Chalmers University of Technology awarded major sustainability prize for innovative pedagogical work on Design Activism
A team from the Department for Architecture and Civil Engineering (ACE) at ENHANCE member Chalmers University of Technology has been awarded the ‘Award for Innovation in Architectural Education’ by the International Union of Architects (UIA).
The submission features a selection of interconnected design studios within the Master’s programme Architecture and Planning Beyond Sustainability (MPDSD) and innovative pedagogical work on Design Activism. The focus of the programme is on methods and design approaches for contextualised solutions for a sustainable future.
The UIA jury applauded the work for its “emphasis on knowledge progression and skills application in a variety of relevant contexts through experience-based learning and the development of hyper-local solutions for real-world problems.”
The MPDSD programme was established in 2008 and aims to push beyond conventional approaches to sustainability, supporting students to use co-creation methodologies and interdisciplinary approaches to tackle real world problems.
The award-winning projects will be exhibited at the UIA Education Commission Exhibition during the 28th UIA World Congress in Copenhagen, Denmark, 3-6 July 2023.
Transdisciplinary Education and Research in ENHANCE
This programme is exemplary of projects being developed across the ENHANCE member universities to foster closer cooperation between science and society and explore interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary approaches to education and research.
As an Alliance, ENHANCE member universities are also working together to explore how transdisciplinary approaches can be better supported. Through collaborative activities with societal stakeholders, engagement with policy makers and exchange between our universities we aim to identify relevant institutional and structural supporting measures, understand potential barriers, and in doing so support the further development of transdisciplinary projects.
The nature of major societal challenges we face today requires a transdisciplinary approach if we are to find sustainable solutions. In ENHANCE a number of activities have been developed to help promote this approach and offer opportunities for students, researchers, professors and other teaching staff to explore this topic and apply it in their own work.
Want to know more?
If you want to know more about what ENHANCE is doing in the area of transdisciplinary education and research, you can check out some of our recent activities and reports in this field:
- Sustainable development through transdisciplinary research in the ENHANCERIA project
- ENHANCE Toolkit on Transdisciplinary Education and Science
- ENHANCE Transdisciplinary Project Catalyst
And you can find out more about the MPDSD programme at Chalmers and the award-winning projects here
