Sustainability in architecture curriculum: Implications of the sustainability concept in the professional profile and the syllabus of architecture programs in Latin America

Abstract

Architectural education and professional practice must be in line with the necessities and social, economic and environmental tendencies of its context, with sustainable development as a framework. This condition is relevant in the Latin-American community, where architectural education is one of the main factors of opportunity for the future transformation of the built environment by means of the definition of scientific and technical skills aiming for sustainable design. An analysis of the official curriculum of 595 architecture programs in 19 Latin American countries determined the current panorama of integration of sustainability in the training of architects. The analysis process classified the architecture programs in four categories according to the level of integration of sustainability into their official curriculum: null integration, additional integration, theoretical integration, and practical integration in the design studio. Results show that only 7% of currently offered architecture programs in Latin America explicitly declare in its official curriculum training skills in sustainable design practices of its graduates, 45% integrate sustainability into their theoretical contents and 48% do not integrate sustainability into the formation of their architects.