Spring 2007, Volume 10 Newsletter:
Two Courses from HGCI Staff Now Available!
The HGCI is now involved with two courses offered by the Extension School. The previously offered Sustainability course titled ENVR E-117: Sustainability, The Challenge of Changing Our Institutions is currently being offered this Spring and again in 2008. This course is co-lectured by Prof. Jack Spengler and Leith Sharp with TF’s from HGCI Jesse Foote and Jaclyn Emig. The course aims to address the real life challenges of environmental sustainability by building change agent capacities of students who operate within myriad institutional and other contexts.
The new course offered for the first time this spring is titled ENVR E-119 Sustainable Buildings: Design, Construction, and Operations features lectures by Prof. Jack Spengler and Co-Instructors, from HGCI - Nathan Gauthier & Leith Sharp, and from VVS Architect - Rafal Schurma with Head TF Agnes Vorbrodt-Schurma. This course approaches sustainable development for buildings by examining the physiology required for human functions (comfort, ergonomics, and respiratory requirements, as well as sensory perception) and then by considering how building components and systems affect human performance and well being. Sustainable development starts with site planning and evaluation, and proceeds through construction, commissioning, and occupancy phases. The course includes many case studies of historic and contemporary structures exemplifying various sustainability features. For more information on this and other Environmental courses please visit extension.harvard.edu.