Sustainability Assessment of Buildings on Campus: A C-SUM Initiative

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12:32, 14 Jun 2024

The University of Malta’s commitment to deliver on sustainability reflects the principles of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. To this end, UM’s Strategic plan 2020 – 2025 identifies Sustainability as one of its Strategic Themes. This theme sets out the goals and priorities for University’s academic and administrative entities, thus foregrounding sustainability considerations across administration, teaching and research functions and duties. The objective is to ensure that strategy, guidelines, assessment, data infrastructure, projects’ management, communication, training, teaching, research and outreach are stepped up with a view to making the University a living laboratory of good sustainable practice.

One of the main commitments towards sustainability at the University of Malta and as promoted through the Committee for Sustainability, includes the development of sustainable land and buildings with the following key objectives:

Apply sustainability assessment tools in new construction and upgrading of buildings and infrastructure
Integrate open spaces and shift parking areas to expand green reading and meeting spaces for students and staff
Allow space usage flexibility in new buildings, extensions and refurbishment projects
Follow green procurement and use of low impact materials
Adopt design for deconstruction, reduction, reuse and recycling of construction, demolition and excavation waste, and the use of recycled materials in construction.

Sustainable building assessment at the University of Malta is proposed as a measure to address the integration of sustainability principles in long-term strategic actions. Piloting of the sustainability assessment of campus sites was conducted through the CESBA Med Tool, developed through the CESBA Med project. The project objective was the development of a common sustainability assessment framework at building and urban scale and an innovative decision-making process, in order to support the development of energy efficiency plans for public buildings in the context of their surrounding neighbourhoods. The CESBA Med Building and Urban Area tools address both the building and urban area scale and have been adapted to the Mediterranean context.

The University of Malta was also responsible for the creation of the for professionals and for decision makers, and for the organisation of Training in the Med Area. These training activities set the scene for the long-term implementation of Sustainability Assessment of the various University of Malta building assets. Strategic action should involve the integration of the structured methodology for sustainability assessment into the activities of the Estates, Facilities & Capital Development Directorate. This can be done at different phases of asset management, including the design of new buildings and refurbishment of existing buildings, besides the assessment of existing buildings and spaces on campus.

Additional research activities are underway. The recently-launched of which the Faculty for the Built Environment, University of Malta is Lead Partner, builds upon CESBA Med, developing new tools and a support framework intended for the assessment of climate risk with respect to different spatial scales of buildings and neighbourhoods. Such strategic action for sustainability assessment led through the Estate Facilities & Capital Development Directorate and supported with research innovation-based assessment tools is intended to lead to high quality buildings and spaces, whilst supporting sustainable development and climate resilience.

Further information on the sustainability assessment of buildings at the University of Malta can be obtained from Prof. Ruben Paul Borg and from the Committee for Sustainability of the University of Malta chaired by Pro-Rector Prof. Valerie Sollars.