The ASEAN Centre for Energy (ACE), through the Asia Low Carbon Buildings Transition (ALCBT) Project, is collaborating with higher education institutions in Indonesia to equip future building professionals with the knowledge and practical skills needed to improve building energy efficiency and reduce carbon emissions throughout a building's life cycle.
As part of this initiative, the three pilot universities, namely Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM), Universitas Indonesia (UI), and Universitas Multimedia Nusantara (UMN), conducted institutional readiness and curriculum gap assessments, complemented by stakeholder consultation workshops together withfaculty members, curriculum teams, industry representatives, and green building practitioners to review existing curriculum related to low-carbon buildings, identify areas for improvement, and explore practical approaches for curriculum enhancement.
Photo 1. Group photo of the consultation workshop with Universitas Gadjah Mada on 17 September 2026
The assessments revealed that while technical aspects of low-carbon building design are already covered in relevant university courses, gaps remain in the understanding of practical low carbon building implementation. Across three institutions, opportunities were identified to strengthen applied carbon assessment, availability of local material data, and access to real building case studies, as well as the understanding of financial and operational approachesin low-carbon buildings.
Photo 2. Group photo of the consultation workshop with Universitas Indonesia on 21 September 2026
The discussions explored how to provide a deeper and more comprehensive understanding of low-carbon buildings across multiple disciplines and study programmes. To support practical learning, Building Emission Assessment Tool (BEAT), developed by HEAT, was introduced to faculty members as a freely accessible platform for calculating carbon emissions from building materials and operational energy use. The tool offers opportunities for students to move beyond theoretical knowledge by quantifying building emissions and evaluating the carbon implications of different design and operational decisions.
Photo 3. Group photo of the consultation workshop with Universitas Multimedia Nusantara on 25 September 2026
Building on these findings, the institutional readiness and curriculum gap assessments will be the foundation of low carbon building syllabus enhancement according to each university’s academic strengths, resources, and institutional structures. The next stagewill focus on developing enhanced curriculum with more practical learning activities, case studies, and assessment tools, alongside the development of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) to broaden access to low-carbon building education.
Through this collaboration, ACE and its university partners aim to establish adaptable approaches to low-carbon building integration that better prepare future building professionals and create opportunities for wider adoption and replication across Indonesia and the ASEAN region.
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About the ALCBT Project
The Asia Low Carbon Buildings Transition (ALCBT) Project is a five-year multi-stakeholder project that seeks to reduce GHG emissions by catalysing nationwide transition towards Low Carbon Buildings in five Asian countries, namely Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Thailand, and Viet Nam.
The ALCBT project is being implemented by the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) in partnership with the ASEAN Centre for Energy (ACE), Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL), and HEAT International. This project is supported by the International Climate Initiative (IKI) of the Federal Government of Germany. Within the Federal Government, the IKI is anchored in the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Climate Action, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMUKN).
