Environmental Awareness

Abstract

University studies for the architecture degree in Spain give very little weight to considerations related to the design of a healthy interior environment. The low number of subjects related to interior comfort criteria may cause the student to underestimate the importance of environmental design of closed spaces in favor of aesthetic or merely functional aspects. However, there is a direct relationship between formal design decisions and environmental conditions in buildings, and future architects must understand those connections in order to make designs that combine efficiency and high aesthetic value. In this chapter, several pedagogical strategies are presented to get architecture students to learn and internalize the link between design and interior conditions, aiming at the acquisition of an adequate environmental awareness.