Higher education, universities and especially schools of architecture, have an important role and a specific potential in societies' transition towards sustainable development (SD). New forms of teaching and learning, fostering specific SD related competences through experience-based and participatory learning processes with a holistic, pluridisciplinary view on sustainability, can strengthen their role in this transformation process. New approaches in the field of research and innovation like open innovation processes and Living Lab ecosystems can overlap with these advanced SD related teaching and learning activities to mutual benefit from generated synergies. Based on these premises, the following hypothesis has been established: Living Labs in Architecture can be efficient tools for teaching and learning about SD at universities, with focus on sustainable architecture and life style, besides their important role as infrastructures for applied research and collaborative innovation between university, companies and society. As knowledge dissemination tools and activities platforms they can contribute to ESD and the outreach of university, fostering holistically the paradigm shift of society towards sustainability. In order to conduct this research theoretical and practical approaches have been combined: - In the first part theories of ESD and the phenomena of Living Labs in architecture are reviewed. - In the second part case studies are presented in order to understand the historic development of prototype architecture related to research and teaching in sustainability and the recent appearance of Architecture Living Labs. - In the third part similarities between the frameworks of ESD and Architecture Living Labs are identified and a classification tool for related projects is developed. - In the fourth part the specific case study of Living Lab LOW3, an action research project of ETSAV (UPC), directed by the author, is documented and evaluated. Overall objective is to contribute to the understanding of the role, which can have Living Lab projects in architecture for the necessary shift towards a participative and transdisciplinary educational model in the EHEA, which brings together theory and practice, teaching, research and innovation, fostering a holistic transition towards a more sustainable society. The mayor findings of this work are the followings: - Living Labs enclose diverse projects or initiatives, which have in common some specific characteristics, but differ widely in applied methodologies and tools according to their objectives, stakeholders and context among many other factors. - Tools for their classification can contribute to the understanding of their characteristics and potential in different disciplines e.g. architecture as well as in a specific context like higher education. - ESD education for architects and related disciplines seem to benefit from the concept of Living Labs in architecture as this type of projects allow the application of specific teaching and learning methodologies, which foster ESD skills and abilities and competences. - Field studies of Living Lab projects in architecture show a series of strength and weaknesses of the concept regarding organization and management, integration into the established academic settings or sustainability of projects over time, which need to be addressed and overcome in order to more widely integrate Living Labs as educational tools in HE in the future.

This book presents the results of a multi-annual project with sustainable Living Labs in the United Kingdom, Sweden, Germany and the Netherlands. Living Labs – as initiated by the authors – have proved to be very promising research, design, co-creation and communication facilities for the development and implementation of sustainable innovations in the home. The book provides an inspiring introduction to both the methodology and business modelling for the Living Lab facilities. Understanding daily living at home is key to designing products and services that support households in their transition to more sustainable lifestyles. This book not only explores new ways of gaining insights into daily practices, but also discusses developing and testing design methods to create sustainable solutions for households. These new methods and tools are needed because those available are either ineffective or cause rebound-effects. Intended for researchers and designers with an interest in the transition to sustainable lifestyles, it also appeals to company leaders interested in new ways of developing sustainable innovations and offers suggestions for effectively applying Living Labs for sustainable urban development.

Facility performance evaluations inform the long-term life of a building and do not end with design or construction. To this aim, Patricia Andrasik created LEED Lab, in collaboration with the US Green Building Council, an increasingly popular international interdisciplinary collegiate laboratory course, which utilizes campus buildings as demonstration sites to facilitate the green assessment of existing buildings. LEED Lab: A Model for Sustainable Design Education uses the LEED O+M building rating system to measure and achieve performance-driven campus facilities in which the readers work and operate. The book explains in simple terms the theory, tasks, tools and techniques necessary for credit implementation and achievement, and includes case studies and exercises for practical application in each chapter. Readers will learn the conceptual scientific framework used to understand existing operational performance and how to quantify sustainable synergies, create green campus policies with administrators, and understand systems such as energy and water in a research-based application. The entire manual is accompanied by a vast online ‘Teaching Toolkit’ to provide helpful educational resources such as syllabi, lectures, examinations, assignments, Individual Student Progress Presentation (ISSP) templates, web resources, and much more. An excellent guide for undergraduate or graduate students enrolled in LEED Lab or a similar campus building assessment course, as well as construction or architectural professionals and facility managers, this manual navigates the complexities of using a green building diagnostic tool such as LEED O+M towards greater environmental literacy.

This book is a guide to energy efficiency and environmental impact assessment in high-performance buildings projects. It compares four state-of-the-art buildings to examine the steps needed for a transition from negative impact reduction architecture to positive impact regenerative architecture, utilizing life cycle analysis. The book provides a solid grounding in the areas of energy-efficient building and building materials life-cycle assessment, discussing carbon efficiency within a wider context that includes its technical, socio-cultural and environmental dimensions and covers the key areas for green buildings performance (operational and embodied energy). The analysis and comparison of four case studies of state-of-art modern building projects in Europe and North America serve as inspiring examples for architects and building professionals in the fields of high performance buildings, ecological materials and carbon efficiency.

This Handbook approaches sustainable development in higher education from an integrated perspective, addressing the dearth of publications on the subject. It offers a unique overview of what universities around the world are doing to implement sustainable development (i.e. via curriculum innovation, research, activities, or practical projects) and how their efforts relate to education for sustainable development at the university level. The Handbook gathers a wealth of information, ideas, best practices and lessons learned in the context of executing concrete projects, and assesses methodological approaches to integrating the topic of sustainable development in university curricula. Lastly, it documents and disseminates the veritable treasure trove of practical experience currently available on sustainability in higher education.

This book contributes to debates on current sustainability practices, with a focus on assessment tools as applied in higher education institutions. These institutions are challenged to carry out management, research, and teaching, and to create settings that allow developing new competencies to address the complex global environmental, social, cultural, and economic pressures with which current and future generations are confronted. The first chapters discuss issues of sustainability in higher education, namely the role of universities in promoting sustainability and the emergent fields of sustainability science and education for sustainable development and how to integrate and motivate sustainability into the university. Subsequent chapters present examples of sustainability assessment tools specifically developed for higher education institutions, such as the AISHE – Auditing Instrument for Sustainability in Higher Education, the GASU – Graphical Assessment of Sustainability in Universities too, the STAUNCH – Sustainability tool for Auditing Universities Curricula in Higher Education. The use of other integrated tools are also presented. The papers have adopted a pragmatic approach, characterized by conceptual descriptions, including sustainability assessment and reorienting the curricula, on the one hand, and practical experiences on the other, with good practices from different edges of the world. Sustainability Assessment Tools in Higher Education Institutions will be of interest to graduate student, lecturers, researchers, and those setting university policy.