• Title/Summary/Keyword: Sustainable Built Environment

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Toward Net-Zero Energy Retrofitting: Building-Integrated Photovoltaic Curtainwalls

  • Kim, Kyoung Hee;Im, Ok-Kyun
    • International Journal of High-Rise Buildings
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    • v.10 no.1
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    • pp.35-43
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    • 2021
  • With the rapid urbanization and growing energy use intensity in the built environment, the glazed curtainwall has become ever more important in the architectural practice and environmental stewardship. Besides its energy efficiency roles, window has been an important transparent component for daylight penetration and a view-out for occupant satisfaction. In response to the climate crisis caused by the built environment, this research focuses on the study of net-zero energy retrofitting by using a new building integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) curtainwall as a sustainable alternative to conventional window systems. Design variables such as building orientations, climate zones, energy attributes of BIPV curtainwalls, and glazed area were studied, to minimize energy consumption and discomfort hours for three cities representing hot (Miami, FL), mixed (Charlotte, NC), and cold (Minneapolis, MN). Parametric analysis and Pareto solutions are presented to provide a comprehensive explanation of the correlation between design variables and performance objectives for net-zero energy retrofitting applications.

Analysis on Sustainability Assessment Tools for Overseas Single Detached Houses (해외 단독주택의 지속가능성 평가도구 분석에 관한 연구)

  • Choi, Joon Sung
    • KIEAE Journal
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    • v.11 no.2
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    • pp.45-57
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    • 2011
  • As climate change and environmental degradation become more evident, the public's concern and knowledge on sustainable development requires planners to have regards to social impacts and long term economic viability, as well as environmental impacts. The main objective of this study is to analyze existing sustainability assessment tools for single detached houses. The most widely used oversea tools are selected. From analysis on the existing assessment tools, "Impact Estimator" by Athena Institute, "Bees 4.0" by NIST, "CASBEE for Home" by JSBC, "Envest for Housing" by Energy Saving Trust, "LISA" by Center for Sustainable Technology, "SBTool" by iiSBE (International Initiative for Sustainable Built Environment), it can be seen that the current sustainability assessment programs are in need of much improvement. The selected programs are analyzed on scope of program setting & running, data input & output, assessment categories, and strength & weakness. This study is to supplement the existing sustainability assessment tools for single detached houses, and provide information for the development of web-based program to assist architects or home owners to plan sustainable houses in Korea in the schematic design stage.

Strengthening of the panel zone in steel moment-resisting frames

  • Abedini, Masoud;Raman, Sudharshan N.;Mutalib, Azrul A.;Akhlaghi, Ebrahim
    • Advances in Computational Design
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    • v.4 no.4
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    • pp.327-342
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    • 2019
  • Rehabilitation and retrofitting of structures designed in accordance to standard design codes is an essential practice in structural engineering and design. For steel structures, one of the challenges is to strengthen the panel zone as well as its analysis in moment-resisting frames. In this research, investigations were undertaken to analyze the influence of the panel zone in the response of structural frames through a computational approach using ETABS software. Moment-resisting frames of six stories were studied in supposition of real panel zone, different values of rigid zone factor, different thickness of double plates, and both double plates and rigid zone factor together. The frames were analyzed, designed and validated in accordance to Iranian steel building code. The results of drift values for six stories building models were plotted. After verifying and comparing the results, the findings showed that the rigidity lead to reduction in drifts of frames and also as a result, lower rigidity will be used for high rise building and higher rigidity will be used for low rise building. In frames with story drifts more than the permitted rate, where the frames are considered as the weaker panel zone area, the story drifts can be limited by strengthening the panel zone with double plates. It should be noted that higher thickness of double plates and higher rigidity of panel zone will result in enhancement of the non-linear deformation rates in beam elements. The resulting deformations of the panel zone due to this modification can have significant influence on the elastic and inelastic behavior of the frames.

