Sustainability and quality of life

One of the objectives of the university is to increase awareness of its social role “through education in the culture of sustainability, by initiating a pathway to accreditation of the University as a sustainable campus and encouraging the creation of synergistic actions with local authorities within a sustainable vision of the territory”.

The main related initiatives are:

Aligning itself with the best international universities, the Politecnico di Torino intends to raise awareness of its social role (as an individuals and as an institution) through education in the culture of sustainability, launching a shared path for the University's accreditation as a Sustainable Campus.

As part of the actions aimed at minimising environmental impact and civic-social education on sustainability issues (Strategic Plan, strategic line 4.2), the Politecnico offers students and employees initiatives to encourage the use of public transport and sustainable modes of transport.

  • [TO]BIKE
    The Politecnico adopts to the City of Turin's [TO]BIKE initiative, a bike sharing service with stations in all the city's districts, giving the 100 best students in the entrance test a subscription to the service for one year.
  • Co-financing of travel passes
    As part of the University's Welfare initiatives, since 2008 the Politecnico has been promoting an initiative to encourage sustainable mobility through the use of alternative means to the car to get to work. The University supports the purchase of annual season tickets for public transport by its employees with a co-financing equal to 20% of the total cost.

The balance of work and private life times is one of the qualifying points for the enhancement of human capital (Strategic Plan, strategic line 3.3). The Politecnico offers services to support workers – and in some cases also students – at particular times in their family life.

In recent years, work-life balance, i.e., the search for a balance between work and family time, has become a pivotal term in the broader debate on labour policies and, above all, a reference point for corporate welfare initiatives. Also linked to this theme is the concept of flexibility, which represents, in a more modern understanding of the term, one of the main tools of work-life balance.

The University, in close cooperation with the Equal Opportunities Committee (in Italian Comitato Pari-Opportunità, CPO), which has now become the Equality Committee (in Italian Comitato Unico di Garanzia, CUG), has been engaged for some ten years now with initiatives open to all employees and, for some of them, also to students.

The work-life balance strategies and services as such can be found in the University as follows:

To address the shortage of teaching spaces that has occurred in recent years due to the constant increase in the number of students, the University has identified shared solutions with the local community to plan the construction of new classrooms, teaching laboratories and also spaces for research and University operations.

The increase in the student population, together with new requirements in the areas of teaching, research and knowledge transfer, call for greater availability of space for the University's institutional activities. Added to this is the concept of a “Distributed and sustainable campus”, which directs the development of infrastructures, and which has led to the creation of residential opportunities (the “Carlo Mollino” and “Cesare Codegone” university residences), of new spaces for socialisation, and additional and larger areas dedicated to support services (baby parking and micro-crèche facilities, study rooms, outdoor study areas, etc.).

The most interesting project initiatives that have been implemented, or are currently being planned/implemented are outlined below.

  • Construction of the Carlo Mollino university residence

On 30 January 2015, the Politecnico di Torino signed a concession contract for the construction and management of two university residences: “Carlo Mollino” and “Cesare Codegone”.

Work on the construction of the "Carlo Mollino" Residence began in February 2015 and, as of 3 October 2016, the Residence officially began its accommodation and welcoming operations for university students, guaranteeing at least 60% of the accommodation (62 places out of 104) to able and deserving students. As of January 2017, with the completion of the works, the facility guarantees full accommodation.

  • Creation of new functional areas for students

The project entailed the construction of new functional areas for students that came into operation at the end of 2016: a study hall, a 150-seat tiered classroom and two new toilet blocks on the ground floor and basement. These spaces were realised partly through the renovation and re-functioning of some pre-existing spaces and partly through the construction of a new building within a secondary courtyard of the main Campus

 

Area Riservata 

The University has always paid special attention to students with difficulties, activating support services dedicated to them:

  • One to One Service
    A “multi-purpose” service for students, including psychological support and a support service for students with disabilities and students with Specific Learning Disorders (SpLD).
  • “Studio&riposo” (Study&Rest) Space
    Area equipped area for students with different levels of mobility difficulties.
  • Online Lectures
    The Politecnico di Torino records and makes available, online and free of charge, to students the recordings of lectures given in the classrooms of various Degree Programmes.
    This service is dedicated to students with attendance difficulties, but is also aimed at students who wish to study in depth topics already covered in the classroom and is based on two main elements:
    • the production of material and services in digital format and their distribution through IT channels usable from anywhere and at any time, breaking down space-time constraints;
    • the effectiveness of information sharing.
  • Placement services for students with disabilities
    At the end of their studies, the University offers students with disabilities support in their first encounter with the working world through specific channels dedicated to them.