• Title/Summary/Keyword: sustainable built environment

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The Role of the Green Building Code in Achieving Sustainable Green Built Environment: the Philippines

  • Dela Cruz, John Christopher R.
    • International conference on construction engineering and project management
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    • 2015.10a
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    • pp.750-753
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    • 2015
  • The continuing trend of built environment set forth by the rise of modernization and industrialization has led every country in achieving their respective economic development. Along side this trend is an issue that needs to be addressed - the environmental impacts of the built industry. Construction and maintenance of buildings are said to consume 40% of the world's energy, 65% of electricity, and 40% of raw materials, creating drastic pollutants harmful not only to the environment but also to human. Figures have been released and analyzed proving the contributions of built environment with environmental depreciation. Said figures earned concerns not just from different private and non-profit organizations but also the governments of every country, thus, steps towards sustainable development are being implemented. As a response, the "green" was added in the built environment. Later on, the now emerging concept of "National Green Building Code" found its role in the policy of various states in protecting the people in accord with the nature. This paper appreciates the initiatives of various countries and non-profit organizations in their drive to pursue sustainable green built environment in general, and specifically proposes an establishment of an "incentives grant framework" as an additional legislative policy to be included in the draft of the National Green Building Code of the Philippines.

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When sustainable technologies are ignored. Socio-technical systems thinking, construction and sustainable development.

  • William Henry COLLINGE
    • International conference on construction engineering and project management
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    • 2024.07a
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    • pp.1160-1167
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    • 2024
  • Achieving sustainable futures requires the construction industry to employ digitalization processes, appropriate procurement methods and innovative technologies. However, sustainable technologies in the built environment are often ignored and under-used by clients and users of buildings and facilities, meaning the benefits of sustainable technologies can be missed. This paper provides reflections of one such technology as experienced by the author: a digital toilet installed in a hotel. Through an autoethnographic approach, the paper mobilises socio-technical systems thinking to examine and analyze the digital technology in-situ to identify factors leading to a negative experience from the authors' perspective. The socio-technical systems analysis identifies several issues to explain its' non-functioning status: these revolving around people; goals; culture; technology; processes/procedures and buildings/infrastructure. The analysis provides a framework for both retrospective review and upgrading of existing technologies and an assistive tool to assist in the planning, design and installation of new sustainable technologies in the future. A discussion explores the issues further in respect to construction project industries and their role in addressing the issues identified. It is contended that achieving sustainable futures requires both predictive analysis of new technologies in the built environment and retrospective review and adaptation of technologies already in our built environment.

An Exploratory Study of EVMS Environment Factors and their Impact on Cost Performance for Construction and Environmental Projects

  • Aramali, Vartenie;Sanboskani, Hala;G. Edward Jr., Gibson;Asmar, Mounir El
    • International conference on construction engineering and project management
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    • 2022.06a
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    • pp.170-178
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    • 2022
  • A high-performing Earned Value Management System (EVMS) can influence project success and help stakeholders meet project objectives. Although EVMS processes are well-supported by technical guidelines and standards, project managers often face challenges related to the project culture, team, resources, and business practices that make up the project environment within which an EVMS is being used. A comprehensive literature review revealed a lack of a data-driven and consistent assessment frameworks that can gauge the environment surrounding EVMS implementation. This paper will discuss the EVMS environment of construction and environmental projects, and examine its impact on cost performance. The authors used a multi-method approach to identify 27 environment factors that make up the EVMS environment, assessing them on 18 construction and environmental projects worth over $2 billion of total cost. Research methods employed include: (1) a literature review of more than 300 references; (2) a survey of 294 respondents; and (3) remote research charrettes with more than 60 participating expert practitioners. Culture (one of the identified environment categories) was found to be relatively more important in terms of its impact on the EVMS environment, followed by people, practices, and resources. These exploratory results show statistically significant differences in cost performance between completed projects with either a good or poor environment, for the sample projects. Key environment factors are outlined, and guidance is provided to practitioners around how to set up an effective EVMS environment in a construction or environmental project to inform decision-making and support achieving the project cost objectives successfully.

