“AUS Debates”: Sustainability Education for Architects

Last Monday, February 16, we held the first session of the “AUS Debates”, a new format promoted by the Association of Architects for Sustainability to create spaces for exchange, reflection, and debate around the current challenges of the profession.

This first session, focused on sustainability education for architects, brought together professionals from different fields—public administration, academia, and professional practice—with the aim of contrasting the sector’s real needs and opening a shared discussion on the role of education in the current context of climate emergency.

A first session to open the debate

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The session, moderated by Jaume Valor, professor at ETSAB and member of AUS, was structured in two parts: an initial series of short presentations followed by an open debate with participation from attendees.

The starting point was clear: to assess to what extent current architectural education responds to the sustainability challenges facing the sector, and how it can be improved through professional practice, academia, and public policy.

The session featured contributions from Fernando Aranda (Housing Directorate – INCASÒL [presentation]), Eloi Juvillà (Barcelona Provincial Council [presentation]), Albert Gassull (Barcelona Metropolitan Area [presentation]), Eulàlia Figuerola (Green Building Council España [presentation]), Jaime Blanco (ETSAB [presentation]), and Albert Cuchí (former president of AUS and former director of ETSAV [presentation]), who provided a cross-cutting perspective on the topic, from the definition of public policies to academic and professional realities, highlighting both the progress made and the existing shortcomings.

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Following the presentations, a participatory debate was opened with the involvement of a “row zero” composed mainly of relevant academic profiles, which allowed for the exchange of experiences, concerns, and perspectives. The discussion was then opened to all attendees—mostly AUS members—creating a rich space for conversation and exchange.

As part of the session, a set of questions was also posed to participants with the aim of gathering perceptions and identifying shared needs. This survey format is intended to be repeated in future “AUS Debates” sessions, driven by the Board, with the goal of identifying concrete lines of action that can be developed collectively.

Key conclusions

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The session highlighted several key ideas:

  • Sustainability must move beyond being a specialized field to become a central pillar of both architectural education and practice.
  • There is a significant gap between academic training and the real needs of the sector, particularly in relation to professional practice.
  • Continuing education needs to be strengthened as an essential tool to adapt to new regulatory frameworks and environmental challenges.
  • Closer alignment is needed between public administration, academia, and professional practice to create a more coherent and integrated education system.
  • Debate platforms such as the “AUS Debates” are key to sharing knowledge and building a collective perspective.

Likewise, the role of the AUS Board in supporting and guiding these initiatives is highlighted, with the aim of backing members who propose activities and ensuring they are not developed in isolation.

At AUS, we have prepared a summary document that compiles the main ideas, reflections, and conclusions discussed during the session, which you can download via the following link:

And watch the full session video here:

Video

Would you like to take part in activities like this?

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If you are interested in becoming part of this network of professionals committed to sustainability and taking part in debates, visits, and other activities, we encourage you to join AUS.

For more information, you can contact us at auscatalunya@coac.cat.