Specialty – Environmental planning and engineering (GU-AIE)

Changes observed in the environment are largely dependent on the relation with Society that shapes our surroundings. Today’ socio-economic development, in which natural resources are being rapidly depleted, use of fossil energies and ‘artificialisation’ of processes require that we cast a new look at land planning and the scales involved.

Objectives

Henceforward, the issues of planning/environment from a sustainability standpoint, concerns several scales. Beyond the 'standard' building, city, region scales, GSU-AIE graduates will be able to accommodate the supranational dimensions, analysing the environmental impact (emissions, diffusion and real impact). The objectives therefore exceed those set by the Kyoto Protocol. In contradistinction with current practice where the environment as a regulatory constraint, the GSU-AIE specialty has a primary aim to develop our awareness of the importance of environmental parameters in land planning policies and urbanism.

Programme

The GSU-AIE programme focuses on acquiring in-depth scientific and technological knowledge and skills that relate to the interactions between planning and then environment. This wide-ranging pedagogical challenge covers:

Renewable energies: solar thermal energy, photovoltaic panels, wind turbines, biomass, micro-hydro-power, at building and regional scales.

Waste treatment: treatment of gas and liquid effluents, and wastes, physico-chemical thermal and biological treatment

Urban transportation systems: new projects, urban planning, abatement of adverse factors (noise, etc.), mass transport, network modelling. Workshop studies help to seek relevant responses to specific environmental issues.

Equipment

Students in GSU-AIE have access to specific training software packages (AutoCAD, AutoDESK, Revit, Matlab, Menta GTB ...).

Placements and industrial relations

Placements can be carried out in design offices, planning agencies or with local authorities. GSU-AIE graduates will normally be employed in a team, who together will cover:

general environmental diagnoses

environmental impact studies (preliminary reports and project feasibility)

waste management and risk assessment

installations classified as ICPE (French regulations for environmental protection)

Multi-criteria studies for integration of a waste disposal unit, a wind-turbine park ...

Graduates from GSU-IAE could be required to draft and/or implement:

regulatory urban planning documents (or information sheets) such as: plan local the local urban regulations (PLU) and in particular its environmental chapters (PPR), the coherency scheme for a region (SCOT), the urban displacement contingency plans (PDU) the maps for flood risk areas.

standard planning operations: multi-partner planning (ZAC), or zoning (PAZ)

International

It is noteworthy that beyond the usual UTC 6 months international placement requirement, that a special agreement signed with ETS, Montréal authorizes those student who so request, to register for a Master's degree or to carry out their placements in a laboratory or an enterprise setting. Exchange programmes exist with numerous host universities round the world (Canada, Brazil, Chile, Netherlands, Turkey, South Korea, Italy, Poland ...).