Environmental Design Commons^™

Wku-Habitat For Humanity Green Community: A Model For Engagement And Partnerships, Nancy Givens, Rodney Goodman

Education for Sustainability Summer Institute

No abstract provided.

Walking Box Ranch Planning And Design Quarterly Progress Report: Period Ending July 10, 2010, Margaret N. Rees

Walking Box Ranch

• UNLV participated in several meetings with BLM regarding updating the current Task Order, obtaining a two-year no-cost extension for the two Assistance Agreements, and to develop the future WBR operating agreement between BLM and UNLV
• UNLV met with Sara Moffatt, one of Senator Reid’s staff, to provide an update on project progress. UNLV also requested the Senator’s support in obtaining additional funding for the project for construction, and also for UNLV to bridge the transition from construction through the first two years of operation.
• UNLV held several internal meetings to advance planning for a July VA meeting with BLM to …

Open Space Planning; Utilizing Green Infrastructure To Preserve Community, Cynthia V. Reynolds

Master's Theses

Current sprawl development patterns typical of contemporary development in the United States are unsustainable. The uniform development guidelines prevent context sensitive community design, degrading our communities and consuming large amounts of natural and cultural resources. Significant progress has been made in reorganizing community planning towards sustainable development practices. However, these alternatives still work under the misconception that there is a disconnect between planning open space networks and planning development. Through a comprehensive land use planning approach, this project explores combining concepts of landscape ecology, green infrastructure planning and conservation subdivision patterns to design an integrative open space/community network.

Assessment And Improvement Of Fire Resiliency For Structures Located In The Wildland-Urban Interface, Allen L. Meskimen

Master's Theses

The purpose of this research was first to study the Wildland-Urban Interface and Wildland-Urban Intermix (WUI) fire problem, and then to design, develop and implement improved fire assessment and fire protection features for structures in the these interface fire-prone areas. The findings included that several areas of the world are prone to devastating fires that claim lives and destroy property, and their fire problems continue to exacerbate. None of these compare to the property loss experienced in Southern California due to its vast development in fire prone areas. It is because of the continuing huge property loss and frequency of …

How Much Do U.S. University Students Know, And Want To Know, About Sustainability And Green Building? The Findings Of A Survey, And Possible Implications For General Elective Curricula., Jeremy R. Farner

Purdue Polytechnic Masters Theses

Using the survey approach, this investigation examined the attitudes and interest of college students at two universities in different geographic locations within the United States.  Approximately 24,000 students from all disciplines and majors at Weber State University (WSU) in Utah, and 4,000 at Purdue University in Indiana, were invited to participate in a study to determine current knowledge, familiarity, and interest in topics within the sustainability and Green Building educational arena. The goal of this study was to determine what students already know, would like to know, and how much interest there would be in developing …

Develop Energy Dashboard For Real-Time Campus Energy Use Monitoring, Hsui-Lin Winkler, Charlene Hoegler, William Batina

Cornerstone 3 Reports : Interdisciplinary Informatics

No abstract provided.

An Empirical Comparison Of Life Cycle Cost Of Green School Buildings And Non-Green School Buildings, Nitisha Pushpala

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

One of the major economic concerns today of the world is reduction of energy consumption because of depleting energy sources in the world. The construction sector in the United States is also contributing in reducing the energy consumption and construction cost of the buildings by constructing cost and energy efficient buildings with energy efficient materials and techniques. The U.S Department of Energy introduced the Building Technologies Program that develops techniques, tools and technologies for making buildings more energy efficient. Other private bodies like the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED), which is developed by the U.S. Green Building Council …

Planning For Building-Integrated Agriculture In Las Vegas, Robert Vralsted

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

High food prices, concern about food nutrition and safety, and an awareness of commercial farming's environmental impact have generated a renewed interest in sustainable urban agriculture. Advances in controlled environment agriculture (CEA) have made it possible to grow food virtually anywhere in a much more sustainable manner than traditional field-based agriculture. Locating and planning urban farms using retrofitted existing building stock to maximize food production and ease of distribution in Las Vegas requires consideration of multiple barriers related to geography, economics, and the built environment. Consideration of these factors in the planning process informs the design of a successful BIA …

How Much Do U.S. University Students Know, And Want To Know, About Sustainability And Green Building? The Findings Of A Survey, And Possible Implications For General Elective Curriculum., Jeremy R. Farner

