Ajla Akšamija, Ph.D., LEED AP BD+C, CDT, Professor and Chair at the SoA, gave an invited presentation at the European Façade Network (EFN) Conference “Teaching Façades for a Sustainable Future”, held in Lisbon, Portugal on June 14, 2022.

The presentation was titled “Sustainable and High-Performance Facades: A Decade of Educational Programs”, which discussed Akšamija’s research and teaching related to high-performance facades. Specifically, the presentation focused on integrated methods that help prepare students with skills presently sought by the fast-evolving profession (design methods, building science, innovative materials, advanced technologies, computational design, building performance analysis and simulations). Akšamija also discussed the educational needs and continuing education opportunities for professionals, emphasizing the evolving academic research and the necessity of life-long learning on facade systems within the profession.

She demonstrated examples of several, multi-day workshops as well as an online summer course on high-performance facades that were open to both graduate students and professionals from related industries. Workshops and the course were structured to offer flexibility in virtual learning amidst a global pandemic while also fostering collaborative learning among students and professionals.

Additionally, as the President of the Facade Tectonics Institute (FTI), Akšamija spoke about the educational programs and opportunities for both professionals and students that are offered by the organization.