Sustainable by Design

(3 Credit Hours) · Undergraduate

The course will focus on sustainable strategies and how to make them an integral part of the design process and our living. Throughout the course we will evaluate sustainable principles and how they relate to global, ecological, urban, built, material and cultural parameters. During the course there will be ongoing discussions about climate, energy issues, behavioral change and sustainable values. We will discuss the ways in which sustainability is evaluated in both the private and public sectors in Denmark and abroad. We will investigate sustainable initiatives local to Copenhagen, while looking at a variety of sustainable approaches. We will synthesize common themes and threads. The course will cover orientation, siting and appropriation of place and materials. We will look at passive and active design strategies, as well as solar geometry and daylighting. We will investigate water efficiency and how it relates to energy, climate adaptation, food production and waste. And we will look into our ecological footprint as human beings, social entrepreneurship, innovative business concepts and new green movements in society.