The Experience of Developing a Module on Energy-Efficient Buildings for Architecture Students

Abstract

This paper presents a practical experience of developing a module on energy-efficient buildings for architecture students. The module was developed by a team of staff from the Islamic University of Gaza (IUG) and Vienna University of Technology (TU Wien) as part of an academic partnership project funded by APPEAR program and Austrian Development Cooperation (ADC). The study highlights the various steps followed by the teams to develop the module and then integrate it into the curriculum of the architecture department at IUG. The development of the module contents, including the theoretical and practical parts, was also presented. In addition, the paper focuses on the evaluation processes carried out by different bodies at IUG to find out to what extent the module development and implementation were successful. The results clearly indicate that the developed module contributed considerably to promote energy-efficient approach of building design and construction. And significantly succeeded to increase the students’ knowledge and improved their skills in creating such type of buildings.