ with the campus serving as a field test site for new product and process innovations. The International Sustainable Campus Network aims at maximizing the impact of latest developments in this field by facilitating an experience exchange between leading universities around the globe. A key element in this knowledge exchange and awareness raising will be the International Sustainable Campus Award. In addition, the network’s members have committed to together explore and extend the current forefront of knowledge on sustainable campus and construction standards, on financial and decision mechanisms for sustainable campus design, and on sustainability change management for universities.
Working Group I – International Sustainable Campus Awards
This group is developing criteria and process guidelines for an international awards scheme on excellence in sustainable campus development. Taking into account existing regional and national schemes such as the UK’s Green Gown Awards, the group will develop an award suitable for a world-wide competition. In addition to raising awareness on sustainable campus issues, the competitions will allow the development of a library of best-practice case studies based on the submissions over time.
Co-chairs: Leith Sharp (Harvard), Claude Siegenthaler (Hosei, Tokyo)
Further group members: Tillmann Cosack and Klaus Helling (Environmental Campus Birkenfeld), Peter Hopkinson (HEEPI, UK), Bart Meehan (Australian National University), Julie Newman (Yale), Eddi Omcren (Göteborg University)
Working Group II – Standards and Best Practice
There are a number of sustainable building standards in different regions of the world, some of them more or less closely related and some of them very different from each other. It would not be useful to have a single global sustainable construction standard replacing these regional ones, as standards need to be responsive of regional conditions, and traditions. However, the group aims at facilitating experience exchange between projects based on different standards and a global dialogue on how to develop standard further in the light of recent best-practice examples.
Co-chairs: Bart Meehan (Australian National University), Roland Stulz (Novatlantis)
Further group members: Austin Andrade (Representative of Angola at ETH Zurich), Edward Denton (University of California , Berkeley), Manfred Hegger (Technical University , Darmstadt), Paul MacArtain (Dundalk Institute of Technology), Joe Mullinix (National University of Singapore), Odilo Schoch (Schoch Architectural Services)
Working Group III – Financial and Decision Mechanisms
Sustainable campus development and operation is still often hampered by inflexible budgeting processes, separating initial capital budgets for construction from ongoing operations budgets. Current best practice and future options for e.g. better including life-cycle costing and optimizing decision procedures are explored.
Co-chairs: Erika Meins (CCRS, Zurich), Frances Dyke (University of Oregon)
Further group members: Austin Andrade (Representative of Angola at ETH Zurich), Hans-Peter Burkhard (CCRS), Jacog Hojbjerre (Danish University & Property), Dong-Bin Huang (ETH Zurich), Benni Zemann (BFH)
Working Group IV – Change Management and Education for Sustainability
Establishing a sustainability culture in university environments needs multiple initiatives in teaching, research, and planning that have to be well in sync with each other. This includes curriculum development, student exchange programs, and university sustainability management systems. The group will explore best practices and challenges for the future.
Co-chairs: Katja Brundiers (seed sustainability, Zurich), Per Lundquist (KTH Stockholm)
Further group members: Roger Baud (ETHsustainability), Roland Brouwer Polytechnique Mania, Mozambique), Peter Hopkinson (HEEP, UK), Eddi Omcren (Göteborg University), Juan Reiser (PUC Peru), Claude Siegenthaler (Hosei, Tokyo)
Results achieved by these groups will be presented at the
2nd Conference of the International Sustainable Campus Network
April 23-25, 2008, Zurich
Please save the date if you are interested in current developments in sustainable campus issues.
Article appeared in Weltexpress about the ISCN Conference 2009 in Lausanne(German)
The ISCN/GULF Conference Summary 2009 is now available for download.
