Download or read book A Decision Support System for Evaluation and Selection of Structural Materials on a Sustainability Basis written by Emad Shaker Hanna Bakhoum and published by . This book was released on 2011 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Decision Support System for Selection of the Most Sustainable Structural Materials for a Multistory Building Construction written by Mohammad Masfiqul Alam Bhuiyan and published by . This book was released on 2022 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In recent years, the performance of the construction industry warns of its increased need for better resource efficiency, improved productivity, less waste and increased value through sustainable construction practices. Existing literature reveals that construction-related spending accounts for 13% of the world's Gross Domestic Product, but its annual productivity growth has increased by 1% over the past 20 years. The core concept of sustainable construction is to maximize value and minimize harm by achieving a balance between social, economic, technical, and environmental aspects, commonly known as the pillars of sustainability. The selection of structural material plays a vital role in building construction since it is the backbone of any structure. Also, the process of producing structural consumes massive amounts of nonrenewable natural resources. Reinforced concrete, structural steel, reinforced masonry, and timber represent the most commonly used structural materials. The decision of selecting the structural material for any construction project is traditionally made based mainly on technical and economic considerations with little or no attention paid to social and environmental aspects. Furthermore, the majority of the available literature on the subject considered a single sustainability aspect, not considering all four sustainability pillars together. When all pillars of sustainability are considered, the process of decision-making becomes more difficult and complicated due to the involvement of a large number of factors influencing the decision. Industry experts have also noted an unfulfilled need for a multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) technique that can integrate all stakeholders' (project owner, designer and constructor) opinions into the selection process. Hence, this research developed a Decision Support System (DSS) involving MCDM techniques to aid in selecting the most sustainable structural material considering the four pillars of sustainability. A hybrid MCDM method combining AHP, decision matrix, TOPSIS and VIKOR in a Fuzzy environment is used to develop the DSS. Multiple sub-criteria were identified and evaluated through a literature review and expert opinions. A hypothetical 8-story building was considered for a case study to validate the developed DSS. Notable differences were found in the final ranking of the alternatives of each team due to the significant differences in weights assigned to each sub-criterion based on experts' preferences. The developed DSS is designed to be generic in nature, can be used by any group of industry practitioners and is expected to enhance objectivity and consistency of the decision-making process as a step towards achieving sustainable construction.

Download or read book Proceedings of the 4th International Conference on Decision Support System Technology ICDSST 2018 PROMETHEE DAYS 2018 written by Panagiota Digkoglou and published by EWG-DSS. This book was released on 2018-05-22 with total page 374 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Materials Selection for Sustainability in the Built Environment written by Assed N. Haddad and published by Elsevier. This book was released on 2024-02-13 with total page 554 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Materials Selection for Sustainability in the Built Environment: Environmental, Social and Economic Aspects presents the current state-of-the-art when it comes to the decision-making process for choosing construction materials to deliver sustainable construction projects. Aspects covered include the science of enhanced decision-making via operational research and machine learning techniques and how this can be implemented in various disciplines such as architecture, engineering and construction. To this end, the book discusses environmental, economic and social aspects in assessing construction materials and presents different tools and methods that can benefit and facilitate this process. Finally, the book reviews previous publications on construction material selection and presents essential discussions on the role professionals, researchers, contractors and governments play in making more sustainable decisions on the built environment. - Presents a lifecycle management-based, systematic and integrated approach for sustainable construction materials selection - Discusses the impact of materials selection, covering every aspect of sustainability (environmental, social and economic aspects) - Looks at the concept of the circular economy - Provides case studies on decision-making methods in combination with lifecycle sustainability assessments

