scholarly journals Balancing Function and Environment toward Sustainable Design: A Building Insulation Case Study

2016 ◽  
Vol 9 (5) ◽  
pp. 207
Author(s):  
Celine Manoosingh
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Environmental Performance ◽  
Sustainable Design ◽  
Experimental Comparison ◽  
Heat Transfer Characteristics ◽  
Sustainable Building ◽  
Building Insulation ◽  
Study Results ◽  
Control Facility

<p>This study utilizes a proposed sustainable design process to investigate the functional and environmental metrics associated with an alternative insulation for use in buildings. A prototype exploring the use of evacuated packets of a silica compound substituting for conventional insulation was assessed. Assessment criteria included experimental comparison of heat transfer characteristics, as compared to a control facility. Additionally, a comprehensive environmental life cycle assessment and disassembly analysis was performed. Pilot study results indicate that in the new insulation design applied to the unit, heat flux decreased by an average of 4%, and improved environmental sustainability, resulting in a savings of 1.2 metric tons of CO<sub>2</sub>e over 20 years per 100 sq. ft. of insulation replaced. Results provide an alternative insulation design for use in construction, and a framework by which to assess the efficiency and environmental performance of sustainable building products.</p>

The application and barriers of BIM in sustainable building design

2017 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 15-34 ◽  
Author(s):  
Olufolahan Oduyemi ◽  
Michael Iheoma Okoroh ◽  
Oluwaseun Samuel Fajana
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Performance ◽  
Green Building ◽  
Building Design ◽  
Design Tool ◽  
Building Information Modelling ◽  
Sustainable Building ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Information Modelling ◽  
Building Information

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore and rank the benefits and barriers (technological and non-technological) of using Building Information Modelling (BIM) in sustainable building design. It also employs the use of a design tool analysis of a case study using BIM compatible tools (Ecotect and Green Building Studio) to determine the environmental performance of a proposed multi-use building at Derby North. Design/methodology/approach The paper explores the benefits and barriers of using BIM through a literature review. Regression and factor analysis were used to rank these benefits and barriers. A questionnaire was distributed to a sample of 120 practitioners with 69 completing the survey. Finally, the paper employs the use of a design tool analysis of a case study using BIM-compatible tools (Ecotect and Green Building Studio) to determine the environmental performance of a proposed multi-use building at Derby North riverside. Findings The key findings of the statistical analysis indicated that professionals ranked the integrated project delivery as the most established benefit, while the lack of interoperability was ranked the greatest technological challenge. Only three of the attributes of non-technological challenges made statistically unique contributions, namely, training costs and software costs, client demand and potential legal issues. It was also discovered that BIM delivers information needed for environmental performance. In a forward-looking approach, the paper attempts to provide some recommendations that would encourage the continuous application of BIM in sustainable building design. Research limitations/implications This paper does not cover all features of BIM functionality, as the scope of BIM is very enormous and the resources of this research were limited. Practical implications The implication of the study is that it will assist in exploring and ranking the benefits and barriers (technological and non-technological) of using BIM while proffering recommendations for future use. This research will be of interest to industry practitioners and academic researchers with an interest in building information modelling. Originality/value This paper contributes with new outlooks aimed at syndicating sustainability with environmental performance and adds to the limited empirical studies on the benefits and barriers of the application of BIM.

scholarly journals Building a Composite Indicator to Measure Environmental Sustainability Using Alternative Weighting Methods

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (11) ◽  
pp. 4398 ◽  
Author(s):  
José Gómez-Limón ◽  
Manuel Arriaza ◽  
M. Guerrero-Baena
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Environmental Performance ◽  
Composite Indicator ◽  
Composite Indicators ◽  
Alternative Methods ◽  
Analytic Hierarchy ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Hierarchy Process ◽  
Weighting Methods

Environmental sustainability in agriculture can be measured through the construction of composite indicators. However, this is a challenging task because these indexes are heavily dependent on how the individual base indicators are weighted. The main aim of this paper is to contribute to the existing literature regarding the robustness of subjective (based on experts’ opinions) weighting methods when constructing a composite indicator for measuring environmental sustainability at the farm level. In particular, the study analyzes two multi-criteria techniques, the analytic hierarchy process and the recently developed best-worst method, as well as the more straightforward point allocation method. These alternative methods have been implemented to empirically assess the environmental performance of irrigated olive farms in Spain. Data for this case study were collected from a panel of 22 experts and a survey of 99 farms. The results obtained suggest that there are no statistically significant differences in the weights of the individual base indicators derived from the three weighting methods considered. Moreover, the ranking of the sampled farms, in terms of their level of environmental sustainability measured through the composite indicators proposed, is not dependent on the use of the different weighting methods. Thus, the results support the robustness of the three weighting methods considered.