Trend Analysis of LEED Certifications: Insights and Future

  • Lee, SeungMin;Kwak, Young Hoon
    • International conference on construction engineering and project management
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    • 2022.06a
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    • pp.1009-1016
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    • 2022
  • As environmental concerns grow, people are becoming more aware of energy efficiency, carbon reduction, and sustainable development. Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification is currently the most widely recognized building environment assessment method connected to energy and the environment worldwide. This study explores trends for six factors (energy and atmosphere, materials and resources, indoor environmental quality, sustainable sites, water efficiency, and innovation in design) to assess four levels of LEED certification (Platinum, gold, silver, and certified) using 11,209 LEED projects in the United States. The study analyzes trends using scores of percentages of maximum points by certification level, ownership type, space type, and climate zones. With the interest in the Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) principle on the rise, this study contributes to a better understanding of the trends and future of LEED certification in the built environment sector.

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SUSTAINABILITY SOLUTIONS USING TRENCHLESS TECHNOLOGIES IN URBAN UNDERGROUND INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT

  • Dae-Hyun (Dan) Koo;Samuel Ariaratnam
    • International conference on construction engineering and project management
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    • 2013.01a
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    • pp.367-374
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    • 2013
  • Underground infrastructure systems provide essential public services and goods through buried structures including water and sewer, gas and petroleum, power and communication pipelines. The majority of existing underground infrastructure systems was installed in green field areas prior to development of complex urban built environments. Currently, there is a global trend to escalate major demand for underground infrastructure system renewal and new installation while minimizing disruption and maintaining functions of existing superstructures. Therefore, Engineers and utility owners are rigorously seeking technologies that minimize environmental, social, and economic impact during the renewal and installation process. Trenchless technologies have proven to be socially less disruptive, more environmentally friendly, energy conservative and economically viable alternative methods. All of those benefits are adequate to enhance overall sustainability. This paper describes effective sustainable solutions using trenchless technologies. Sustainability is assessed by a comparison between conventional open cut and trenchless technology methods. Sustainability analysis is based on a broad perspective combining the three main aspects of sustainability: economic; environmental; and social. Economic includes construction cost, benefit, and social cost analysis. Environmental includes emission estimation and environmental quality impact study. Social includes various social impacts on an urban area. This paper summarizes sustainable trenchless technology solutions and presents a sustainable construction method selection process in a proposed framework to be used in urban underground infrastructure capital improvement projects.

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A study on development of dry ondol access floor system for sustainable apartment (지속가능형 공동주택 구현을 위한 건식온돌 이중바닥 시스템 개발)

  • Oh, Jin-Kyun;Sohn, Jang-Ryul
    • Proceedings of the Korean Society for Noise and Vibration Engineering Conference
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    • 2010.05a
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    • pp.689-689
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    • 2010
  • Since the apartment was built by Korea National Housing Cooperation in 1961, the amount of its supply has been increased greatly, especially from the late 70's. Recently there are many ongoing studies regarding sustainable construction apartment in Korea, one of the research is developing sustainable apartment that has longer life cycle. Also according as life's quality of residents is upgrading, complain for impact noise and plumbing system noise from upstair or downstair are increasing more and more. To solve this complains, government established impact noise standard as lightweight impact noise of 58dB, heavyweight impact noise of 50dB and presented standard floor system or recognition floor system to satisfy this impact noise standard. So in this study, the aim is to develop dry ondol access floor system for sustainable apartment which have pleasant and quiet life environment.

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Impact of future climate change on UK building performance

  • Amoako-Attah, Joseph;B-Jahromi, Ali
    • Advances in environmental research
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    • v.2 no.3
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    • pp.203-227
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    • 2013
  • Global demand for dwelling energy and implications of changing climatic conditions on buildings confront the built environment to build sustainable dwellings. This study investigates the variability of future climatic conditions on newly built detached dwellings in the UK. Series of energy modelling and simulations are performed on ten detached houses to evaluate and predict the impact of varying future climatic patterns on five building performance indicators. The study identifies and quantifies a consistent declining trend of building performance which is in consonance with current scientific knowledge of annual temperature change prediction in relations to long term climatic variation. The average percentage decrease for the annual energy consumption was predicted to be 2.80, 6.60 and 10.56 for 2020s, 2050s and 2080s time lines respectively. A similar declining trend in the case of annual natural gas consumption was 4.24, 9.98 and 16.1, and that for building emission rate and heating demand were 2.27, 5.49 and 8.72 and 7.82, 18.43 and 29.46 respectively. The study further analyse future heating and cooling demands of the three warmest months of the year and ascertain future variance in relative humidity and indoor temperature which might necessitate the use of room cooling systems to provide thermal comfort.

