Environmental Design Commons^™

Designed For Life: Unearthing Just And Sustainable Urban Design Through The Daylighting Of Phalen Creek, Corgan R. Archuleta

Geography Honors Projects

This thesis conceptualizes a relational approach to urban design. Often separated from justice, I argue urban design can shape spaces to enable respectful and reciprocal human and more-than- human relationships. Focusing on Phalen Creek in Saint Paul, Minnesota, I illuminate just and sustainable possibilities between ecologically sustainable and socially inclusive design. Phalen Creek was a natural waterway buried in a pipe during 20th century urbanization to be partially reconstructed through daylighting. The Indigenous and Immigrant stories driving restoration expand urban design’s liberatory potential. Combining just sustainabilities with infrastructure theory and Indigenous Knowledges, I contend urban design offers a relational approach …

Assessing The Characteristics Of Coastal Neighbourhoods That Influence Flood Susceptibility In Kosofe, Nigeria, Saudat O. Ajijola, Funmilayo M. Adedire, J A. Fadamiro

CSID Journal of Infrastructure Development

As climate change continues to exacerbate weather patterns, flood susceptibility has become an increasingly pressing global concern. The susceptibility to floods is influenced by many contextual factors; as such, characterizing coastal neighbourhoods for the purpose of articulating susceptibility pathways is crucial for developing appropriate physical planning policies. The specific research objective seeks to assess the dimensions of neighbourhood characteristics that influence flood susceptibility in Kosofe, a suburban coastal community in Lagos, Nigeria. The data used were based on primary and secondary sources. Using a systematic sampling method, 324 respondents participated in the field survey. The result of the descriptive statistics, …

Parametric Design As A Tool To Reduce Solar Penetration By Outdoor Shades In Hot Arid Climate, Rana O. Aboulfaraj, Iman O. Gawad, Mostafa Khalifa

Architecture and Planning Journal (APJ)

Conventional design methods and current tools infrequently link performance with the geometry of the design. These methods rarely enable backtracking through the design process and can't achieve full performance criteria. In this context, using both procedural geometry and information from numerical assessments and performance simulations should be discussed to support the search for effective solutions. Architects have gained control over the process of design by utilizing parametric methods to generate a sustainable design that interacts with sustainable, climatic, and environmental restrictions, particularly in hot arid zones where outdoor life is overlooked. This paper will discuss the performance-oriented design and a …

Distribution Fitting And Anova Test To Analyze Pavement Sensing Patterns For Condition Assessments, Dada Zhang, Chun-Hsing Ho

Durham School of Architectural Engineering and Construction: Faculty Publications

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the vehicle-based sensor effect and pavement temperature on road condition assessment, as well as to compute a threshold value for the classification of pavement conditions.

Design/methodology/approach – Four sensors were placed on the vehicle’s control arms and one inside the vehicle to collect vibration acceleration data for analysis. The Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) tests were performed to diagnose the effect of the vehicle-based sensors’ placement in the field. To classify road conditions and identify pavement distress (point of interest), the probability distribution was applied based on the magnitude values of …

Efficacy Of Passive Ventilation With High Exhaust Demands: A Case Study Of Cal Poly Sst, Siddarth Bokka

Construction Management

The Simpson Strong Tie Demonstration Laboratory serves as a multipurpose space allowing students at the College of Architecture and Environmental Design at California Polytechnic State University to build full scale construction projects. The building features a material storage area, a high bay for construction of full-scale projects, and a mezzanine level that houses digital fabrication equipment. However, the building was never designed to house the specific equipment currently installed on the mezzanine and ventilate the exhaust fumes from them. Rather, the building relies on passive natural ventilation that is likely ineffective at properly exhausting hazardous fumes, resulting in complaints from …

Evolvement Of Excusable Delay Clauses In Government Contracts Since The Covid-19 Pandemic, Jung Hyun Lee, Yunping Liang, Seyed Mohammad Ehsan Tabatabaee, Bryce Riccitelli

Durham School of Architectural Engineering and Construction: Faculty Publications

Excusable delay clauses in government construction contracts, often considered boilerplate with minimal modifications, have increased in attention since the outbreak of COVID-19. Despite the studies enumerating triggering events of the clause in the background of the pandemic, it is necessary to capture insights into how the unprecedented event is systematically accommodated by contract languages. The overarching goal of this study is to identify changes in contract languages over the pre-and post-pandemic eras by state departments of transportation (DOTs), focusing on excusable delay clauses. This study conducts a content analysis and a comparative analysis of state DOT construction contract documents, including …