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Microstructural, Mechanical, and Durability Related Similarities in Concretes Based on OPC and Alkali-Activated Slag Binders

  • Vance, Kirk;Aguayo, Matthew;Dakhane, Akash;Ravikumar, Deepak;Jain, Jitendra;Neithalath, Narayanan
    • International Journal of Concrete Structures and Materials
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    • v.8 no.4
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    • pp.289-299
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    • 2014
  • Alkali-activated slag concretes are being extensively researched because of its potential sustainability-related benefits. For such concretes to be implemented in large scale concrete applications such as infrastructural and building elements, it is essential to understand its early and long-term performance characteristics vis-a'-vis conventional ordinary portland cement (OPC) based concretes. This paper presents a comprehensive study of the property and performance features including early-age isothermal calorimetric response, compressive strength development with time, microstructural features such as the pore volume and representative pore size, and accelerated chloride transport resistance of OPC and alkali-activated binder systems. Slag mixtures activated using sodium silicate solution ($SiO_2$-to-$Na_2O$ ratio or $M_s$ of 1-2) to provide a total alkalinity of 0.05 ($Na_2O$-to-binder ratio) are compared with OPC mixtures with and without partial cement replacement with Class F fly ash (20 % by mass) or silica fume (6 % by mass). Major similarities are noted between these binder systems for: (1) calorimetric response with respect to the presence of features even though the locations and peaks vary based on $M_s$, (2) compressive strength and its development, (3) total porosity and pore size, and (4) rapid chloride permeability and non-steady state migration coefficients. Moreover, electrical impedance based circuit models are used to bring out the microstructural features (resistance of the connected pores, and capacitances of the solid phase and pore-solid interface) that are similar in conventional OPC and alkali-activated slag concretes. This study thus demonstrates that performance-equivalent alkali-activated slag systems that are more sustainable from energy and environmental standpoints can be proportioned.

Operation Performance Evaluation on Auxiliary Heating Device to Prevent Condensation adjacent to Built-in Furniture of Apartment Units in Winter (기존 공동주택 붙박이장에서 겨울철 결로 방지를 위한 보조난방장치 운전 성능 평가)

  • Lee, Chae-Lyn;Lee, Hyun-Hwa;Lim, Jae-Han;Song, Seung-Yeong
    • Journal of Korean Institute of Architectural Sustainable Environment and Building Systems
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    • v.12 no.6
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    • pp.567-578
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    • 2018
  • The purpose of this study was to evaluate condensation prevention for condensation vulnerable areas around built-in furniture of apartment buildings by applying auxiliary heating device. Recently, the condensation and mold problems of apartment buildings has been growing due to high insulation and high air-tightness performance for energy saving. Condensation at built-in furniture were generally found in winter at the of furniture's back panels, adjacent surfaces of wall, floor and ceiling. These problems are related to the weather conditions and indoor room conditions in winter. To solve these problems, auxiliary heating device was developed and could be installed. The aim of paper is to analyze the thermal environment around the built-in furniture which were applied and not applied auxiliary heating device in winter. In results, it was possible to increase the surface temperature of vulnerable areas around built-in furniture by applying auxiliary heating device, and to minimize condensation problems by using the minimum device.

Measuring Performance to Engage the Extended Project Team in Construction

  • Bal, Menoka;Bryde, David
    • Journal of Construction Engineering and Project Management
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    • v.5 no.1
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    • pp.1-10
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    • 2015
  • In construction, stakeholders of extended project team play a key role in the overall project performance. Successful integration of stakeholders demands for good management practices at strategic, operational and project levels. Targets and measures to improve the stakeholder performance encourage the creativity and willingness of stakeholders of extended project team to develop the better ways to achieve the project objectives. This paper presents a generic descriptive method, showing how stakeholder's ability and influence impacts on project performance in the construction sector. The findings of a series of interviews with key informants are presented and the following main conclusion is drawn: improving project performance through stakeholder's contribution and measuring their performance can strengthen the project performance. This innovative approach which redefines the process of improving the project performance in construction projects will be of interest to those who intend to manage the projects in practice as well as to those who interested in advancing theory.

A Study to Extract Sustainable Planning Characteristics of Future Skyscraper from Competition Awarded Housing Projects (초고층 미래주택 공모전 수상작에서 나타난 지속가능 계획특성 추출 연구)

  • Qi, Ting;Lee, Yeun-Sook;Kang, Hye-Yon
    • KIEAE Journal
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    • v.16 no.1
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    • pp.111-120
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    • 2016
  • Purpose: The purpose of the study was to extract the sustainable characteristics of skyscraper housing design. Method: The method of the study was literature survey and content analysis techniques, and the target cases were 8 skyscraper housing design projects awarded from eVolo Skyscraper international competition. The sustainable features for analysis were categorized into social, cultural, economical and ecological sustainability and total 26 elements. Result: As a result, important elements were extracted, and profiles of elements in the projects were delineated, out of 26 design elements: 'Aesthetics', 'Climate Change', 'Resource Using Efficiency', 'Technical Innovation', 'local Employment' were shown dominant. While 8 projects showed the whole range of 26 elements, even though the project what by now is still an important problem for skyscraper, the result gives an insight into future sustainable skyscraper housing design.