Checklist-Based Assessment Methodology for Sustainable Design

2010 ◽  
Vol 132 (9) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yusuke Kishita ◽  
Bi Hong Low ◽  
Shinichi Fukushige ◽  
Yasushi Umeda ◽  
Atsushi Suzuki ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Impact ◽  
Environmental Performance ◽  
Manufacturing Industry ◽  
Sustainable Design ◽  
Assessment Methodology ◽  
Sustainable Society ◽  
Support Design ◽  
Cycle Simulation ◽  
Simulation Results

The manufacturing industry is faced with a challenge to create products with less environmental impact targeting a sustainable society. To cope with this challenge, sustainable design or ecodesign plays one of the most important roles. Manufacturers often use ecodesign checklists that are intended for obtaining eco-labels, such as Eco Mark in Japan, in order to support design improvements of products in terms of environmental consciousness. Eco-label checklists are, however, insufficient to support designing products rationally because the relationships between individual requirements of checklists and environmental impact are undetermined. This paper proposes a method for supporting assessment for ecodesign by developing a weighted checklist from a conventional eco-label checklist. This weighted checklist assesses the environmental performance of a product based on the potential environmental improvement of each requirement, derived by life cycle simulation. Results of a case study involving a digital duplicator indicate that the proposed method successfully clarifies the requirements that should be improved in the present product. When the design improvements are applied, the assessment of the product’s CO2 emissions shows an improvement by 8%.

scholarly journals DESIGNING SUSTAINABLE LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS: LOWERING ENERGY CONSUMPTION IN A K-12 FACILITY

2011 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. 112-137 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yong Han Ahn ◽  
Young Oh Choi ◽  
Bae Won Koh ◽  
Annie R. Pearce
Keyword(s):  
Energy Consumption ◽  
Learning Environments ◽  
Sustainable Design ◽  
Indoor Environments ◽  
Decision Strategy ◽  
Design Strategies ◽  
Bottom Line ◽  
Sustainable Building ◽  
K 12

The construction industry is embracing sustainable building practices that boost the “triple bottom line”, namely the building's ecological, social, and financial performance. Since more than 55 million US students spend a significant part of their day in K-12 schools, it is vital that these facilities should provide healthy, comfortable, and productive learning environments. Here we present an in-depth literature review of how educational facilities affect student school performance, comfort, and health, and we examine the role of sustainable design and construction strategies in influencing the physical learning environment in schools. Significant barriers to implementing sustainable strategies are examined, particularly the first cost premium of a sustainable building. A systematic decision strategy is described that incorporates sustainable design strategies, lowering energy consumption and improving indoor environments. A case study describes the process of incorporating sustainable strategies in a K-12 education facility in North Carolina to lower annual energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. Ways to reduce the first cost premium and minimize operating costs over the facility's life while providing healthy and comfortable learning environments for students and teachers are discussed. The case study school also functions as an experimental learning tool for teaching sustainability to K-12 students, having the potential to improve their attitudes and behavior with respect to sustainability.

scholarly journals Understanding Conceptions of ‘Nature’ for Environmental Sustainability: A Case Study in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland, Aotearoa New Zealand

Earth ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
pp. 357-373
Author(s):  
Lissy Fehnker ◽  
Diane Pearson ◽  
Peter J. Howland
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Global Scale ◽  
Valuable Insight ◽  
Lay Conceptions ◽  
Environmental Narratives ◽  
Inductive Research ◽  
Study Results ◽  
Respondent Group

Empirical research that inductively investigates lay conceptions of ‘nature’ is scarce, despite global environmental narratives around sustainability calling for humans to have harmonious relationships with ‘nature’. This paper presents inductive research that attends to the empirical knowledge gap by exploring how respondents self-reportedly conceive ‘nature’ using Auckland, New Zealand as a case study. Results suggested that conceptions of ‘nature’ within the respondent group are diverse and range across 17 themes. Most commonly, respondents conceived ‘nature’ as being something that neither humans nor human influence or activities are a part of. This finding is consistent with what has been found by previous deductive research approaches to understanding conceptions of ‘nature’. However, this research provides a deeper understanding by identifying that respondents form associations with over 60 ‘aspects’ of ‘nature’. By highlighting the complexity of ‘nature’ from a human perspective and being able to identify significant components of ‘nature’ that people associate with, this study not only provides valuable insight for environmental management in the New Zealand study site, but also has potential to support improved management of human–nature interactions that can have a more targeted impact towards achieving sustainability goals at the global scale.

