Sustainable development goals at university: the technical architect and graduate in building as an agent of urban and architectural design

Antonio Espínola Jiménez

https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3731-4946

Spain

University of Granada image/svg+xml

Professor of the 'Department of Graphic Architectural Expression and Engineering' at the Higher Technical School of Building Engineering of the University of Granada.

'Technical Architect' from the University of Granada in 2010 and later graduated in 'Building Engineering' from the University of Seville in 2014. 'Master's in Comprehensive Management and Safety in Building' from the University of Granada (2012), and 'Master's in Universal Accessibility, Usability, and Design for All' from the University of Jaén.

 

During the period of 2019-2024, he taught at the Universidad Isabel I de Castilla in the faculties of 'Legal and Economic Sciences' and 'Criminology and Security Sciences'. Since 2024, he has been an Assistant Professor Doctor in the 'Department of Architectural Graphic Expression and Engineering' at the Technical School of Building Engineering at the University of Granada.

His main research areas are universal accessibility, occupational risk prevention, and areas related to architecture and engineering.

Francisco Javier Lafuente Bolívar

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4432-1194

Spain

University of Granada image/svg+xml

Departamento de Expresión Gráfica Arquitectónica y en la Ingeniería

David Hidalgo García

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4039-8709

Spain

University of Granada image/svg+xml

Departamento de Expresión Gráfica Arquitectónica y en la Ingeniería

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Accepted: 2025-06-25

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Published: 2025-06-30

DOI: https://doi.org/10.4995/ege.2025.24073
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Keywords:

Agenda 2030, architecture, competencies, sustainable design, university education, urban planning

Supporting agencies:

This research was not funded

Abstract:

The University, as a transmitter and driver of knowledge, plays a crucial role in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). SDG 4 focuses on ensuring ‘Quality Education’ and is the starting point for achieving the other SDGs. This study takes a journey through each SDG, highlighting the responsibility that Technical Architects or Graduates in Building have in all areas, especially in the area of Graphic Expression, as they are responsible for the design and implementation of urban and built environments and have a duty to ensure that they are sustainable, safe, accessible and inclusive. Furthermore, the presence of the SDGs in 21 degrees taught in Spanish universities is verified, showing limited research and scientific production and a reduced integration of the SDGs in teaching guides. It is concluded that there is a deficit in the development of competences related to the SDGs.

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