Hygrothermal Risk Assessment Of External Wall Insulation Retrofit To Non-Traditional Wall Types In An Irish Context, Using The Glaser Method And A Heat, Air And Moisture Transient Model, Gareth Mcdonnell, Joseph Little

Articles

The Climate Action Plan 2019 targets the low-energy retrofit of 500,000 existing Irish homes before 2030.1 Up to 80 per cent of building failures can be attributed to moisture risks.2 The literature indicated that external wall insulation (EWI, ETICS) failures are mostly due to moisture ingress at junctions and interfaces. A hygrothermal risk assessment of EWI on three walls with rendered concrete/concrete blockwork/cavity walls in Dublin, Belfast and Belmullet was undertaken using transient numerical simulation and the Glaser method. The guidance, common practice indicates a preference for Glaser. The initial simulation results were compared to assess the appropriateness of Glaser. …

Opportunities And Challenges Of Generative Ai In Construction Industry: Focusing On Adoption Of Text-Based Models, Prashnna Ghimire, Kyungki Kim, Manoj Acharya

Durham School of Architectural Engineering and Construction: Faculty Publications

In the last decade, despite rapid advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) transforming many industry practices, construction largely lags in adoption. Recently, the emergence and rapid adoption of advanced large language models (LLMs) like OpenAI’s GPT, Google’s PaLM, and Meta’s Llama have shown great potential and sparked considerable global interest. However, the current surge lacks a study investigating the opportunities and challenges of implementing Generative AI (GenAI) in the construction sector, creating a critical knowledge gap for researchers and practitioners. This underlines the necessity to explore the prospects and complexities of GenAI integration. Bridging this gap is fundamental to optimizing GenAI’s …

Diagnosis Of Disease Affecting Gait With A Body Acceleration‑Based Model Using Reflected Marker Data For Training And A Wearable Accelerometer For Implementation, Mohammad Ali Takallou, Farahnaz Fallahtafti, Mahdi Hassan, Ali Al‑Ramini, Basheer Qolomany, Iraklis I. Pipinos, Sara A. Myers, F. M. Alsaleem

Durham School of Architectural Engineering and Construction: Faculty Publications

This paper demonstrates the value of a framework for processing data on body acceleration as a uniquely valuable tool for diagnosing diseases that affect gait early. As a case study, we used this model to identify individuals with peripheral artery disease (PAD) and distinguish them from those without PAD. The framework uses acceleration data extracted from anatomical reflective markers placed in different body locations to train the diagnostic models and a wearable accelerometer carried at the waist for validation. Reflective marker data have been used for decades in studies evaluating and monitoring human gait. They are widely available for many …

Reducing Food Scarcity: The Benefits Of Urban Farming, S.A. Claudell, Emilio Mejia

Journal of Nonprofit Innovation

Urban farming can enhance the lives of communities and help reduce food scarcity. This paper presents a conceptual prototype of an efficient urban farming community that can be scaled for a single apartment building or an entire community across all global geoeconomics regions, including densely populated cities and rural, developing towns and communities. When deployed in coordination with smart crop choices, local farm support, and efficient transportation then the result isn’t just sustainability, but also increasing fresh produce accessibility, optimizing nutritional value, eliminating the use of ‘forever chemicals’, reducing transportation costs, and fostering global environmental benefits.

Imagine Doris, who is …

The Complexities Of Green Infrastructure, Troy Weber

Purdue Journal of Service-Learning and International Engagement

The Wabash River is the most extensive river system in Indiana. The river drains two-thirds of Indiana’s 92 counties, which can have issues associated with stormwater runoff (Weist, 1981). As precipitation runs off impervious surfaces, it can carry high concentrations of pollutants, such as excess nitrogen and phosphorus, pet waste, and automobile fuel. Prior to impervious runoff entering the river, preexisting contaminants include industrial waste (acid mine drainage and oil field brines), municipal waste, and sediment (Weist, 1981). Thus, stormwater runoff can negatively impact the Wabash River watershed. On top of this pollution, Lafayette and West Lafayette have combined sewer …

Effect Of A Geothermal Heat Pump System On Cooling Residential Buildings In A Hot, Dry Climate, Rania Rushdy Moussa, Ayman H. Mahmoud