Download or read book Natural Resources Socio Ecological Sensitivity and Climate Change in the Volta Oti Basin West Africa written by Jürgen Runge and published by CRC Press. This book was released on 2020-09-10 with total page 273 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book presents the outcome of an interdisciplinary and international workshop supported by the Volkswagen Stiftung (funding line ‘Knowledge for Tomorrow’) on the topic of ‘Natural Resources, Socio-Ecological Sensitivity and Climate Change in the Volta-Oti Basin, West Africa’. The conference was jointly organised by Goethe-University Frankfurt (Germany) and the University of Kara (Togo) held from March 6 to 8, 2019 in northern Togo. It aimed to strengthen capacities of junior scientists from the sub-region, exchange and mobilise theoretical and methodological background from various scientific fields (Botany, Construction, Geology, Geography, Infrastructure, Politics, Remote Sensing, Sociology and Urban Planning). One goal was to deliver reliable elements for ongoing and profound environmental analyses that lie outside the common questions of the academic and civil society stakeholders. Ecosystem fragmentation and deforestation in West Africa are mainly triggered by humans such as agriculture and small-scale forest disturbances for charcoal and firewood production. Increasing population pressure, declining of carrying capacity and demand for agricultural land caused the reduction of land conservation capacities, even in protected areas. The complexity of interactions between environmental and socio-ecological systems and subsequent effects (sensitivity) has raised ongoing international awareness in light of ongoing climate change. By the example of natural resources, land use and stakeholders’ perceptions within the Volta-Oti Basin the book’s proceedings present, discuss and distribute new findings that will sustainably stimulate the international debate. The workshop also intended to overcome national borders and language barriers between the Anglophone (Ghana) and the Francophone (Benin, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Togo) research communities, and supported better West African cooperation and networking. The young as well as the established partners formed new collaborations, and the event at the University of Kara (Togo) was a truly unique opportunity for all involved, not only to discuss science, but also to assess applied and best future management practices for the Oti-Volta Basin in West Africa.

Download or read book Proceedings of the 25th International Symposium on Advancement of Construction Management and Real Estate written by Xinhai Lu and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on 2021-10-11 with total page 1524 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This proceedings book focuses on innovation, cooperation, and sustainable development in the fields of construction management and real estate. The book provides a detailed analysis and description of the disciplinary frontiers in the field of building management and real estate and how they can be promoted in the context of the epidemic. A wide variety of papers provide a reference value for both scholars and practitioners. The proceedings book is the documentation of “the 25th International Symposium on Advancement of Construction Management and Real Estate” (CRIOCM 2020), which was held at the School of Public Administration, Central China Normal University, Wuhan, China, in 2020.

Download or read book Sustainability Solutions written by Axel Lindfors and published by Linköping University Electronic Press. This book was released on 2020-04-08 with total page 36 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Sustainable development is one of the most influential visions guiding future societies. Encompassed within its vision are various domains where improvements are desirable such as, social equity, environmental degradation, climate change. In the work towards sustainable development firms, government authorities and individuals face various practical challenges tied to these sustainability domains. When facing these challenges, they may implement sustainability solutions, that is, solutions that are framed in the context of contributing to sustainable development. This thesis deals with a particular sub-set of such sustainability solutions, namely integrative and multi-functional solutions. These solutions are characterized by the ability to provide different functions through value creation within several different sustainability domains and require organisations, or units of organisations, to further integrate material, energy and informational flows in order to implement the solution. Integrative and multi-functional solutions may play an important part in the transition towards sustainable societies since the integration of material, energy and informational flows may bring with it synergistic benefits. Furthermore, the contribution of these solutions to several different sustainability domains reduces the risk of problem shifting, and it may be more cost-efficient to have one multi-functional sustainability solution than to have one for each sustainability- related challenge. However, if integration and multi-functionality are desirable characteristics of future socio-technological systems, we need ways to systematically assess them and facilitate their implementation. When it comes to the assessment, there is a need to find an assessment methodology that can handle capturing the synergistic benefits and multiple functions of such solutions. Furthermore, the methodology also has to conform to the value pluralism inherent to sustainable development. Dealing with this value pluralism when trying to assess which solution, among many, to implement can be challenging as comparative judgements have to handle potentially conflicting value orientations, goals, empirics and ontologies. As for the facilitation of their implementation, integrative and multi-functional solutions tend to be more difficult—or at least different—to implement than traditional single-minded solutions since they require traditionally separate organisations to cooperate Therefore, this thesis aims to contribute to understanding the process of implementing integrative and multi-functional solutions. Specifically the thesis explores how to select indicators for assessment, how assessments may aid decision-makers to deal with the value pluralism of sustainable development when making comparative judgements and how to strengthen the internal capacity of groups of actors to engage in collective action. Regarding the selection of indicators, the thesis suggests two different pathways. Either one may base indicator selections on stakeholder discussions, where stakeholders come to a consensus around which indicators are important to assess, or one may base indicators on operationalising pre-defined sustainability objectives: namely, sorting, contextualising and reformulating pre-defined sustainability objectives so that they fit the purpose of the assessment. A mix of both pathways is also possible, in other words, using both stakeholder discussions and the operationalisation of pre-defined sustainability objectives to motivate and justify the selection of indicators. As for how assessments may aid decision-makers, the thesis advocates for a discursive approach based on the primacy of decision support tools over decision-making tools. Meaning that the tools should support informed decisions but not make them for the decisionmaker. Here, contributions are made in the form of motivations for the discursive, qualitative approach to decision-making and exemplify how decision support tools may be designed, and a method is presented and developed that enables this kind of informed comparative judgements. This method builds on multicriteria decision analysis methodology but makes a few key contributions to the selection of indicators (mentioned previously) and to how to compare different alternatives and judge which of the alternatives is the preferred. Finally, contributions are made to the practice of facilitating integrative and multi-functional solutions through showing how the theory of institutional capacity building can be used to guide design, development and evaluation of interventions aimed at facilitating such solutions. Institutional capacity building represents the ability of groups of actors to engage in collective action, something that seems to be often needed to implement integrative and multi-functional solutions. Historically, this theory has been used to study how different events influenced the capacity of actors to engage in collective action. However, in research performed within the bounds of this thesis, the theory is expanded for use in a proactive manner, thereby contributing with insights and inspiration to others that may seek to facilitate the implementation process of integrative and multi-functional solutions.

