Sustainable Design Education – An Evaluation of an International Student Design Workshop in Hanoi, Vietnam

Green Architecture for Sustainable Communities (GASC) was a joint event organised by Dutch and Vietnamese universities with the aim of boosting sustainable development in the built environment of Vietnam. As a key activity of the event, the international student design workshop focused on renovation of typical Vietnamese row houses – aiming towards sustainable and energy efficient homes. This study reports an evaluation of the student workshop based on a post-workshop questionnaire and the outcomes of the student groups. Results showed that most activities were successful in transferring sustainable knowledge to the students. The students were capable of learning sustainable theory, analysing suitable design strategies in the specific cases and applying that knowledge into the design proposals. Students learned more about bioclimatic designs and related topics such as daylight, natural ventilation, indoor comfort and greenery. Sustainable aspects of energy efficiency and water usage were also of great interest. The student selection process was the main issue for this workshop. For future events, more involvement of architects with practice is recommended.