Architectural Engineering

ABSTRACT In the last century, electricity demand has doubled due to urban expansion, which has contributed to the formation of more urban heat islands (UHI) and the appearance of environmental hazards such as the global climate change phenomenon. Since residential buildings are considered the main electricity consumer sector in Egypt, they consume up to 42% of total energy consumption, which contributes to increasing temperatures and constitutes UHI in cities. In this context, the research aims to examine the effectiveness of using the closed vertical loop geothermal system (GSHPCV) for cooling residential buildings in a hot, dry climate, such as Cairo, …

Digital Construction Annual Survey 2022 Report, Davitt Lamon, Ted Mckenna

Reports

The Annual Survey 2022 was conducted to assess the state of digital transformation in the Irish construction and built environment sector. This report presents the analysis of survey data, with a focus on implications for the Build Digital project and Build Digital’s five pillars: Digital Leadership & Cultural Change, Digital Standards, Digital Education & Training, Digital Procurement, and Sustainability & Circular Economy. Key findings from the survey indicated that a significant number of organisations have started their digital transformation journey, with many identifying themselves as proactive and possessing a clear business-focused strategy. However, a considerable cohort of respondents are keen …

International Information Management And Bim Best Practice Report, Ted Mckenna, Davitt Lamon

Reports

In order to inform the Digital Leadership and Cultural Change pillar of the Build Digital, a study of international best practice in digital adoption within the built environment sector globally was undertaken and is presented here-in. In order to identify key learnings for Ireland in the context of digital transformation, eight countries were included in this study, namely, Denmark, Finland, Netherlands, Germany, United Kingdom (UK), New Zealand, Australia and Singapore. These countries were selected for various reasons, including the level of digital maturity, the scale of the built environment sector and geographic spread. Key data for each country is included …

Sustainability And Circular Economy Horizon Scan And Needs Analysis, Sadaf Dalirazar, Mark Kelly, Derek Sinnott, James O'Donnell

Reports

The construction industry plays a crucial role in addressing the climate crisis as it is the largest global consumer of raw materials and contributes significantly to global energy consumption and emissions. Considering the world’s continuous population growth and the imperative to address infrastructure and housing demands the construction sector needs to adopt further sustainable strategies in its activities to reduce the pressure on natural resources. In addition, the Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) sector is responsible for generating substantial amount of waste known as Construction and Demolition Waste (CDW), which is projected to increase due to the future construction developments. …

Organic Electronics In Biosensing: A Promising Frontier For Medical And Environmental Applications, Jyoti Bala Kaushal, Pratima Raut, Sanjay Kumar

Durham School of Architectural Engineering and Construction: Faculty Publications

The promising field of organic electronics has ushered in a new era of biosensing technology, thus offering a promising frontier for applications in both medical diagnostics and environmental monitoring. This review paper provides a comprehensive overview of organic electronics’ remarkable progress and potential in biosensing applications. It explores the multifaceted aspects of organic materials and devices, thereby highlighting their unique advantages, such as flexibility, biocompatibility, and low-cost fabrication. The paper delves into the diverse range of biosensors enabled by organic electronics, including electrochemical, optical, piezoelectric, and thermal sensors, thus showcasing their versatility in detecting biomolecules, pathogens, and environmental pollutants. Furthermore, …

Transportation Components Of The City Of Bennet Comprehensive Plan And Downtown Economic Development Plan, Kyle Mclaughlin

Community and Regional Planning Program: Theses

In partnership with the City of Bennet, the University of Nebraska, and Marvin Planning Consultants, this project assisted the creation of the City’s Comprehensive Plan and Downtown Economic Development Plan by creating a transportation focused report as a supplement to those plans. The project operates in six sections; Introduction and Overview, Evaluate the Present, Engage the Community, Recommendations, Strategies, and Policies, Implementation and Funding, and Monitoring and Evaluation. The project scope included existing conditions understanding, qualitative and quantitative transportation analysis, public engagement and stakeholder meetings, coordination with two plan creators, identifying transportation improvements, description of implementation steps, overview of available …

Industry Colloquium Report, Robert Moore

Reports

In the ever-evolving landscape of the construction industry, digital transformation has emerged as a pivotal force reshaping the way projects are conceived, executed, and delivered. This transformation, fuelled by cutting-edge technology and innovative practices, holds the promise of greater efficiency, sustainability, and collaboration within the construction sector.

