Sustainable, environmentally friendly high-performance hybrid timber building construction is at the heart of the HiHTC project. In the near future timber buildings will form a much bigger part of the EU and international built environment. Timber buildings will be designed and constructed with sustainable, high-performance engineered timber components, but some amount of steel and concrete construction materials will remain to satisfy structural, fire prevention, moisture absorption and economic requirements. Combining wood, concrete and steel will provide sustainable solutions to building structures improve building performance and design. Also, the project promotes cultural diversity and shapes professional life and society, as work environments are increasingly involve internationally networking. Architects and engineers have already started designing hybrid timber buildings. However, now higher education mostly focuses on steel and concrete buildings, and sometimes on low-rise timber buildings. In order to satisfy the needs of the employment market, it is necessary to prepare students with innovative applied skills in the area of design, construction and onsite construction management of high-performance hybrid timber buildings. To educate a new generation of students, it is necessary to develop and integrate an innovative multi-disciplinary BSc/BA study module. Project aims to fulfill the future demands in higher education of students in sustainable, high-performance hybrid timber building construction by transnational and trans-disciplinary innovative student-centered learning approaches dealing with changes and solving innovative complex problems will promote and strengthen global learning. Objectives: - To develop and deliver new international trans-disciplinary module on sustainable, high-performance hybrid timber building construction, which meets the needs of the HEIs and employment market representatives. An internationalized curriculum will enable the students participating in the project to develop global perspectives in global environmental issues and think across cultures. - To improve competencies of students/teachers in problem solving and team work, innovative thinking, motivation, awareness of cross-professional project input and project management by using PBL, learning by doing and blended learning approaches. - To educate all participants (students, teachers, entrepreneurs) in the field of the sustainable, high-performance hybrid timber building construction. - To ensure open awareness of the project results to local, national, EU level and international target groups. The project will be implemented by HEI's from France, Lithuania, Estonia, Poland and Portugal. Main target groups are HEI's (teachers/trainers and students), whose specialization is directly related to architecture, civil engineering or similar subjects. The project will be also relevant for business companies and will foster further development of sustainable, high-performance hybrid timber building construction. 4 intellectual outputs will be developed: 1) Competency framework; 2) BSc module “Sustainable, High-Performance Hybrid Timber Building Construction”; 3) E-learning platform; 4) Joint academic publications. At least 18 teachers/trainers will participate in intensive training course in Portugal, where competences on innovative PBL, learning by doing and blended learning approaches will be developed. New trans-disciplinary module and e-learning platform will be jointly developed by partners from 5 countries in consultation with business enterprises. The module will be tested in 3 intensive learning/teaching courses that will take place in Poland, France and Estonia. International building and construction project phases, which are used in most EU countries, will be adapted in the HiHTC project as a main template, namely brief phase, outline proposal, scheme design, detail 1 and detail 2 phases. In total 85 students will be educated. They will gain innovative trans-disciplinary knowledge in sustainable, high-performance hybrid timber building construction; using innovative learning approaches they will develop their research, teamwork, communication, cooperation, creative thinking, problem-solving skills required in modern work environment. Stakeholders whose activities are related to construction and, in particular, timber construction, e.g. associations and private enterprises, will be involved in the development of new module; therefore, they will have an opportunity to share their expertise and include the topics that will help to acquire competences required in employment market. Thus, collaboration between academic and business sector will be strengthened. At least 100 participants from HEIs, educational authorities and business companies will attend the international conference in France, where innovative intellectual outputs will be presented. It will result in increased public awareness of the project.
The HiHTC project aimed to respond to higher education students' demands for the design and construction of hybrid engineered timber buildings with high environmental performance, through student-centered transdisciplinary learning approaches. Goals: Develop and propose a new international transdisciplinary program on the construction of sustainable and efficient hybrid wooden buildings, which meets the needs of higher education establishments and representatives of the job market. Improve student/teacher skills in problem solving and teamwork, innovative thinking, motivation, awareness of interprofessional contribution to projects and project management using PBL, learning through practice and blended learning approaches. Train all stakeholders (students, teachers, entrepreneurs) in the field of construction of sustainable and efficient hybrid wooden buildings by providing additional training. Ensure open awareness of project results among local, national, European and international target groups.
Urgent action must be taken to achieve the 2050 sustainability targets set by the European Commission to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The HiHTC project responded to the need to create sustainable solutions for the design, construction and related sectors to meet future environmental challenges. It contributes to the sustainable and environmentally friendly design and construction of hybrid wooden buildings. To meet labor market needs, it is necessary to prepare students to master innovative applied skills. The project addressed some skills gaps and labor market needs in transdisciplinary and transnational training of students in hybrid wood construction. To this end, student-centered teaching approaches were used.