Energy, Matter, Code: Systems design for sustainable innovation
Learn integrative design for energy efficiency – buildings, mobility, industry and electricity
Efficient energy use is half the historic and at least half the prospective global decarbonization opportunity. However, its potential remains widely underestimated. Electrification and renewable supply can deliver final energy 2–3-fold more efficiently than now, but higher end-use efficiency can convert final energy into roughly fivefold more (and better) desired services by about 2060, or 3-fold by about 2040, by proven techniques applicable across the whole economy. This “integrative design” method optimizes buildings, vehicles, factories, equipment, and processes as whole systems for multiple benefits—not as isolated parts for single benefits—and thus makes the efficiency resource severalfold bigger than currently supposed, yet cheaper.
General information
A systematic course in integrative design for teachers and practitioners, delivered and refined 11 times at Stanford University, will be condensed into a unique, intensive, short course at Chalmers University of Technology, drawing on hundreds of practical cases from around the world. Presented by its developer, IVA (Swedish Royal Academy of Engineering Sciences) Foreign Member Prof. Amory Lovins, and supported by several experienced teachers and researchers at Chalmers, these lectures and small-group design exercises will vividly convey the technical content and develop the skills of integrative design to inform and inspire the exciting next stage of Swedish energy efficiency.
The course will be organized around different systems and scales allowing students to both learn how to apply integrative design approaches in their own discipline while at the same time sharing their knowledge and skills with others outside their discipline and learning from their colleagues.
The focus areas/modules of the course are planned to be as follows:
• Buildings
• Mobility
• Industry
• Electricity
• Disruptive energy futures
• Implementation at scale
How to apply
Apply to all Tracks courses at antagning.se / universityadmissions.se
Search for the course code TRA430
To assess your application, please provide us with a short motivation letter (max. 1 page). The letter of motivation requested is an opportunity for each student to express specific interests and experience that cannot be seen from transcripts only. The purpose of the motivation letter is to assist the teachers in grouping students with respect to background and interests. In addition, it is possible to upload a CV that may provide additional background experience that may be relevant.
Upload the letter of motivation on your account at antagning.se / universityadmissions.se.
More information on how to select courses
Details
Teacher (s): Amory Lovins, Prof. (Founding President of the Rocky Mountain Institute, Colorado, Canada, Holger Wallbaum, Prof. in Sustainable building, Chalmers, Tomas Kåberger, Research Professor at Environmental Systems Analysis, Chalmers, Shea Hagy, Artistic Teacher at Building Technology, tbd.)
Course dates: Study period 1-2
Credits: 7.5
Level: A
Course code: TRA430
Language of instruction
English
Tracks – a unique concept
These courses provide hands-on experience solving real-world problems, fostering a collaborative mindset, and expanding your professional network. Operating in close partnership with industry, society, and cutting-edge research, Tracks courses are also continuously changed to be as up to date as possible.
Collaboration and entrepreneurship
With a Tracks course, you will become better at collaborating with people from different countries and backgrounds. You will also learn more about ethics, communication, and entrepreneurship. These skills will equip you with a head start in working life. When you take a Tracks course, you also work in our brand-new makerspace: Fuse, which is a creative meeting place with 3D printers, a variety of studios, and workshops where your creativity can flourish.
If you have already attended Chalmers and chosen to take a Tracks course, you will have the advantage of familiarizing yourself with a current critical subject and building on your current knowledge. Together with other engineers, architects, and entrepreneurs of the future, you will gain new perspectives in your future professional life.
Most Tracks courses use Chalmers makerspace Fuse – a creative meeting place where education, research, industry and the community come together to test and implement ideas.
Patrik Rosina: "A whole new toolset to address certain challenges”
"I learned a lot about integrative design. The course was very rich in theory, but I also learned to see challenges differently and practiced applying the principles of integrative design, which provided me with a whole new toolset to address certain challenges."
What was your favourite thing about this course?
"The opportunity to collaborate on the puzzlers with people with different specializations was enjoyable. To see the different perspectives of people who are educated in certain areas, compared to people who have no specific knowledge. It provided a very good dynamic and opened my eyes to see different solutions to problems I thought I knew how to solve."
How will this course benefit you in your future career?
"I will carry the experience from collaborating with people from different disciplines and approach challenges in a more open minded way."
Patrik Rosina
Register today
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Course Participant profile
Interdisciplinary collaboration is central to confronting climate change, to working towards innovation and a smarter built environment. We need to create resilient environments and innovative systems not only capable of adapting to our changing climate but also capable of giving back more to the environment and society than what they cost. This course is predicated on the assumption that many, if not all, important issues in efficiency require a substantive understanding of diverse and multiple disciplines. The concepts, readings, and class assignments in the course will examine and cover theories, models, and ideas from a variety of sectors and real-world applications. Therefore, a diverse and multidisciplinary student group is necessary to bring their own unique perspectives, insights, and experiences to class assignments, discussions and share their knowledge with the rest of the class. The course also aims to bring together both students and professionals to work on real-world problems and apply integrative design solutions.