Purdue Polytechnic Masters Theses

Using the survey approach, this investigation examined the attitudes and interest of college students at two universities in different geographic locations within the United States.  Approximately 24,000 students from all disciplines and majors at Weber State University (WSU) in Utah, and 4,000 at Purdue University in Indiana, were invited to participate in a study to determine current knowledge, familiarity, and interest in topics within the sustainability and Green Building educational arena. The goal of this study was to determine what students already know, would like to know, and how much interest there would be in developing …

Shop Like A Designer: How The Mass Media Perpetuates Non-Sustainable Design, B. Marie Minnich

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

This study investigated the perception that mass media perpetuate critique of interior design projects using non-environmentally responsible design (non-ERD) assessment models, based on traditional ideological considerations, as opposed to models based on environmentally responsible design (ERD) philosophies. Using the Delphi technique, thirty keywords were selected, based on educators’ and practitioners’ content knowledge, then categorized into seven dimensions representing ERD or non-ERD attributes. These dimensions formed design assessment models, which included a distinction between ethical ERD attributes and aesthetic non-ERD attributes. Using content analysis, keywords were identified in randomly selected feature articles from three design magazines. Quantitative statistical analysis documented an …

Stochastic Hybrid Embodied Co2-Eq Analysis: An Application To The Irish Apartment Building Sector, Adolf Acquaye, Aidan Duffy, Biswajit Basu

Articles

Although embodiedCO2-eq analysis has seen recent developments as evident in the establishment of the ISO14040 and 14044 LCA standards, it is recognized that due to weaknesses in gathering data on product-related emissions,embodiedCO2-eq values are probabilistic. This paper presents a stochastic analysis of hybrid embodied CO2-eq in buildings to account for this weakness in traditional methods and, by way of example, applies it to an Irish construction-sector case study. Using seven apartment buildings, 70,000 results are simulated with Monte Carlo analysis and used to derive probabilistic and cumulative embodied CO2-eq intensity distributions for apartment buildings in Ireland. A Wakeby distribution with …

Thermal Bridging - Understanding Its Critical Role In Energy Efficiency, Joseph Little, Beñat Arregi

Articles

Plane element heat loss[1] and thermal bridging[2] together constitute all the conduction heat loss (measured in W/K, watts per kelvin) through the thermal envelope[3] of a building. Perversely insulating the plane elements more and more without carefully dealing with junctions can lead to a significant increase in thermal bridging heat loss. This is often more significant in poorly thought-out energy-focused retrofits than in existing or new buildings.

Hybrid Cooling Systems For Low-Temperature Geothermal Power Production, Andrea Ashwood, Desikan Bharathan

Publications (E)

The overall objective of this investigation is to identify and evaluate methods by which the net power output of an air-cooled geothermal power plant can be enhanced during hot ambient conditions using minimal amounts of water.

Geothermal power plants that use air-cooled heat rejection systems experience a decrease in power production during hot periods of the day. This decrease in power output typically coincides with the time when utilities need power to address high air conditioning loads. Hybrid cooling options, which use both air and water, have been studied for this report to assess how they might mitigate the net …

Interview With Steven Ribeiro, Aldeia Development, 2011 (Audio), Steven Ribeiro

All Sustainability History Project Oral Histories

Interview of Steven Ribeiro by John Stephenson in Salem, Oregon on February 18th, 2011.

The interview index is available for download.

U.S. Department Of Energy Commercial Reference Building Models Of The National Building Stock, Michael Deru, Kristin Field, Daniel Studer, Kyle Benne, Brent Griffith, Paul Torcellini, Bing Liu, Mark Halverson, Dave Winiarski, Michael Rosenberg, Mehry Yazdanian, Joe Huang, Drury Crawley

Publications (E)

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Building Technologies Program has set the aggressive goal of producing marketable net-zero energy buildings by 2025. This goal will require collaboration between the DOE laboratories and the building industry. We developed standard or reference energy models for the most common commercial buildings to serve as starting points for energy efficiency research. These models represent fairly realistic buildings and typical construction practices. Fifteen commercial building types and one multifamily residential building were determined by consensus between DOE, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, and represent approximately two-thirds …

A Financial Impact Assessment Of Ld 1725: Stream Crossings, New England Environmental Finance Center, Muskie School Of Public Service