This report offers a comprehensive summary of the Build Digital Project colloquium. It provides actionable insights and recommendations for clients, supply chain partners, and for prioritisation within the Build Digital Project pillars. As the industry partners seek to build a more efficient, sustainable, and collaborative construction sector, understanding and harnessing the invaluable insights …

Analysis Of Factors Affecting Construction And Demolition Waste Reduction In Egypt, Ayman Ahmed Ezzat Othman, Ahmed Osama Daoud, Obas John Ebohon, Ali Bayyati

Architectural Engineering

Construction projects are associated with construction and demolition waste (CDW) generated at different stages. In Egypt’s case, the CDW problem has become a significant challenge, and the need to find sustainable solutions is overwhelming. Based on recent investigations in the literature, it was found that six main factors are affecting CDW reduction (CDWR) as follows: (1) waste-efficient materials procurement measures; (2) waste-efficient materials procurement models; (3) green materials procurement approach; (4) legislation; (5) culture & behaviour; and (6) awareness. In this study, a representative sample of Egyptian construction firms was screened to (1) investigate the applicability and effectiveness of CDWR …

The Influence Of Facades On Outdoor Comfort And Behavior In Urban Spaces, Mingliang Li

Graduate School of Architecture & Urban Design Theses & Dissertations

Global warming and rapid urbanization have intensified the urban heat island (UHI) effect, and its effect on human comfort in urban spaces has attracted widespread attention. The UHI effect increases the risk of heat-related mortality and building energy consumption and reduces outdoor human thermal comfort. A comfortable outdoor space supports sustainable urbanism by making the outdoor environment more comfortable and usable, thereby helping reduce the time spent indoors and the energy consumption of buildings.

There are thermal, visual, and acoustic features that influence outdoor comfort in terms of human physical, psychological, and social behaviors. Building façades, a common component of …

Evaluation Of Static Horizontal Louvers On Annual Daylighting Performance In Classrooms, Kamal A. Saleem, Samir S. Hosny, Ashraf Nessim

Future Engineering Journal

Daylighting has a great impact on students’ health, learning performance, and productivity. The goal of this paper is to enhance daylighting performance by examining year-round daylighting performance of Southern facades in the case of one central window in a classroom located in Cairo, Egypt by using static external horizontal shading devices during the Fall, Spring and Summer semesters The scope of the study is to evaluate and assess the effect of the window-to-wall ratio (WWR) in addition to the louvers’ configurations of depth and count parameters of the classroom on annual daylighting performance metrics for classrooms’ southern facades by using …

Toward Low Carbon Footprint And Lightweight Masonry Alkali-Activated Material, Zina Ebrahim, Mohammad Mastali, Marc Maguire

Durham School of Architectural Engineering and Construction: Faculty Publications

The portland cement concrete industry and the masonry industry are undergoing changes in response to skilled labor shortages and concerns over climate and pollution. There may be interest from parts of the industry in lower carbon footprint and lightweight masonry products. Toward this aim, the use of hemp shiv--the woody core of the hemp plant--in alkali-activated concrete was investigated herein and shown to have a wide range of impacts on the hardened state characteristics of a material suitable for structural concrete masonry units (CMUs) in accordance with ASTM C90 requirements. Hemp shiv is well known for its use in hempcrete, …

Interactive Architecture - Intervention Of Virtual Business On Commercial Space, Yihao George Xu

Masters Theses

Traditional mall-based restaurants, such as P.F. Chang’s in the Providence Place Mall, have primarily focused on site-based dining and bar services. However, the food provided by this chain restaurant often lacks depth, and customers seldom learn the story behind the dishes. This thesis explores the integration of mixed reality technology within the physical environment of P.F. Chang’s, an American Chinese restaurant chain with over 300 locations, aiming to transform it into an authentic Shanghai food culture experience. This experience combines virtual and physical stimuli to evoke various periods of Chinese history, providing a unique encounter for customers.

