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EVALUATION REPORT 2015
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When the students graduate the degree they are given is
‘Master of Science in Sustainability’ – not architecture.
The students have a hard time communicating and clearly
defining what their capabilities are for their future employers
and the ‘market’. Their role and contribution in, for example,
architecture offices or engineering firms are hard to define.
This must be considered a weakness, but could also be
turned around to huge advantage as this ‘role’ still is in the
making.
The program runs over three semesters and the collection
of courses and the academic content seem, to the students,
to be random, while the overall program is fixed. The as-
signments given are architectural assignments or projects.
Coming into the program with a different background than
architecture (e.g. engineering) there is a question how much
design should be included in the program. Some of the stu-
dents with limited experience or background from architec-
ture would like more design and architecture. Others would
like more focus on, for example, tools or calculations. This
depends on the students included in the program.
The students being such a diverse group are not exploited
properly. Many of them have a degree from related subjects
and their knowledge could be incorporated into the academ-
ic content. The nature of sustainability is interdisciplinary
including a number of professions and roles at the same
time. The students would like the interdisciplinary work to
be more structured than it is at present, both internally with-
in the program, but also externally. NTNU has the knowl-
edge and capacity to educate students within a wide range of
relevant professions. But the interaction and potential from
this is not taken advantage of in the Master of Sustainable
Architecture program. The interaction with research – for
example Zero Emission Building, and professionals / firms
-- is minimal at present. The students would like this incor-
porated in the program.
Many of the critiques brought into the program are from
architects. The critique is, not surprisingly, then based on
architectural perspectives. This means that the evaluation
is given as if the student projects are architectural projects.
One comment was that ‘The crits don’t really understand
the sustainability thinking and concepts’ in the projects. The
evaluation then loses value.
The Master program is very people-dependent both aca-
demically and administratively. The students really find Luca
helpful both in terms of administrative and academic issues.
But he has too many things to do. This is a leadership chal-
lenge and should be resolved.
CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS
To make the Master of Sustainable Architecture program
more distinct and more coherent the following points are
recommended:
• Clarify what the outcome of the program is. Both
formally, what kind of degree it is, but also the
contribution of the graduates to the profession.
• The students with global backgrounds should be
reflected and exploited in the content of the course.
• Making the programmore independent of people (Luca)
both academically and administratively.
• Work out a more rationalized program and courses.
This could perhaps be based on steps or phases.
Making it more predictable, but at the same time more
flexible.
• Structure and strengthen the interdisciplinary work
7.g. Physical learning environment
One could take it as a given that the physical environment in
an architecture school is of some importance. The status of
the physical environment at present is that there are some
impressive workshops, but apart from that, there are some
rather messy and disorganized work spaces, a general lack
of flexibility and lack possibility to change. Few spaces (if
any) can be called inspiring or beautiful. This seems hardly a
question of cost, but rather an inability to take action.
To be denied influence over your space, is harsh. To accept
this, seems somewhat impotent.
This is more than just a question of the learning environ-
ment. It is as if there are a few lessons one would not like
to teach students, such as that when it is really hard to get
something through, you might as well give up. Or that it is
ok not to have an impact, or even that space doesn’t really
matter.
Challenges for the leadership
Take hold of the spaces the architecture School needs and
deserves. Insist on the importance of developing them and
show the University how it should be done.