Water

This report looks at the potential financial impact of LD 1725 on the estimated 30,000 stream crossings in the State of Maine that would be affected by the law. Our research for this report included the analysis of nearly 2000 stream crossings and the data collection necessary for the development of extensive stream crossing replacement cost models. We found that the 1.2 bankfull requirements in LD 1725 would result in a 75% ‐ 250% increase in structure widths for stream crossing projects across the state. An upsize of this magnitude would increase the cost of replacing stream crossings statewide by …

A Financial Impact Assessment Of Ld 1725: Stream Crossings Presentation, New England Environmental Finance Center

Economics and Finance

This report looks at the potential financial impact of LD 1725 on the estimated 30,000 stream crossings in the State of Maine that would be affected by the law. Our research for this report included the analysis of nearly 2000 stream crossings and the data collection necessary for the development of extensive stream crossing replacement cost models. We found that the 1.2 bankfull requirements in LD 1725 would result in a 75% ‐ 250% increase in structure widths for stream crossing projects across the state. An upsize of this magnitude would increase the cost of replacing stream crossings statewide by …

Of Spatial And Mindset Change: An Interview With Tay Kheng Soon, Lien Centre For Social Innovation

Social Space

Amidst the gloom of the growing environmental crisis and unmet social needs, one man refuses to admit defeat. After 50 years advocating in civil society and the architectural space, Tay Kheng Soon has come up with yet another ground-breaking idea—Rubanisation—which re-imagines the city and countryside as a single organic whole. Social Space catches up with the social space maverick in his eco-office in the tranquil setting of a wooded area off Dairy Farm Road.

Industrial Evolution: A Comparative Case Study Of The Transformation Fron Industry To Leisure In The Ports Of San Francisco And Oakland, California., Annie Fulton

Inquiry: The University of Arkansas Undergraduate Research Journal

This case study examined two waterfront sites on the San Francisco Bay – The Piers in San Francisco and Jack London Square in Oakland. The Piers, actually consisting of Piers 1 ½, 3 and 5, was formerly the point of entry for immigrants to the city and today is home to offices and restaurant space. Jack London Square, which covers four city blocks, is a project whose aim is to revitalize an industrial shipping port and warehousing district. Today, it is about halfway through its phased development schedule. Multiple techniques were used to investigate the process by which these two …

Crossings, Noel Brady

Books/Book Chapters

Chapter concentrates on the bridges of Dublin’s river Liffey; their importance to the vitality of the city, its commerce and people. It also highlights the importance of crossings in the city linking and opening up new paths to growth and development.

Growing Greener In The City: Open Space Advocacy For Environmental Justice In Jackson Heights, Donovan Finn

School of Marine & Atmospheric Sciences Faculty Publications

Local residents in the Jackson Heights neighborhood of Queens, New York City, develop a do it yourself solution to the community's lack of park space. The case study shows how civic advocacy can address issues of environmental justice and open space access in urban communities. by harnessing local social capital and building coalitions with city agencies and non-governmental partners.

Industry-Experienced Graduate Student Program: Innovative Collaboration In Architectural Engineering At The University Of Nebraska–Lincoln, Clarence E. Waters, Steve Alvine, Michelle L. Eble-Hankins

Durham School of Architectural Engineering and Construction: Faculty Publications

In 2001, the Architectural Engineering Department at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, along with industry partners, established an industry-experienced graduate student program. The program was developed to bring experienced design professionals to collaborate with the industry while pursuing a Ph.D. in architectural engineering. This program is designed to be mutually beneficial to industry partners, -graduate students, the University of Nebraska–Lincoln Architectural Engineering Department, and the building industry at large. The first doctoral candidate in the program graduated, and significant collaborative work was completed for the industry partner. All parties to this initial offering are pleased with the outcome and believe the …

Scsi Guide To Life Cycle Costing, Dermot Kehily

Reports

This document provides practical guidance and assistance for construction cost professionals in carrying out Life Cycle Cost

Analysis (LCCA) and producing Life Cycle Cost Models (LCCM). The document puts forward a number of definitions of Life Cycle

Costing (LCC), outlines how LCC calculations can be carried out and proposes a structure and methodology for presenting LCCM.

Godot In Bombay: A Tragicomedy In Two Decades, Lisa Björkman

NAKHARA (Journal of Environmental Design and Planning)

An exploration of the two-decade-long political and discursive battles over water "privatization" in the Indian city of Mumbai reveals how, beginning in the 1990s, the water department, "got stuck inbetween public and private infrastructures." This essay demonstrates how widespread speculation among policymakers, bureaucrats, and engineers on the likelihood and desirability of privatization entrenched some of the very dynamics that such solutions were supposed to cure - dynamics that ironically, would ultimately derail a privatization initiative when it fi nally arrived.