Download or read book Sustainable Energy Development written by Indre Siksnelyte-Butkiene and published by CRC Press. This book was released on 2023-07-19 with total page 185 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Sustainable Energy Development: A Multi-Criteria Decision Making Approach discusses sustainable energy development, the main path for achieving carbon neutrality, and the use of multi-criteria decision making (MCDM) in assessing energy transition in both operational and socio-political forms. It proposes ways to support responsible decision making toward sustainable energy in key areas such as power distribution, household energy, and transportation. The authors have developed frameworks and tools to help choose sustainable energy options like renewable energy technologies, energy efficiency improvements, policies, and how to promote them in different communities. The book includes several case studies focused on electricity, district heating, transport sectors in the European Union (EU), and decision making in the household sector. Features Analyzes the connection between sustainable energy development and the transition toward a carbon neutral society. Compares and discusses advanced MCDM tools to support sustainable energy options. Develops new frameworks of indicators for the assessment of sustainable regional and national energy system planning, and provides practical illustrative examples in various energy sectors. Provides policy implications when promoting sustainable energy development. Presents case studies on the applications of multi-criteria tools to support sustainable energy options in different energy sectors. Readers interested in gaining insight into leading trends in energy efficiency and sustainability, such as academics, researchers, graduate students, and professionals interested in sustainable energy and energy producers, city planners, policy makers, and more, will benefit from the topics and frameworks discussed in this book.

Download or read book Sustainability Assessment Of Building Performance By LEED Rating written by Bongwirnso Umaru Mohammed and published by LAP Lambert Academic Publishing. This book was released on 2014-06-04 with total page 100 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Sustainability, in general terms, is the ability to maintain balance of a certain process or state in any system. It is now most frequently used in connection with biological and human systems. In an ecological context, sustainability can be defined as the ability of an ecosystem to maintain ecological processes, functions, biodiversity and productivity into the future. [Regional Ecosystem Office (U.S) REO]. Since the 1980s, the idea of sustainable human well-being has become increasingly associated with the integration of economic, social and environmental spheres. Architecture presents a unique challenge in the field of sustainability. Construction projects typically consume large amounts of materials, produce tons of waste, and often involve weighing the preservation of buildings that have historical significance against the desire for the development of newer, more modern designs. Nowadays, architects and designers, should aim at "the creation and responsible management of a healthy built environment based on resource efficient and ecological principles."

Download or read book Encyclopedia of Sustainable Technologies written by Martin Abraham and published by Elsevier. This book was released on 2017-07-04 with total page 2276 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Encyclopedia of Sustainable Technologies, Eight Volume Set provides an authoritative assessment of the sustainable technologies that are currently available or in development. Sustainable technology includes the scientific understanding, development and application of a wide range of technologies and processes and their environmental implications. Systems and lifecycle analyses of energy systems, environmental management, agriculture, manufacturing and digital technologies provide a comprehensive method for understanding the full sustainability of processes. In addition, the development of clean processes through green chemistry and engineering techniques are also described. The book is the first multi-volume reference work to employ both Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) and Triple Bottom Line (TBL) approaches to assessing the wide range of technologies available and their impact upon the world. Both approaches are long established and widely recognized, playing a key role in the organizing principles of this valuable work. Provides readers with a one-stop guide to the most current research in the field Presents a grounding of the fundamentals of the field of sustainable technologies Written by international leaders in the field, offering comprehensive coverage of the field and a consistent, high-quality scientific standard Includes the Life Cycle Analysis and Triple Bottom Line approaches to help users understand and assess sustainable technologies

