scholarly journals Vertical Greenery Systems as sustainable solutions for building retrofitting: a case study

Author(s):  
A. Martínez-Rocamora ◽  
R.M. Pulselli ◽  
J. Solís-Guzmán ◽  
M. Marrero ◽  
S. Bastianoni
Author(s):  
José Ángel Gimeno ◽  
Eva Llera Sastresa ◽  
Sabina Scarpellini

Currently, self-consumption and distributed energy facilities are considered as viable and sustainable solutions in the energy transition scenario within the European Union. In a low carbon society, the exploitation of renewables for self-consumption is closely tied to the energy market at the territorial level, in search of a compromise between competitiveness and the sustainable exploitation of resources. Investments in these facilities are highly sensitive to the existence of favourable conditions at the territorial level, and the energy policies adopted in the European Union have contributed positively to the distributed renewables development and the reduction of their costs in the last decade. However, the number of the installed facilities is uneven in the European Countries and those factors that are more determinant for the investments in self-consumption are still under investigation. In this scenario, this paper presents the main results obtained through the analysis of the determinants in self-consumption investments from a case study in Spain, where the penetration of this type of facilities is being less relevant than in other countries. As a novelty of this study, the main influential drivers and barriers in self-consumption are classified and analysed from the installers' perspective. On the basis of the information obtained from the installers involved in the installation of these facilities, incentives and barriers are analysed within the existing legal framework and the potential specific lines of the promotion for the effective deployment of self-consumption in an energy transition scenario.


2014 ◽  
Vol 13 (5) ◽  
pp. 4506-4509
Author(s):  
Muhammad Saleh Memon ◽  
Mohammad Asif Channa ◽  
Izhar Ali Manganhar

The objective of this study is to know the contributions of Micro finance towards employment development through generating employment opportunities to the alit class of urban and rural community. For this purpose quantitative research techniques were used to collect the data. The data was collected through secondary sources from economic survey from 2011-12 and labor force survey 2010-2011 and from annual plans of Pakistan from 2001-02 to   2012-13. Mainly 8 to 10 micro finance banks and micro finance institutes and some NGOs are taken into study.  The results express the positive contributions of micro finance to the employment that leads to poverty reduction and improved living standard. In contrast micro finance through supporting the employment generates sustainable solutions of other economic problems like poverty, good education, better health etc. 


2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (16) ◽  
pp. 4458 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chiara Battistoni ◽  
Carolina Giraldo Nohra ◽  
Silvia Barbero

This article aims to frame the role of Systemic Design (SD) as an alternative design model for the future of design for sustainability, by defining and assessing a structured process to execute Holistic Diagnosis (HD), an innovative context framework. Taking as its background a deep understanding of the design for sustainability and systems thinking concepts that frame SD as a field where HD is rooted, multiple case-study analyses were performed. HD demonstrates its ability to overcome the design boundaries in different fields such as industrial production, local communities, and policy-making, thereby providing a more in-depth understanding of complex environments with an iterative process: assess, research, collect, visualize, and interpret. This framework is a relevant tool for designers to address problem framing in complex scenarios to obtain future sustainable solutions with an innovative and transdisciplinary approach, thereby promoting a horizontal dialogue among all involved components.


2007 ◽  
pp. 286-312
Author(s):  
Stephen C. Shih ◽  
Michael Camarata ◽  
H. Joseph Wen

Web technology has enabled many organizations to form an e-enterprise for effective communicating, collaborating, and information sharing. To gain competitive advantages, it is necessary for e-enterprises to integrate the entire lines of business operations and critical business data with external supply chain participants over the Web, which may introduce significant security risks to the organizations’ critical assets and infrastructures. This chapter reports a case study of e-service security design and implementation at a leading U.S. company. First, the chapter reviews security concerns and challenges in front-end e-business and back-end supply chain operations. This is followed by the analysis of the company’s e-service and its security problems. The case then presents an integrated e-enterprise security methodology to guide the company for meeting its security needs. The results of this case study provides security professionals with practical steps and sustainable solutions for tackling the unique security challenges arising in an open, unbounded e-enterprise supply chain environment.


Author(s):  
Lora A. Oehlberg ◽  
Alice M. Agogino ◽  
Sara L. Beckman

Engineers today have access to a myriad of tools for developing sustainable products that have minimal environmental impact. Although consumer interest in sustainability is increasing, it is still not foremost on the minds of many consumers. Engineers are thus faced with the dilemma of developing sustainable solutions for consumers who may not yet want or be able to articulate sustainability needs. We explore this issue by examining user research conducted by students in a graduate-level product design course. We present findings on how users define and describe sustainability, how sustainability needs interact with other user needs, and what tradeoffs people make and feelings people have when faced with sustainability trade-offs. We present a case study of one design team’s findings about sustainability, and how those findings affected the formulation of the team’s mission statement and product strategy. Based on these results, we propose recommendations for how to facilitate the design of innovative and sustainable consumer products.