Why Tall Buildings? The Potential of Sustainable Technologies in Tall Buildings

  • Elbakheit, Abdel Rahman
    • International Journal of High-Rise Buildings
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    • v.1 no.2
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    • pp.117-123
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    • 2012
  • This paper discusses major strengths of tall buildings that distinguish them as sustainable solutions for the built environment. It sheds light on some of the key attributes of tall buildings as well as materials and technologies that could boost their performance environmentally, economically and technically as well as the natural habitats containing them. Tall buildings are portrait as major successful options for accommodating the ever increasing urban world population, with little negative impact on ecologies and environmental habitats worldwide. The role of tall buildings as 'vertical garden sub-cities' mitigating modern city problems of 'urban heat islands' and sprawling cities is explored. A few building examples as well as city developments are presented which represent the new generation of sustainable tall buildings that are setting trends for future projects incorporating innovations in materials and building systems and designs.

A Study on Learning Space for Open Education - Focusing on the Form of an Open Classroom and an Independent Classroom - (열린 교육을 위한 학습 공간에 관한 연구 -교실 개방형과 교실 독립형을 중심으로-)

  • Chung, Ho-Keun;Yu, Woong-Sang
    • The Journal of Sustainable Design and Educational Environment Research
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    • v.3 no.1
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    • pp.15-23
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    • 2003
  • Focusing on both the form of open classroom and that of independent one which have been most planned and being built, this study was designed to see if the educational environment of their inner space, structure, and facilities gives a proper support to classroom activities during the various classes based on open education. Selecting representative teaching methods in elementary school, such as open simultaneous learning, learning through a medium, learning in the corner, subject learning, team teaching and learning hardening basics, this study surveyed problems and improvements using literature works, questionnaires, observing, and interviews. Through the study on learning space for open education, it has been known that the form of independent classroom fits into one classroom learning and open classroom into small group learning and individual learning, and that the form of open classroom connecting open space with a classroom are more desirable when there is change from large to small group.

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Thermo-responsive antifouling study of commercial PolyCera® membranes for POME treatment

  • Haan, Teow Yeit;Chean, Loh Wei;Mohammad, Abdul Wahab
    • Membrane and Water Treatment
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    • v.11 no.2
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    • pp.97-109
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    • 2020
  • Membrane fouling is the main drawback of membrane technology. Frequent membrane cleaning and membrane replacement are, therefore, required to reduce membrane fouling that causes permeate flux reduction, lower rejection, or higher operating pressure. Studies have proved that the alteration of membrane properties is the key controlling factor in lessening membrane fouling. Among stimuli-responsive membranes, thermo-responsive membrane is the most popular, with a drastic phase transition and swelling-shrinking behavior caused by the temperature change. In this study, the thermo-responsive ability of two commercial membranes, PolyCera® Titan membrane and PolyCera® Hydro membrane, at different temperatures was studied on the antifouling function of the membrane in palm oil mill effluent (POME) treatment. The evaluation of the membrane's thermo-responsive ability was done through three cycles of adsorption (fouling) and desorption (defouling) processes in a membrane filtration process. The experimental result depicted that PolyCera® Hydro membrane had a higher membrane permeability of 67.869 L/㎡.h.bar than PolyCera® Titan membrane at 46.011 L/㎡.h.bar. However, the high membrane permeability of PolyCera® Hydro membrane was compensated with low removal efficiency. PolyCera® Titan membrane with a smaller mean pore size had better rejection performance than PolyCera® Hydro membrane for all tested parameters. On the other hand, PolyCera® Titan membrane had a better hydrodynamic cleaning efficiency than PolyCera® Hydro membrane regardless of the hydrodynamic cleaning temperature. The best hydrodynamic cleaning performed by PolyCera® Titan membrane was at 35℃ with the flux recovery ratio (FRR) of 99.17 ± 1.43%. The excellent thermo-responsive properties of the PolyCera® Titan membrane could eventually reduce the frequency of membrane replacement and lessen the use of chemicals for membrane cleaning. This outstanding exploration helps to provide a solution to the chemical industry and membrane technology bottleneck, which is the membrane fouling, thus reducing the operating cost incurred by the membrane fouling.