The proposed transformation …

Attainable And Sustainable Home Building Solutions, Katrina Matthews

Construction Management

Sustainability has fortunately been a recent concern in the construction industry as climate change continues to impose potentially insurmountable threats to the global environment. Although many new methods have been adopted in efforts to lessen the adverse environmental effects of construction-related activities, as a society, we still have much room for growth as the built environment accounts for almost 50% of global emissions. Many changes and standards must be adopted to make these solutions efficiently beneficial. To set industry standards, we must start with the most basic form of construction- residential building. This report covers two attainable framing solutions for …

Incentivizing Electric Vehicle Adoption Through State And Federal Policies: Reviewing Influential Policies, Joshua Sabata, Subhaditya Shom, Ahmad Almaghrebi, Anne Mccollister, Mahmoud Alahmad

Durham School of Architectural Engineering and Construction: Faculty Publications

All-electric vehicles (EVs), battery-powered EVs (BEVs), and plug-in hybrid EVs (PHEVS) are gaining market share and increasing in popularity with the buying public because the battery range (longer) and cost (lower) have reached sweet spots, the charging infrastructure is more robust, and concern with global cli­mate change is high. In 2013, only 100,000 EVs were sold in the United States, but by 2022, approximately 800,000 have been purchased. A similar growth is seen in EV sup­ply equipment (EVSE), i.e., EV charging stations, with 19,742 documented EV charging station locations in the United States in 2013 to 50,054 documented EV charging …

Exploring The Potential Of Pavegen’S Kinetic Energy Generating Floor For Sustainable Energy Solutions: A Proposal For Cal Poly Slo, Brandon J. Cuneo

Construction Management

This paper proposes the installation of Pavegen's kinetic energy generating floors at Cal Poly’s campus as a sustainable energy solution. Pavegen has developed a pioneering technology that converts footsteps into clean and renewable energy. The versatility of these floors is demonstrated through successful implementations in various settings, such as transportation hubs and public spaces, generating power from foot traffic. Collaborations with Schneider Electric, installation at Dupont Circle, and integration at Heathrow Airport showcase the potential for sustainable urban infrastructure. This paper outlines research conducted on Pavegen and similar solutions, including communication with company representatives and examining proposed installation locations at …

City Farm Slo Garden For All Accessible Planter Beds, Allison C. Wild

Construction Management

This paper outlines the design, coordination, and construction efforts to build the Accessible Planter Boxes for the City Farm SLO’s Garden for All. The Garden for All was a concept created by the City Farm SLO staff to meet the need for an accessible learning space for students. The full design for the Garden for All also included mobile benches and tables, a shade structure, and decomposed granite pathways that were completed by other students. This project included the construction of 6 raised planter beds of differing heights and designs. Each planter bed was approximately 10 feet long and varied …

Out-Of-Plane Flexural Behavior Of Insulatedwall Panels Constructed With Large Insulation Thicknesses, Jacob Luebke, Fray F. Pozo-Lora, Salam Al-Rubaye, Marc Maguire

Durham School of Architectural Engineering and Construction: Faculty Publications

Insulated concrete sandwich wall panels (ICSWPs) are gaining popularity as energy regulations become stricter worldwide. ICSWPs are now being constructed with thinner wythes and thicker insulation to keep up with the changing market, which is reducing material costs and increasing thermal and structural efficiency. However, there is a need for adequate experimental testing to validate the current design methods for these new panels. This research aims to provide that validation by comparing the predictions of four different methods with experimental data obtained from six large-scale panels. The study found that while current design methods adequately predict the behavior of thin …

Song’S Site At Los Angeles Eco-Village Redevelopment, Kendall Gilbert, Marina Rios, Kristin Hernandez, Gianna Morelli

Honors Thesis

The Los Angeles Eco-Village (LAEV) is a co-op housing community, located in Koreatown, focused on building sustainable and economically cooperative living in an urban environment. The purpose of this project is to transform a property recently acquired by the LAEV, called Song’s, into a multipurpose community hub. The project design goals established with LAEV founder and community members, include cultivating new highly sustainable and resilient ideas on urban living and incorporating educational elements that inspire the community and visitors to live more sustainably. This project proposes three design elements to improve the community use of the newly acquired Song’s at …

The Neighborhood As An Energy-Generating Community The Case Of El-Banafseg Residential Neighborhood, East Cairo, Amany G. Micheal Prof., Mona Helmy Dr.

Centre for Advanced Materials

Nowadays, energy consumption is a global challenge. This is due to the shortage of several energy sources, and consequently, to their increasing prices. This paper argues that by using an integrative approach for using various energy harvesting techniques, a typical residential neighborhood can be operated as a self-generator of its needed energy, or part of it.

The paper follows a mixed qualitative, experimental, and numerical simulation approaches to examine the practicality of the paper hypothesis. It uses Space syntax modeling theory (a socio-spatial software) to analyze the pedestrian flow to indicate the potential locations of the kinetic energy harvesting Piezoelectric …