Land ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (5) ◽  
pp. 152
Author(s):  
Lawrence Fulton ◽  
Bradley Beauvais ◽  
Matthew Brooks ◽  
Scott Kruse ◽  
Kimberly Lee

Intelligent use of rural residential land and sustainable construction is inexorably linked to cost; however, options exist that are eco-friendly and have a positive return on investment. In 2011, a research residence was built to evaluate various land-use and sustainable components. This Texas house has subsequently been used for both residential and research purposes. The purpose of this case study was to evaluate break-even construction considerations, to assess environmental impacts, and to evaluate qualitatively efficacy of sustainable options incorporated in the research residence. Some of the specific components discussed are home site placement (directional positioning); materiel acquisition (transportation); wood product minimization; rainwater harvesting; wastewater management; grid-tied solar array power; electric car charging via a solar array; geothermal heating and cooling; insulation selection; windows, fixtures, and appliance selection; and on-demand electric water heaters for guest areas. This study seeks to identify the impact of proper land use and sustainable techniques on the environment and return-on-investment in rural areas. Break-even and 15-year Net Present Value (NPV) analysis at 3% and 5% cost of capital were used to evaluate traditional construction, partially sustainable construction, and fully sustainable construction options for the case study house, which was built sustainably. The additional cost of sustainable construction is estimated at $54,329. At 3%, the analysis suggests a 15-year NPV of $334,355 (traditional) versus $250,339 million (sustainable) for a difference of $84K. At 5% cost of capital, that difference falls to $63K. The total estimated annual difference in carbon emissions is 4.326 million g/CO2e for this research residence. The results indicate that good choices for quick return-on-investment in rural construction would be the use of engineered lumber, Icynene foam, and Energy Star windows and doors. Medium-term options include photovoltaic systems (PVS) capable of powering the home and an electric car. Sustainable construction options should positively affect the environment and the pocketbook. Regulations and code should require adoption of short-range, break-even sustainable solutions in residential construction.


Author(s):  
Alessandra Papetti ◽  
Michele Germani ◽  
Marco Marconi ◽  
Claudio Favi

The goal of sustainable development through the product innovation is a global challenge that Academia and Industries are addressing. The regulatory pressure and the growing demand of eco-friendly products by consumers are two of its main drivers, especially in the household appliances sector. For this aim, manufactures need to change the design approach in order to extend the boundaries of the benchmark analysis of possible innovations: (i) multi-objective criteria should be taken into account such as the environmental issues, costs, technical performances, etc., and (ii) a life cycle thinking has to be adopted to consider long terms benefits or impacts. However, the literature highlights the lack of structured methods able to support the R&D activity according to these perspectives. For this aim, the present paper provides a systematic approach, which exploits lifecycle and innovation tools to effectively support designers in the development of sustainable solutions in a long term perspective. The proposed approach has been applied in real case study to increase the energy efficiency of a domestic refrigerator. In particular, the insulation module has been redesigned by comparing several alternatives in terms of environmental performances and costs over the product lifespan to effectively evaluate the consistency of the developed eco-innovations.


2009 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 183-205 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kimberley Jane Hockings

Human–wildlife interactions have existed for thousands of years, however as human populations increase and human impact on natural ecosystems becomes more intensive, both parties are increasingly being forced to compete for resources vital to both. Humans can value wildlife in many contexts promoting coexistence, while in other situations, such as crop-raiding, wildlife conflicts with the interests of people. As our closest phylogenetic relatives, chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) in particular occupy a special importance in terms of their complex social and cultural relationship with humans. A case study is presented that focuses on the Bossou chimpanzees’ (Pan troglodytes verus) perspective of their habitat in the Republic of Guinea, West Africa, by highlighting the risks and opportunities presented by a human-dominated landscape, and detailing their day-to-day coexistence with humans. Understanding how rural people perceive chimpanzees and how chimpanzees adapt to living in anthropogenic environments will enhance our understanding of how people-wildlife interactions develop into situations of conflict and therefore can generate sustainable solutions to prevent or mitigate situations of conflict.


2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (5) ◽  
pp. 92
Author(s):  
Divya Kanchibhotla ◽  
Nupur Rao ◽  
Prateek Harsora

In the past few decades, urban growth in most parts of the world has disregarded sustainable practices, contributing to a myriad of global problems. With 68% of the global population projected to reside in urban areas by 2050, it is essential that we espouse and implement effective sustainable solutions immediately. This study focuses upon the smart sustainable practices adopted at the international headquarters of The Art of Living near Bengaluru, the ‘Silicon Valley of India’. Situated in a rapidly urbanizing area barely 20 kms from the busy metropolis, and characterized by a large floating population that varies from 3,000-6000 visitors per week, apart from almost 2000 residents, this bustling community has lush green cover, extremely rich biodiversity and excellent air quality. Some of the sustainable practices adopted here include permaculture, efficient waste management, moving towards the use of clean energy, etc. This paper posits that this unique community exemplifies the possibility of creating an ‘oasis of sustainability’ in the arid desert of urbanization.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (24) ◽  
pp. 12009
Author(s):  
Suji Choi ◽  
Seol-Ah Lee ◽  
Miseon Kang ◽  
Yeseul Lee ◽  
Hyoun K. Kim ◽  
...  

This study introduces Action Research to present a service program through an interdisciplinary service design approach for promoting the residential stability of elderly people. We extracted design elements (1) “things to do” and (2) “community” and “strategies”, and then made a design framework. According to the framework, we developed a service design program, named “Small Daily Life: “Small Daily Life Tasks”, which provided opportunities to share the elderly people’s daily life via online videos “Small Meeting”, which helped develop a network of relationships outside the home by informing neighbors regarding elderly people’s know-how, and “Small Sharing”, which delivers the results of previous activities to those who need help in the community. Finally, we describe our reflective case study on the presented service program and examine the relationship between social infrastructure and design and their respective roles. This study will expand service design methodologies as presented research procedures, generalized frameworks, and conceptual models that can be referenced in multidisciplinary collaborations.


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