Mapping of sustainability education to construction related curricula : a case study of quantity surveying (QS) degree programme

An effective response is required to climate change and the steady diminution of resources of our natural world. We are all situated within and dependent upon the Built Environment for our survival. We all benefit from buildings and infrastructure. The creation, refurbishment and maintenance of this environment is a £100 Billion industry. Each new build operation, every refurbishment and the operation of existing systems all consume resources, in many cases scarce and non-renewable. What is vital is awareness in those actually responsible for the creation and renewal of the facilities referred to above? There can only be a concerted effort at sustainable building when there is genuine, informed, concern on the part of all members of the construction team. Perhaps we should look to our providers of construction-related education to instil students with increasing awareness of the issues. The current study examines the extent to which there is appreciation of issues of sustainability amongst educators and the extent of their inclusion within the curricula of (in this case) Quantity Surveying students at a northern university chosen for the study. The literature review findings and results from the content analysis of the series of interviews conducted suggest the level of inclusion appears to be low. This supports findings from the recent RICS research, which suggested that sustainability may be evident across only 3-5% of the curricula of most Quantity Surveying programmes, and incorporated at a basic level only