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Open AccessArticle
Comparative Assessment of Finnish University Campus Transformation Using New European Bauhaus–Inspired Sustainability Indicators
by
Elżbieta Komarzyńska-Świeściak
Elżbieta Komarzyńska-Świeściak
Elżbieta Komarzyńska-Świeściak is an architect, researcher, and assistant professor at the of of [...]
Elżbieta Komarzyńska-Świeściak is an architect, researcher, and assistant professor at the Faculty of Architecture, Wrocław University of Science and Technology. She has over 15 years of academic and professional experience in sustainable urban development, specializing in adaptive reuse, spatial resilience, and the transformation of underused infrastructural and heritage spaces. She is the principal investigator on international, interdisciplinary projects funded by NCN and NAWA, with a focus on circular urban strategies, policy innovation, and climate-resilient design. She collaborates with municipalities, NGOs, and universities, including TU Delft, TU Prague, and TU Darmstadt. She is a member of the Architecture and Urban Planning Committee of the Polish Academy of Sciences (Wrocław Branch). Her teaching and research interests include circular campus redevelopment, scenario planning, and design-led education.
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,
Magdalena Anna Strauchmann
Magdalena Anna Strauchmann
and
Aleksandra Urszula Tądel
Aleksandra Urszula Tądel
Faculty of Architecture, Wroclaw University of Science and Technology, 50-370 Wroclaw, Poland
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Sustainability 2025, 17(22), 10425; https://doi.org/10.3390/su172210425 (registering DOI)
Submission received: 9 September 2025
/
Revised: 8 November 2025
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Accepted: 12 November 2025
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Published: 20 November 2025
Abstract
University campuses are key testbeds for circular and climate-resilient transformation. This study evaluates how redevelopment strategies at eight Finnish campuses align with long-term environmental and social goals using indicators derived from the New European Bauhaus (NEB) framework. A mapping and qualitative synthesis of 97 peer-reviewed publications (2015–2024) was combined with a comparative analysis of sustainability strategies, carbon-neutrality roadmaps, and campus development strategies (2010–2024). Indicators were formulated based on campus-specific challenges and NEB core values—sustainability, inclusion, and esthetics—and operationalized across five areas: blue-green infrastructure, low-emission mobility, student housing, carbon reduction and renewables, and cultural heritage/community integration. Results show strong commitments to energy efficiency, mobility, and biodiversity. However, socio-spatial dimensions—student housing, participatory inclusion, and place identity—are weak or externalized. Reporting practices are uneven, and metrics are not standardized, limiting comparability across institutions. We argue that SDG-based monitoring should be complemented by NEB’s place-sensitive criteria to bridge strategy–implementation gaps and to future-proof campus redevelopment. An illustrative conceptual case for Helsinki’s Viikki campus demonstrates how the indicators can be integrated into design scenarios. Policy recommendations highlight how integrating NEB’s place-sensitive criteria with ESG/SDG frameworks can strengthen the strategic and spatial coherence of campus transformations.
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MDPI and ACS Style
Komarzyńska-Świeściak, E.; Strauchmann, M.A.; Tądel, A.U.
Comparative Assessment of Finnish University Campus Transformation Using New European Bauhaus–Inspired Sustainability Indicators. Sustainability 2025, 17, 10425.
https://doi.org/10.3390/su172210425
AMA Style
Komarzyńska-Świeściak E, Strauchmann MA, Tądel AU.
Comparative Assessment of Finnish University Campus Transformation Using New European Bauhaus–Inspired Sustainability Indicators. Sustainability. 2025; 17(22):10425.
https://doi.org/10.3390/su172210425
Chicago/Turabian Style
Komarzyńska-Świeściak, Elżbieta, Magdalena Anna Strauchmann, and Aleksandra Urszula Tądel.
2025. "Comparative Assessment of Finnish University Campus Transformation Using New European Bauhaus–Inspired Sustainability Indicators" Sustainability 17, no. 22: 10425.
https://doi.org/10.3390/su172210425
APA Style
Komarzyńska-Świeściak, E., Strauchmann, M. A., & Tądel, A. U.
(2025). Comparative Assessment of Finnish University Campus Transformation Using New European Bauhaus–Inspired Sustainability Indicators. Sustainability, 17(22), 10425.
https://doi.org/10.3390/su172210425
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