Leveraging on Work Integrated Learning to Enhance Sustainable Design Practices in the Construction Industry

Sustainability in all aspects of our life is certainly an emerging trend. All industries including Construction Industry are taking active initiatives to support sustainability practices. Construction always has been a major player in Canada's economy. In the global economy, construction occupies a still larger position. Around the world this industry accounts for $8 trillion a year of economic activity or about 15% of the world's GDP. Moreover, this amount is projected to grow to $12 trillion by 2020. During this time period, Canada is expected to move from seventh to fifth place in terms of the world's largest construction market. This emphasizes the need for aptly trained professional in all domains of sustainability.There is a growing need for design and construction professionals with sustainability skillsets, which are crucial for enhancing sustainability practices, especially given the growing complexity of construction projects and construction-related environmental law. Academic institutions have a responsibility to address this emerging need of the industry to support national economy.Construction projects are complex because they involve many human and non-human factors and variables. Design and construction students learn more effectively where they get involved in life-cycle of a building project i.e., from conceptual design to completion stage dealing with major issues like resources, cost, quality and time. Project-based learning is an appropriate paradigm for addressing design and construction project management problems. Due to the technical expertise required for sustainable building projects, it is integral for learners to go through a practicum environment to understand the sustainability aspects of a construction project in the industry environment.Work Integrated Learning (WIL) is becoming increasingly popular as an essential pedagogy for undergraduate construction education. Active participation through WIL provides the students with an experiential learning experience in a professional environment in the industry. Sustainable design is the backbone of sustainable built environment. Training professionals with the core skillsets and competencies in the sustainable construction domain requires an interdisciplinary design and construction project platform. Interdisciplinary projects lie at the heart of training architects and construction professionals with sustainable design practices.This paper sets the foundation for an interdisciplinary sustainable construction lab providing an invaluable platform for students from Architecture, Construction, Civil Engineering, Alternative Energy, Project Management and Construction Trades programs to work on a sustainable building project collaboratively. The research paper recommends that WIL in an interdisciplinary project environment is an effective pedagogy for transferring technical knowledge and soft skills related to sustainable design and construction to young professionals that eventually enhance their employability in the construction industry. The research findings will be valuable for all professionals, academicians and researchers involved in sustainable design and construction practices in the construction industry.