Sustainable Land Use within a Limit of Environmental Carrying Capacity in Metropolitan Area, Korea (지속가능한 발전을 위한 환경용량의 산정과 토지이용형태 연구 - 수도권지역을 중심으로 -)

  • Moon, Tae-Hoon
    • Korean System Dynamics Review
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    • v.8 no.2
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    • pp.51-82
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    • 2007
  • The purpose of this paper is exploring changes in land use pattern when considering environmental carrying capacity. A sustainable development requires a society to define sustainability constraints, environmental carrying capacity. Environmental carrying capacity can be defined as a level of human activity a region can sustain at a desired level of quality of environment. This concept of environmental carrying capacity can be applied to land use to explore sustainable land use pattern. Since land use pattern can affect environment in an important way, exploring sustainable land use pattern within the limit of environmental carrying capacity can suggest useful implications for a sustainable regional management and planning. For this purpose, this paper built the environmental carrying capacity land use model and applied it to the Metropolitan Area, Korea. System dynamics modeling methods was used to build the model. The model developed in this paper consisted of 6sectors; population, housing, industry, land, environment, and traffic sector. The model limits its main focus on the NO2 level as an indicator of quality of environment in Metropolitan Area. Box model was translated into system dynamics model and combined to urban dynamics model to estimate NO2 level, the maximum number of population, industry structure, housing and maximum amount of land use for industrial, housing, and green space that can sustain desirable NO2 level. Metropolitan area was divided into 16 areas and the model was applied to each area. Since NO2 is flowing in and out from each area, model was built to allow this transboundering nature of air pollutants. Based on the model estimation, several policy implications for a sustainable land use pattern was discussed.

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Fouling behaviours of two stages microalgae/membrane filtration system applied to palm oil mill effluent treatment

  • Teow, Yeit Haan;Wong, Zhong Huo;Takriff, Mohd Sobri;Mohammad, Abdul Wahab
    • Membrane and Water Treatment
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    • v.9 no.5
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    • pp.373-383
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    • 2018
  • Fouling by solids and microorganisms is the major obstacle limiting the efficient use of membrane wastewater treatment. In our previous study, two stages microalgae/membrane filtration system was proposed to treat anaerobic digested palm oil mill effluent (AnPOME). This two stages microalgae/membrane filtration system had showed great potential for the treatment of AnPOME with high removal of COD, $NH_3-N$, $PO_4{^{3-}}$, TSS, turbidity, and colour. However, fouling behavior of the membrane in this two stages microalgae/membrane filtration system was still unknown. In this study, empirical models that describe permeate flux decline for dead-end filtration (pore blocking - complete, intermediate, and standard; and cake layer formation) presented by Hermia were used to fit the experimental results in identifying the fouling mechanism under different experimental conditions. Both centrifuged and non-centrifuged samples were taken from the medium with 3 days RT intervals, from day 0 to day 12 to study their influence on fouling mechanisms described by Hermia for ultrafiltration (UF), nanofiltration (NF), and reverse osmosis (RO) filtration mode. Besides, a more detailed study on the use of resistance-in-series model for deadend filtration was done to investigate the fouling mechanisms involved in membrane filtration of AnPOME collected after microalgae treatment. The results showed that fouling of UF and NF membrane was mainly caused by cake layer formation and it was also supported by the analysis for resistance-in-series model. Whereas, fouling of RO membrane was dominated by concentration polarization.

Purification of Biohydrogen Produced From Palm Oil Mill Effluent Fermentation for Fuel Cell Application

  • Rohani, Rosiah;Chung, Ying Tao;Mohamad, Izzati Nadia
    • Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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    • v.57 no.4
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    • pp.469-474
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    • 2019
  • Fermentation of palm oil mill effluent (POME) produces biohydrogen in a mixture at a specific set condition. This research was conducted to purify the produced mixed biohydrogen via absorption and membrane techniques. Three different solvents, methyl ethanolamine (MEA), ammonia ($NH_3$) and potassium hydroxide (KOH) solutions, were used in absorption technique. The highest $H_2$ purity was found using 1M MEA solution with 5.0 ml/s feed mixed gas flow rate at 60 minutes absorption time. Meanwhile, the purified biohydrogen using a polysulfone membrane had the highest $H_2$ purity at 2~3 bar operating pressure. Upon testing with proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC), the highest current and power produced at 100% $H_2$ were 1.66 A and 8.1 W, while the lowest were produced at 50/50 vol% $H_2/CO_2$ (0.32 A and 0.49 W). These results proved that both purification techniques have significant potential for $H_2$ purification efficiency.