Developing Awareness about the Role of Cycling Infrastructure in Sustainability: Experiences from Architectural Design Studio

Abstract

The sustainability performance of university campuses plays an important role in improving their users' quality of life and raising generations with sustainability awareness. The Green University Index (UI Greenmetric) is known as an instrument for measuring the sustainability performance of universities. By using environmentally friendly means of transport and creating education plans that prioritise sustainability, universities can meet the criteria set out in the Green University Index. In this context, it is important that architecture students are adequately equipped to incorporate environmentally friendly designs and low-carbon alternative modes of transport such as bicycles into their living environment. Architecture education harbours considerable potential for the theoretical and practical communication of sustainability principles to students. In particular, the design studio environment enables students to develop their thinking and production skills in the context of environmental, social and economic sustainability. Within the scope of this study, the architectural design studio processes carried out with first year students of the Architecture Department of Niğde Ömer Halisdemir University and the gains gained by the students from these processes were discussed based on the necessity of the architectural design studio to create sustainability awareness among the students. As a result of the study, suggestions were made for architectural design studio processes through a survey. It was emphasised that informal learning processes should be supported, that users' experiences should be taken into consideration in the creation of the architectural requirements programme and that three-dimensional representation tools such as terrain models, vegetation figures and human figures should be used effectively.

Keywords

• Architectural design studio
• Cycling infrastructure
• Sustainability
• Informal learning
• UI Greenmetric

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