Bioclimatic Architecture and Sustainable Development (B.A.S.D.)

Project Summary

The project entitled "Bioclimatic Architecture and Sustainable Development" aimed at unemployed persons and especially young graduates and qualified civil engineers and architects aged twenty-three (23) to thirty (30) years old.

According to the International Energy Agency (IEA) and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) of United Nations, Greece contributed to global warming, emitting into the atmosphere every year about 100 million tonnes of carbon dioxide (mainly) from burning fossil fuels. Buildings are responsible for a great percentage of these emissions, as they account for 36-40% of total energy consumption in our country. This consumption, either as thermal (mainly oil) or in the form of electricity, results in, on a one side the huge burden of the air pollutants (particularly carbon dioxide (C02), responsible for global warming) and on another side a significant economic burden due to high energy costs. In April 2010 with the signing of the Energy Performance of Buildings Regulations by the Minister PECA, highlighted the importance of saving energy in the building sector, bioclimatic design and green building. The new professional horizons that open to the engineering profession, are visible and important. Undoubtedly, the lack of specialized courses at the main education (universities and technical) is a disadvantage of young Greek-qualified graduate engineers for their involvement with the energy design of buildings and solar architecture. Such courses and training are provided in Greece, particularly at postgraduate level in recent years.

This program (Bioclimatic Architecture and Sustainable Development) filled a major gap that exists in both the undergraduate studies and in the absorption of graduates and qualified engineers in engineering expertise and awareness-training in this area.

Main objectives and expected results of the program were:

• training of young engineers in bioclimatic architecture, the possibilities it gives at the sectors of energy saving and environmental protection,
• sharing of expertise between European young engineers and skilled scientists, at the Mediterranean countries, in particular object,
• training and certification of young engineers in specialized software packages relating to bioclimatic architecture,
• creating a skilled workforce of young engineers who will respond successfully to the "challenges" and to the new conditions prevailing in the design and construction of buildings such as those described above.
• the acquisition of specialized experience through on site training of young engineers with visits and placements in building projects at all stages of their manufacture and
• the acquisition of all necessary supplies for the design and construction of buildings for sustainable development and energy conservation.

Training was implemented between March and May 2012.The host organization of this program was the Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia (IAAC) in Barcelona.