Sustainable Public Buildings Designed and Constructed in Wood Erasmus Project

Project Title

Sustainable Public Buildings Designed and Constructed in Wood

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : Strategic Partnerships for higher education

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2018

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: New innovative curricula/educational methods/development of training courses; Environment and climate change; Intercultural/intergenerational education and (lifelong)learning

Project Summary

Nowadays advanced companies in the construction sector are keen to use construction materials that have a lower environmental impact, and in this context stakeholders increasingly seeing wood as the natural and sustainable option for large public buildings. If public institutions and business enterprises express their ecological concerns by using wood constructions for public buildings, this is a clear indicator of a mature society who focuses on sustainable development.
Education in wooden design and construction is still very limited across the Europe. Most of HEIs that have technical degrees in design, construction and materials for complex buildings have curricular implementing the studies of concrete and steel, being prefabricated or manufactured on site. Normally education in construction from wood focuses on 1 to 2 storey buildings (i.e. family houses). Thus there is an urgent need to educate students with innovative applied skills needed in the area of massive wooden structures and large public buildings’ construction at the undergraduate degree level.
The wider objective of this project was to develop a trans-disciplinary and transnational course/ elective element in the EU HEIs on the design, construction and management of sustainable public wooden buildings in order to enhance the quality and relevance of students’ knowledge and skills for future labour market needs. Project was implemented by five higher education institutions from Lithuania, Denmark, United Kingdom, Finland and Latvia, Lithuanian State Enterprise Center of Registers and Study and Consulting Center.
The specific objectives of the project were:
1) To strategically research at which level sustainable design, construction and management of wooden public buildings are to be planned and implemented in the partner countries.
2) To educate all participants (students, teachers, entrepreneurs) in the field of the sustainable wooden construction.
3) To develop and implement the new strategic trans-disciplinary module/elective element, which meets the needs of the HEIs and market representatives, fulfils the future challenges of sustainable public wooden buildings’ design, construction and management.
4) To improve competencies of students and teachers in problem solving and team work, innovative thinking, motivation, awareness of cross-professional project input and project management by using real problem-based and blended learning approaches.
5) To ensure open awareness of the project results to local, national, EU level and international target groups.
Working in international in multidisciplinary groups, participants increased their knowledge, motivation and obtained a wider view of today’s rapidly growing environmental problems faced in our planet, e.g. green-house gas emissions, carbon and ecological footprint, climate change as a background to explain why the use of wood in public buildings is important for the future world-wide construction industry.
Teaching staff of universities enhanced their competences on innovative module development and teaching strategies, by taking part in intensive trainings, workshops, development of intellectual outputs. They learned about most challenging issues in design, construction and management of public wooden buildings and are using their knowledge and skills in daily education and research activities.
The new module was jointly developed by academic staff, associations and business enterprises. It was integrated into the existing study programmes, thus undergraduate students have direct access to the project’s outcomes. 31 students participated in intensive short-time mobility period and worked together on real projects. Students gained innovative knowledge on Pub-Wood issues, moreover, by using blended learning (combination of online digital media with traditional classroom methods), problem-based learning and learning by doing methods they improved their skills in critical thinking, problem solving, group work, negotiation, reaching consensus, taking responsibility for own learning and social participation. Much attention was given to digitalisation of study process – e-learning course available at Moodle environment was developed. Thus, HEIs have opportunity to educate new professionals, who will be able to apply their knowledge and contribute to the design, construction and management sustainable public wooden buildings. Stakeholders, e.g. professional associations, building entrepreneurial associations and private companies were in-depth involved in the process of definition of the new professional profile, development of the new module and teaching materials. By sharing innovative knowledge to all stakeholders’ groups project also contributed to wider society and promoted an idea of sustainable construction in wood.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 274737 Eur

Project Coordinator

VILNIAUS GEDIMINO TECHNIKOS UNIVERSITETAS & Country: LT

Project Partners

• HAMEEN AMMATTIKORKEAKOULU OY
• STUDY AND CONSULTING CENTER
• COVENTRY UNIVERSITY
• VIA UNIVERSITY COLLEGE
• RIGAS TEHNISKA UNIVERSITATE
• VALSTYBES IMONE REGISTRU CENTRAS