teaching for sustainable futures: community, construction and creativity

Teaching Design for Sustainable Futures: Community Construction and Creativity explores how creativity can be integrated into sustainability education within the built environment.

Through diverse international case studies, the book emphasizes the importance of creative approaches, community engagement, and hands-on learning, in addressing complex environmental challenges, fostering innovative design practices, and bridging the gap between theory and real-world application. Readers will gain valuable insights into the role of creativity in driving sustainable design education, with six case studies showcasing practical applications of creative methodologies to sustainability challenges. Key elements include community-driven projects, interdisciplinary collaboration, and experiential learning, all aimed at fostering student engagement and promoting innovative thinking. By integrating sustainability into real-world design challenges, the book equips educators and students with practical tools and frameworks for embedding creativity deeply into sustainability education, preparing them to address future environmental and societal issues.

This book is particularly valuable for educators, researchers, and practitioners in design and sustainability fields who seek to enhance their teaching and professional practices through creative approaches. Its interdisciplinary focus makes it an essential resource for those aiming to develop innovative solutions to environmental challenges, including design educators, sustainability professionals, and students committed to advancing sustainable development initiatives.

Lina Ahmad holds a Masters of Architecture from the Architectural Association School of Architecture, London. Ahmad has over 10 years of UAE professional experience working across different sectors and project stages; ranging between design work from proposing alternate schemes to detailing and executing architectural packages, participating in projects’ execution and site supervision. Ahmad works at Zayed University, Abu Dhabi in the capacity of Associate Professor. Her work has been awarded and exhibited, including contributions for the National Pavilion UAE at the 14th Venice Architecture Biennale and the Smithsonian Folklife Festival in Washington DC in 2022. Lina Ahmad is passionate about Modern Architectural Heritage in the UAE, VR digital immersion and she is an advocate of digital fabrication technology and its impact in regional higher education and UAE Creative Industry.

Marco Sosa is an RIBA registered Architect, Associate Professor of Interior Design, and the Assistant Dean of Research at Zayed University, Abu Dhabi. Sosa holds a BA(Hons) in architecture, a postgraduate diploma and MA in Architecture and has over 10 years of experience in the UK industry. In 2014, Marco was appointed part of the curatorial team as Head of Design, for the First National Pavilion for the UAE at the 14th Venice Architecture Biennale, the exhibition, titled ＂Lest We Forget; Structures of Memory in the UAE＂, chartered the impact of modernist architecture in the UAE. In 2022, Sosa also exhibited his research at the Smithsonian Institute’s Folklife Festival. Sosa has designed exhibitions, published various academic papers and presented at various conferences around the world. Marco Sosa is passionate about Modern Architectural Heritage in the UAE, VR digital immersion and the continuous development of Design education in the UAE.