Solar House Prototypes as Living Labs in Architecture for Holistic Sustainability Education
Abstract
The LOW3 prototype solar house of UPC has been designed and built between 2008 and 2010 and converted and operated as a Living Lab for sustainable architecture and lifestyle since 2011 at the ETSAV campus at Sant Cugat del Vallés (Barcelona) under the responsibility of the author (www.livinglab-low3.blogspot.com) This paper highlights the importance of Living Labs as innovation infrastructures in Higher Education and presents the specific educational experience of LOW3 within the institutional framework of UPC, drawing from 5 years of action research regarding pluridisciplinary, experience based sustainability education.
Keywords
Living labs, Education for sustainable development, Sustainable lifestyle, Sustainable architecture, Solar architecture