scholarly journals Incorporating Sustainability into the Academic Institution

2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Charlotte Kate Sinden
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Data Analysis ◽  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Environmental Performance ◽  
Secondary Data ◽  
Case Study Approach ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Study Approach ◽  
The Uk

This research examines environmental sustainability in the UK university context. Universities are prioritising sustainability commitments with many declaring a Climate Emergency, as well as recognising the importance of educating students about climate change. This research used a case-study approach in which semi-structured interviews were coupled with secondary data analysis, and suggests universities are pivotal for greater environmental sustainability. The results reiterate the urgent need to significantly improve environmental performance and educate people in the field of sustainability, whilst presenting the challenges and realities faced in doing so. It is recommended that in order to achieve optimum sustainability solutions a cohesive approach is required to embed a common sustainability narrative for all.

Research Strategies on Sustainable Building Design

2015 ◽  
Vol 733 ◽  
pp. 442-445
Author(s):  
Hong Xia Yu ◽  
Shi Yang Ding
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Energy Consumption ◽  
Solar Energy ◽  
Architectural Design ◽  
Sustainable Design ◽  
Building Design ◽  
Research Strategies ◽  
Sustainable Building ◽  
Passive Design

Due to energy consumption of buildings, sustainable design has become a popular consensus. Based on the passive design and integrated solar energy, this paper introduces how to design in a sustainable way, as well as case study, so as to encourage sustainable development of architectural design.

scholarly journals Environmental Sustainability Framework for Plastic Waste Management - A Case Study in Bubble Tea Streets of Ss15, Subang Jaya

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chie Jian Lee ◽  
Lam Chang ◽  
Jully Tan
Keyword(s):  
Waste Management ◽  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Environmental Performance ◽  
Plastic Waste ◽  
Sanitary Landfill ◽  
Ghg Emission ◽  
Tea Industry ◽  
Framework Development ◽  
Sustainability Framework

Abstract Economic growth and rapid industrialisation have led to enormous increase in municipal solid waste (MSW) in the urban areas. Lack of waste management alternatives and ineffective waste policy implementation are the major challenges for government to materialise a sustainable solid waste management framework, especially for plastic waste. Booming bubble tea industry has aggravated the situation by generating more plastic waste which are either non-recyclable or rejected by recycling facilities as they have low or no economic values. Hence, this study aims to evaluate the overall environmental performance of existing and alternative waste management technologies that are available in Malaysia based on net greenhouse gas (GHG) emission in terms of carbon dioxide equivalent per tonne of plastic waste that are analysed through life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology. Waste management technology with better environmental performance is taken into account in environmental sustainability framework development for plastic waste management based on the case study in Bubble Tea Streets of Subang Jaya. Two scenarios of waste management technologies are considered: (A) sanitary landfill; (B) waste to energy (WTE) incineration. Results showed that Scenario B (WTE incineration) is more environmentally preferable as it has a negative net GHG emission of -573.80 kg CO2-eq as compared to GHG emission of existing sanitary landfill (566.15 kg CO2-eq.). Negative net GHG emission in WTE incineration is mainly due to higher GHG saving achieved through cleaner electricity generation as compared to conventional power production. This proposed alternative technology has the potential to reduce the dependence on landfills and is served as the basis of framework development. The environmental sustainability framework for plastic waste management can be baseline for the local authorities or policy makers for other plastic waste generation hotspots other than bubble tea industry to improve plastic waste management via WTE incineration.

scholarly journals SUSTAINABLE DESIGN ON PACKAGING: A CASE STUDY IN A CHINESE TOWN

2021 ◽  
Vol 1 ◽  
pp. 2881-2890
Author(s):  
Xue Xiong ◽  
Xiaotong Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Sustainable Design ◽  
Structured Interview ◽  
Chinese Consumers ◽  
Packaging Design ◽  
Perceived Importance ◽  
Packaging Industry ◽  
The Town ◽  
Case Based

AbstractPackaging waste has become a significant problem in China. The paper stems from growing awareness of packaging and environmental protection.To explore the perception of Chinese consumers on packaging and sustainability, the research takes Wuzhen as a case, based on the economic situation, industrial advantages and potential for implementing sustainable measures. It also investigates the current situation of packaging design in the town. By using empirical analysis in the form of questionnaire and semi-structured interview, the survey was carried out from three aspects: tourist attitude towards shopping products in Wuzhen, tourist perceptions of packaging characteristics, tourist perceived importance of sustainable. In the end, the paper discusses the packaging design of Wuzhen from the perspective of materials, function and design. This research is aimed to explore Chinese consumers' views of packaging and environmental sustainability and provide insights to the packaging industry to further enhance the effectiveness of environmentally packaging.

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