Lecture

Introduction to Sustainable Development and Sustainable Construction

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In course

CIVIL-474: Civil engineering teaching unit: Sustainable construction

La conformité de la construction aux principes du développement durable requiert de l'ingénieur et de l'architecte la maîtrise de compétences multidisciplinaires. A l'issue du cours, les étudiants acquerront les bases théoriques et pratiques pour évaluer l ...

Description

This lecture introduces the concept of Sustainable Development, tracing its historical evolution from the Club of Rome's report in 1972 to the emergence of the Sustainable Construction concept. It covers the critical transition from Sustainable Development to Sustainable Construction, emphasizing the need for a balance between economic growth and environmental preservation. The lecture also explores the pillars of Sustainable Development - Society, Environment, and Economy - and their interplay in achieving a development that meets the needs of present generations without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.

Instructors (3)

Edgard Gnansounou

1983 Ing. Civil EPFL
1991 Dr ès Sciences techniques, EPFL
Directeur du Laboratoire de systèmes énergétiques (LASEN) de 2003 à 2008
Dès 2008, Responsable du groupe de Recherche en Bioénergie et Planification énergétique
Co-fondateur du bureau d'étude ENERS Energy Concept
Président de la Fondation SUD (Solidarités Universitaires pour le Développement)

Je suis membre de différentes associations professionnelles parmi lesquelles figuent le Conseil Mondial de l'énergie (CME) et l'Association internationale pour l'économie de l'énergie (AIEE). Comme membre du groupe d'étude du CME sur les vulnérabilités, j'ai développé les métriques utilisées pour évaluer la vulnérabilité énergétique des pays industrialisés. Depuis janvier 2008 : membre du Comité d'édition du journal international Bioresource Technology. Depuis 2009: membre du Comité de la "European Biofuels Technology Platform"

Alain Nussbaumer

Expertise Metallic structuresStructural glassFatigue and fracture mechanicsAssessment of existing structuresUltra low cycle Teaching & PhD Past EPFL PhD Students Luís Costa Borges, Claire Acevedo, Nariman Maddah, Farshid Zamiri Akhlaghi, Manuel Santarsiero, Luca D'Angelo, Cláudio Alexandre Pereira Baptista, Albano António Sousa, Jagoda Cupac, Ardalan Hosseini, Martin Garcia, Hossein Heydarinouri, Jian Zhan Past EPFL PhD Students as codirector Marina Rocha Courses Design of steel structures CIVIL-2

Jan Wienold

Expertise DaylightingVisual ComfortBuilding Performance SimulationIntegrated DesignZero Energy Buildings Dr. Jan Wienold is a leading expert in daylight research, visual comfort, and building performance simulation. His work focuses on understanding how daylight affects human perception and well-being, and on translating this knowledge into tools, metrics, and standards that shape climate-responsive and user-centered building design. He is internationally recognized for developing the Daylight Glare Probabi

Official source

Related concepts (32)

Sustainable gardening

Sustainable gardening includes the more specific sustainable landscapes, sustainable landscape design, sustainable landscaping, sustainable landscape architecture, resulting in sustainable sites. It comprises a disparate group of horticultural interests that can share the aims and objectives associated with the international post-1980s sustainable development and sustainability programs developed to address that humans are now using natural biophysical resources faster than they can be replenished by nature.

Sustainable design

Environmentally sustainable design (also called environmentally conscious design, eco-design, etc.) is the philosophy of designing physical objects, the built environment, and services to comply with the principles of ecological sustainability and also aimed at improving the health and comfort of occupants in a building. Sustainable design seeks to reduce negative impacts on the environment, the health and well-being of building occupants, thereby improving building performance.

Sustainable development

Sustainable development is an organizing principle that aims to meet human development goals while also enabling natural systems to provide necessary natural resources and ecosystem services to humans. The desired result is a society where living conditions and resources meet human needs without undermining the planetary integrity and stability of the natural system. Sustainable development tries to find a balance between economic development, environmental protection, and social well-being.

Environmentalism

Environmentalism or environmental rights is a broad philosophy, ideology, and social movement about supporting life, habitats, and surroundings. While environmentalism focuses more on the environmental and nature-related aspects of green ideology and politics, ecologism combines the ideology of social ecology and environmentalism. Ecologism is more commonly used in continental European languages, while environmentalism is more commonly used in English but the words have slightly different connotations.

Environmental issues

Environmental issues are disruptions in the usual function of ecosystems. Further, these issues can be caused by humans (human impact on the environment) or they can be natural. These issues are considered serious when the ecosystem cannot recover in the present situation, and catastrophic if the ecosystem is projected to certainly collapse. Environmental protection is the practice of protecting the natural environment on the individual, organizational or governmental levels, for the benefit of both the environment and humans.

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