The Changing Role Of Water In The Spatial Construction Anddesign Of Southeast Asian Polities, Lily C. Wong

NAKHARA (Journal of Environmental Design and Planning)

Investigating historical maps and texts, this essay charts the changing role of water in the spatial understanding and city design of three consecutive polities in Southeast Asia: pre-colonial tributarysystem, modern nationhood during the colonial period, and contemporary globalized neoliberal government. The role of water shifts from a heuristic device that is interwoven with political and territorial imaginings to a technocratically engineered commodity that is sacrificed in pursuit of modernization. Using the current urban design of Phnom Penh, Cambodia as an example, water remains the blind spot for urban development, despite the discussion of water sustainability at the regional scale.

Readdressing Dhaka's Public Water Bodies: A Design Research, Sanne Peeters, Kelly Shannon

NAKHARA (Journal of Environmental Design and Planning)

In Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, rampant expansion and commercial development are brutally transforming the urban tissue. As a consequence, Dhaka's water network, which was once integratedinto the city's fabric and is of major importance for its drainage capacity, is rapidly disappearing. This article critically investigates the layered meanings of water in the city through focusing on the case study of Hatirjheel Lake, Dhaka's largest inner-city water body. A number of interpretative maps dissect the rich history of the city and its water, while contemporary cartographies reveal a new set of issues as advancing urbanization fi lls in water bodies. …

Ngibikan Villagespirituality Design In Javanese Architecture, Johannes Adiyanto, Josef Prijotomo, Galih Widjil Pangarsa

NAKHARA (Journal of Environmental Design and Planning)

In May 27, 2006, a massive earthquake hit and destroyed Ngibikan, a small village 17 kilometers south of Yogyakarta, Indonesia. Yet, in a few days, the villagers rose up and reconstructed not only theirhouses but also their daily life. In this case, architectural design includes not only building as a material practice but also a humane and spiritual one. This essay employs combined methods of contextual criticism (Attoe, 1978, pp. 103-104) and hermeneutics as modeled by Paul Ricouer (2006). The results of this research also indicate the importance of understanding that the act of emergency rebuilding is not only about …

Modernity And Identity In Oraman Village Architecture Of The West Of Iran, Mohammad Jooshesh, Negar Kolahi, Mohammad Jafar Khazaee

NAKHARA (Journal of Environmental Design and Planning)

In Kurdistan, Kermanshah and West Azerbaijan provinces of Iran, there are regions with plain but amazing contexts by which one can identify the hidden identity of the regional architecturein its various components. Most villages are built on the sides of narrow valleys with over a 50 ̊ slope. They face south and southeast to receive the most daylight. In the fi rst part of this article the topographic and architectural structure of the region is introduced, and in the second part, specifi c sections of this region have been analyzed in terms of modernity in relation to the hidden identity …

From The Origin Of Drawing To Cinemetrics, Cheng-Luen Hsueh

NAKHARA (Journal of Environmental Design and Planning)

Robin Evans in his article "Translations from Drawing to Building" explores the gap and transitive properties between architectural drawing and building (1997, p186 - 187). He concludes with somequestions arising from the allegorical painting by Giacinto Brandi depicting a portrait of a courtesan holding a divider. In contrast to the architect/geometer in William Blake's painting "Ancient of Days" which from the architect's point of view relates more to conventional measurement, precision, perfection, and also projection, the Giacinto painting may tell a story of architecture's mediation and negotiation in-between drawing and building under the prejudice or shelter of these big conventions …

Architectural Representation Of Islamic Modernism In Indonesia Case Study: Architecture Of Achmad Noeman, Agus S. Ekomadyo

NAKHARA (Journal of Environmental Design and Planning)

Islamic modernism appeared as a reformation movement based on two main ideas: purifying norms by rejecting deviation from religious practices, and adopting new ways of thinking to adapt to the modernworld. In Indonesia the movement had an important role in the development of modern Islamic organizations and Islamic intellectuals. This movement had a special representative in the architecture of Achmad Noeman. Noeman is a modernist Muslim, and also a modernist architect; his architecture refl ected modernism in Islam and in architecture. His designs infl uenced later Indonesian architects to interpret Islam rationally, critically, and creatively in endorsing Islamic building design. …