The importance of evaluating the environmental design and performance of student projects as a product of architecture departments: A case study

Abstract

This study investigated the extent to which the requirements and guidelines of environmental education approved by the National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB) are met in the academic programs of the Architecture Department of Al-Nahrain University. It also attempted to examine to what extent these guidelines are considered in practical and theoretical parts, and across various stages. To this end, the number of topics given in the field of environment was determined and a review of the importance of this subject was done. Then, the most important studies carried out in this area were extracted and a comparison was made between what must be achieved in the field of environmental education according to the NAAB guidelines and what really exists in educational courses of the Architecture Department of Al-Nahrain University. As a result, the shortcomings that prevented the fulfillment of the NAAB conditions were identified. The findings suggested that, in order to meet the NAAB requirements on environmental education, there is a need to activate applied practical aspects in the environmental education concerning academic projects and the preparation of supporting laboratories for applying the software and calculations on such projects to verify the projects' performance environmentally.