The development of existing technologies and the emergence of new technologies aiming at the total decarbonization of the buildings sector by 2050 requires and encourages upskilling and reskilling of existing professionals as well as the development of new subjects from higher education courses to be able to respond to the demands of these challenges. In responding to those challenges, the main objective of the research is to design, implement, and evaluate a novel, integrated, and transnational educational approach aimed at equipping professionals and students in the construction sector with the necessary skills to achieve sustainable and energy-efficient buildings. This study aligns with the European Union’s 2050 decarbonization goals by developing innovative methodologies that address the multidisciplinary challenges of sustainable building design, operation, and renovation. The proposed educational approach was developed in the framework of an Erasmus+ project entitled “Training for Sustainable and Healthy Building for 2050 (BUILD2050)”. Six higher education institutions from five European countries joined forces to create transversal skills in the building sector knowledge for emerging challenges through an integrated training composed of eight training courses for students and professionals of the construction area. In this work, the pedagogical approach used to develop the course contents, curricular development issues, technology, and infrastructure, as well as student support, the results obtained from the evaluation carried out after the pilot training of the eight training courses, and best practices and lessons learned, are presented and discussed. The courses’ learning objectives, the learning material, and the assessment activities were well-accomplished. However, based on the feedback of students and teachers, some improvements for future editions of the courses are required.

The last decade of the XX century consolidated a new vision of development that involved not only the natural environment, but also socio-cultural aspects in a prominent position, argued that the quality of life of human beings became the condition for progress. This proposal is based on sustainable development considering the preservation for future generation\'s current use of natural resources. We cannot imagine the functioning of the developed societies without major hospitals, shopping malls, sports facilities, public transport stations, public institutions, schools, waste treatment plants etc.. The construction of such equipment involves huge amounts of money and produces a significant impact on the neighbourhood. These impacts on the economy, called externalities, can be positive or negative. Looking at the issue of community facilities from a macroeconomic point of view, a proper functioning of such equipment is essential for the development of local communities and general society. Amidst the global crisis, the best and most profitable use of such equipment enhances its positive impacts on society, which is supposed to be inclusive, and creates the structural conditions for social and economic growth. Many of those items can be better managed taking into consideration social sustainability by creating conditions for local and country development. A more inclusive and participatory societyis one of the key objectives of Europe 2020. The EU commission has identified three elements for the growth of the European state in the coming years: smart growth, sustainable growth (making our production more efficient in terms of resources, while boosting our competitiveness), inclusive growth (increased rate of participation in the labour market, acquiring skills and the fighting poverty). For the success of this strategy for the next decade, it is essential to have a social vision of the market. Improved management of such equipment can create opportunities for civic engagement of local citizens, for education and even for the creation of micro-business around the equipment. The greater involvement of citizens also allows to channel the energies of many social groups to make the social goals comprehensive, providing the appearance of a more participatory society. Companies today face many management problems of social sustainability in its various dimensions such as: demographic changes, social justice, education, health, among others. The proper management approach has to be an answer on how to deal with these problems. The objective of our work is the introductory analyses of the state of art of the management for social sustainability objectives of the sports facilities in Portugal. After this introductory analysis, we will propose the creation of a methodological guide for managers of these public facilities, in order to include the social sustainability aspects on their task and management objectives.

This paper presents the innovative key knowledge breakthroughs achieved as one of the results of the BUILD2050 Erasmus+ project, focused on its contribution to advancing climate-resilient building engineering education and practice. In a recent work, the new methodologies applied in the BUILD2050 initiative were presented. This work discusses the incorporation of new knowledge in the courses and dissemination for the sustainability of the trans-European training experience. The challenge faced by the European Union for 2050 is achieving climate neutrality and decarbonization across all economic sectors, including the significantly impactful construction sector. To achieve this objective, it is necessary to develop technologies in an integrated way, following a holistic approach appropriately adapted to climatic conditions, cultural contexts, and natural resource availability through circular economy methodologies. To this end, it is necessary to develop innovative training methods with multidisciplinary content, incorporating a transnational perspective and scope, enabling continuous updating through learning cycles. These study cycles could be shorter and more complementary, allowing greater flexibility in knowledge acquisition while also enabling the creation of specialized training programs similar to those currently available. The BUILD2050 project has developed a transformative educational framework comprising eight comprehensive “Pilot Training” courses to address the critical challenge of integrating sustainability and circularity concepts into educational curricula at all levels, building engineering training and professional development. Addressing this gap is essential for transforming the construction sector and achieving global climate goals. The results of the BUILD2050 project demonstrate the potential of structured, trans-European training experiences to enhance professional competencies and support the transition to climate-neutral construction. Moving forward, widespread adoption and continuous dissemination of these educational advancements will be vital in ensuring a sustainable built environment by 2050.