Sustainability from construction’s point of view
My name is James Cockburn and I am a student at Fife
College, Scotland studying my diploma in Architectural Technology. I have been
involved as a one-off student in the project to provide a new insight into
sustainability from construction’s point of view and how this can be
implemented in a building’s design for both its interior and exterior functions.
In the future I look to further my education studying sustainable Architectural
design degree to gain extra knowledge on sustainability to add to what I have
learned in Malaga and Malta. During both visits we as a group were made aware
of the problems at the moment regarding sustainability in the various
industries and were shown new and innovative methods of keeping salons and
general buildings ‘green’.
As I see
it, at the moment the environmental concerns are increasing and in the near
future there will be no choice but to install green alternatives into your building
such as: photovoltaic panels (solar panels for electricity); solar thermal
tubing (for heating water); light tubing to maximise natural light therefore
reducing bills and even recycling of general waste. Because of this I Believe
there is a developing job market in the future as, if people are requiring
these designs then there are going to be professionals needed to design,
install and possibly maintain the systems.
This
is why I personally believe that sustainability has such a big role in industry,
be it Architecture, Hair & Beauty design or Graphic Media and how important
it is to be made aware of the problems within so that we can adapt and
ultimately deal with the change. This project has been massively rewarding for
me because the information gathered can now be implemented to my future
studies. To work with such open-minded and friendly colleagues from the various
countries through this unique experience is an honour to say the least! As well
as coping to adapt to new methods of learning to compensate for the cultural
differences and communicating effectively was rewarding also. I hope that the
various partners continue their cooperation to enhance the awareness of
sustainability for the upcoming students to learn and hence adapt in the
future.
James Cockburn – Architectural Technology Student
Malaga Mobility – Leonardo
Mark Buttigieg and Krysta Maria Micallef who
are following a Higher National Diploma course in Graphic Design were
accompanied by their lecturer Christopher Aquilina on a trip which was the
first from a series of mobilities happening throughout this and the next
academic year.
The
aim of this trip was to generate initial ideas and concepts and to build an
outline for a magazine that focuses on sustainability and green technology
specifically in Graphic Design industry as well as in the Hair and Beauty
Industry. The magazine will be published in May 2014 as part of the
dissemination strategy that is the focus of this Leonardo programme, which sees
Malta participating joining forces with institutions from Holland, Scotland,
Denmark and Spain.
The
trip to Malaga was quite a lengthy one, as there are no direct flights to this
exuberant port city in the southern province of Andalucia. The contenders had
to get a connection flight from Rome on the way there and Brussels on the way
back. “Looking through the window before
landing in Malaga, one could see the city set against a sparkling Mediterranean
and surrounded by mountains” recounted Christopher Aquilina, Graphics lecturer.
“Upon arrival in the city we quickly found the hotel, left our luggage and went
to explore the city”. This diverse city is historic yet pulsing with modern
life. The city centre presents the visitor with
leafy boulevards, beautiful gardens, and impressive monuments; it also boasts
an abundance of fashion shops as well as other cultural aspects.
In the first day of
the mobility the Maltese team was greeted by the Spanish hosts and met members
from other participating countries and after a brief introduction, it was
straight to work. The Spaniards and Scottish concentrated on the Fashion and
Beauty Show happening in a later mobility, whilse the Maltese together with the
Danish and Dutch team concentrated on the design and content of the magazine.
“It was a great experience, I learned
to listen and discuss different ideas with other European students” said Mark
Buttigieg, Graphic Design student”. “Unfortunately, we were limited in time; it
would have been fantastic should we have dedicated more slots to the design of
the magazine. But on the whole, the workshop worked well and the sharing of
experiences was absolutely priceless.”
On one of the days, the participating countries
held presentations on Sustainability within their respective. Krysta Maria
Micallef explained how the other countries “ all loved our concept and the tangible examples we put into it. And
best of all they loved Fred: the character in our presentation who took on a
life of his own as he recounted a day in the life of a Maltese graphic
designer, which was the theme of our presentation”.
The overarching aim of this Leonardo project is to communicate ideas on
sustainability and to suggest new green enterprises within the hair and beauty,
and the media graphic trades at technical colleges and related enterprises.
“By informing students, teachers and decision makers, our aim is to
start creating stepping stones towards more sustainability” concluded Mr
Aquilina. Colleges are in close contact with the enterprises in the local
society and can be door openers to changes in such industries. Through this
project we want to show Europe the necessity of going sustainable in these
trades, in an eye-catching way”.
ISCI Project in Amsterdam
On October 7th 2013 we went to Amsterdam, to the meeting that Stivako had organised about the ISCI Project. It lasted 5 days...
We started with our work, but not only with the preparations of the beauty show we are having next December in Spain. We also kept searching about green salons in order to not damage our health and our planet.
