Towards a more resilient built environment

Over time, humankind’s lifestyle became increasingly dependent on finite resources. It follows that such a system is unable to sustain itself indefinitely. Several studies show that in the near future the climate may radically change and oil production will peak. Changes in the natural environment will possibly be so overwhelming that man has to...

Promoting academia-industry cooperation for innovation: A network of university chairs in The Middle East and North Africa

Innovation and Innovation Management are essential instruments and methodologies to manage the changes that society and its productive sector are facing in order to find the right balance between competitiveness, trade demands, social equity and sustainable development. A clear role in this can be played by the local universities and by an...

A social approach to energy metering: The energy mentor

Industrial designers are used to applying their skills to modify or change user’s behaviour, inducing attributes to the product to empower/inhibit the use into a certain direction (e.g. scripts). These approaches might bring the desired results, and modify behaviour to one that favors sustainability. Such approaches, however, have a major defect...