Architecture Students’ Understanding of Building Sustainability: A Cross-Institutional Perspective
Architecture plays a decisive role in shaping a sustainable built environment, making sustainability literacy an essential competency for future architects. Architecture students must develop a comprehensive understanding of sustainable building practices to effectively respond to environmental, social, and technological challenges. While previous studies have examined students’ sustainability awareness, many have been constrained by narrow institutional scopes and limited analytical depth. This research addresses these gaps by investigating architecture students’ perspectives on key building sustainability practices through a broader, multi-country and methodologically robust approach.
Sustainability Knowledge Gaps in Architectural Education
Despite the growing integration of sustainability concepts into architectural education, inconsistencies remain in students’ depth of understanding across different sustainability dimensions. Identifying these knowledge gaps is critical for aligning academic curricula with professional and environmental demands. This section focuses on the need to move beyond general sustainability awareness and toward a structured evaluation of how students perceive and prioritize various building sustainability practices within their academic learning.
Methodological Framework and Survey Design
The study adopts a quantitative research design grounded in a questionnaire survey administered primarily to undergraduate architecture students. Data were collected from 203 respondents across eight institutions in six countries, ensuring a diverse and representative academic context. This topic outlines the survey structure, the rationale for selecting key sustainability constructs, and the advantages of employing a cross-institutional dataset to capture broader educational trends in architectural sustainability learning.
Perceived Relevance of Key Sustainability Practices
Analysis of survey responses reveals that students perceive ‘Energy’, ‘Passive and Biophilic Design’, and ‘Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ)’ as the most relevant practices contributing to building sustainability. This section examines why these dimensions resonate strongly with students, reflecting contemporary discourse in architectural education and practice. The findings indicate that topics with strong visibility in design studios and professional narratives are more clearly understood and valued by students.
PLS-SEM Analysis of Sustainability Constructs
To examine the relationships between building sustainability and various architectural practices, the study employs Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM). Significant relationships are identified between building sustainability and constructs such as ‘Building Materials’, ‘Health Interventions’, ‘Energy’, ‘Safety and Security’, and ‘Passive and Biophilic Design’. This topic discusses how these statistically significant associations suggest clearer conceptual understanding among students, while weaker relationships point to areas requiring pedagogical reinforcement.
Curriculum Implications and Educational Recommendations
Based on the analytical findings, the study proposes targeted recommendations for enhancing architecture curricula. Greater emphasis is needed on underrepresented sustainability attributes to ensure a balanced and holistic educational framework. Strengthening theoretical clarity, practical application, and interdisciplinary integration within sustainability education can empower architecture students to act as effective agents of sustainable change. This research ultimately supports improved sustainability learning outcomes and reinforces the role of architectural education in advancing a more sustainable built environment.
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