We got up very early everyday, but we enjoyed those talks a lot. We learned new things and gave ideas about ecology to improve the sustainability of beauty salons.
But we took ecology furher than that. We searched about how to make houses and industries more profitable.
One day we visited a vocational school where students create real enterprises and projects. They explained us how this school helps them, and how they carry out their ideas. They make a new project every year, which is used to produce new jobs and to help new students. It was very interesting and challenging to listen to their explanations.
The last day, we received a diploma which certificated our participation in the Project.
Besides all the work we had, we also could enjoy those days in Amsterdam. We could see this wonderful city and enjoy
a very nice company. We had a lot of fun and learned new things.
However, here is a warning for people planning on going to Amsterdam: be careful with bikes and trams, they don’t stop!!
Thank you so much to our friends from Malta, Denmark, Scotland and the Netherlands, who came with us to this trip. And of course, thank you to the people who came from Málaga, both teachers and school mates.
I would repeat this great experience!
Alba López de Vinuesa Piote,
Student of “Personal Image Consultant”
Sustainability and friendships
Malaga. A sunny
city in Spain. Students and teachers from different countries working together
to create something beautiful. The theme was sustainability and the main event
was a fashion show.
Before
leaving Denmark on a cold December day, I met the other Danish students I was
travelling with. Two kind and friendly girls I instantly became friends with.
We arrived in Malaga, and after some sleep, we met everyone the next day. I
haven’t met anyone as sweet as the Spanish people. They are humble and make you
feel welcome with hugs and kisses, which rubs off on everyone. After a few days
with haircuts, hair dye, hairstyles, makeup and photography, we all got to know
each other a little better.
Since this
is just my experience, I can only speak for myself, but I think it’s safe to
say, that we all had an incredible week. Especially when all the hard work was
over and the fashion show began. The Spanish models walked out one by one,
showing the different interpretation of sustainability by each country.
Scotland was the sea, Denmark was the Wind and Spain was the sun. I was
impressed, and I felt lucky to be a part of it.
I left
Denmark not knowing exactly what was going to happen on this trip. But it
couldn’t have been better. I enjoyed meeting new people from different
countries, learning new things about other cultures, overcoming a language
barrier and stepping out of the comfort zone. I would do it all over again in a
heartbeat and I hope I’ll get the chance to see my new friends again one day.
Written by
Helene Eriksen, media graphic Aarhus Tech, Denmark
Malta – Leonardo Brings People Together
We’ve been here for five days now, and everything has gone smoothly. Our
adventure is coming to an end, but the time we spent here has really taught us
a lot. We have learned so much here about the other countries, and the way they does things, how they are doing the exact same job,
but in a completely different way, and last of all we have made a lot of new
friends here.
It is obvious that they are not
as punctual here in Malta as we are in Scandinavia, but there is a charm about
it, and it is very nice to get a break from the constant stress and pressure
that is associated with our usual timeline. Another thing we felt immediately
was the lack of Internet, and the very slow Wi-Fi connections. We are used to full speed surfing, and
keeping updated with everything online every hour of the day, but here we have
to adapt, and to be honest, it is wonderful. It forces us to communicate in
between like real human beings, face to face, and not just via Facebook,
Twitter, or any other kind of social media, that has made our existence and
means of communication much easier, but still has the obvious negative effect
of making human contact much more rare.
The first day we met all the
students and teachers from the other countries, Scotland, Spain, Holland and
Malta. We had to decide which Maltese magazine to fuse with the Danish, and
when people from different countries, and so different cultures have to agree
on something there are bound to be some issues, and different opinions about
what good design looks like.
I think we all agree that it is
very fun and interesting to work along side the other countries. We are all so
different, and can contribute with so many different thing, which make this
project an amazing experience for everyone who is attending, may it me teachers
as well as students. I think we have bonded
especially with the Scottish students, because of our trip to Valletta, where
we went for some sightseeing, shopping and finally for dinner in the evening at
the Hard Rock Café. They are all very open minded and friendly, but some times
a bit hard to follow when they really turn up their thick Scottish accent.
The big event of the week was the
photo shoot. It took place in the Three Cities, which is an amazing old part of
Valletta, a real harmonic and romantic place, and perfect for models to really
unleash their inner Heidi Klum. It was interesting to see all of the wild
dresses, makeup, and the different ways we see fashion. Like in Denmark fashion
is supposed to be simple, “less is more”, and when you compare those simple
designs with the extravagance of Spain for instance, the differences are
enormous. It is these kinds of things that makes this experience unique. We are
not just able to learn from each other and share our knowledge in between the
countries, we also get an inside view of how they work, how they think and how
they see things. It is just amazing to be apart of this project, and a great
honour to be able to work along side the other countries. Even though this project
is coming to an end, we really hope that the schools will continue their
cooperation, so that students in the future can enjoy the same multicultural
adventure we did here in Malta.
Max Vestberg
No comments:
Post a Comment