Download or read book Materials for Sustainable Sites written by Meg Calkins and published by Wiley. This book was released on 2008-10-06 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This complete guide to the evaluation, selection, and use of sustainable materials in the landscape features strategies to minimize environmental and human health impacts of conventional site construction materials as well as green materials. Providing detailed current information on construction materials for sustainable sites, the book introduces tools, techniques, ideologies and resources for evaluating, sourcing, and specifying sustainable site materials. Chapters cover types of materials, both conventional and emerging green materials, environmental and human health impacts of the material, and detailed strategies to minimize these impacts. Case studies share cost and performance information and lessons learned.

Download or read book Advanced Multi Criteria Decision Making for Addressing Complex Sustainability Issues written by Chatterjee, Prasenjit and published by IGI Global. This book was released on 2019-05-03 with total page 384 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Sustainability issues have gained more importance in contemporary globalization, pushing decision makers to find a systematic mathematical approach to conduct analyses of this real-world problem. The growing complexity in modern social-economics or engineering environments or systems has forced researchers to solve complicated problems by using multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) approaches. However, traditional MCDM research mainly focuses on reaching the highest economic value or efficiency, and issues related to sustainability are still not closely explored. Advanced Multi-Criteria Decision Making for Addressing Complex Sustainability Issues discusses and addresses the challenges in the implementation of decision-making models in the context of green and sustainable engineering, criteria identification, quantification, comparison, selection, and analysis in the context of manufacturing, supply chain, transportation, and energy sectors. All academic communities in the areas of management, economics, business sciences, mechanical, and manufacturing technologies are able to use, apply, and implement the models presented in this book. It is intended for researchers, manufacturers, engineers, managers, industry professionals, academicians, and students.

Download or read book Green Building written by Michael Bauer and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2009-12-03 with total page 209 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An important consideration for energy-efficient buildings is their primary energy requirements over the entire life cycle. How to determine this? What integrative factors influence the performance of a healthy and sustainable building? This, while it may be important for clients and architects to know, is frequently not very transparent. This book has been written to assist with clarifying target criteria and expanding horizons when it comes to ecological buildings. It is meant as a handbook and source of reference for clients, architects, planners and building operators, to provide them with pertinent information about their design, construction and operation: how to do this in the most energy-efficient and economical manner? Also, there is feedback and documentation about prominent buildings like the Hamburg Dockland or the Landesbank Baden-Wuerttemberg in Stuttgart. They provide excellent architectural examples for detailed construction and design solutions. Further, there are insightful interviews with architects and clients about many important buildings, which help turn this book into an integrated source of reference for sustainable architecture. - A Guideline for Planning, Construction and Operation of sustainable Buildings - A source of reference for clients, architects, planners and building operators - Innovative architectural examples with sustainable concepts and design

Download or read book Mechanics of Structures and Materials XXIV written by Hong Hao and published by CRC Press. This book was released on 2019-08-08 with total page 1966 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Mechanics of Structures and Materials: Advancements and Challenges is a collection of peer-reviewed papers presented at the 24th Australasian Conference on the Mechanics of Structures and Materials (ACMSM24, Curtin University, Perth, Western Australia, 6-9 December 2016). The contributions from academics, researchers and practising engineers from Australasian, Asia-pacific region and around the world, cover a wide range of topics, including: • Structural mechanics • Computational mechanics • Reinforced and prestressed concrete structures • Steel structures • Composite structures • Civil engineering materials • Fire engineering • Coastal and offshore structures • Dynamic analysis of structures • Structural health monitoring and damage identification • Structural reliability analysis and design • Structural optimization • Fracture and damage mechanics • Soil mechanics and foundation engineering • Pavement materials and technology • Shock and impact loading • Earthquake loading • Traffic and other man-made loadings • Wave and wind loading • Thermal effects • Design codes Mechanics of Structures and Materials: Advancements and Challenges will be of interest to academics and professionals involved in Structural Engineering and Materials Science.

Download or read book Sustainable Buildings and Infrastructure written by Annie R. Pearce and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2017-12-14 with total page 898 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The second edition of Sustainable Buildings and Infrastructure continues to provide students with an introduction to the principles and practices of sustainability as they apply to the construction sector, including both buildings and infrastructure systems. As a textbook, it is aimed at students taking courses in construction management and the built environment, but it is also designed to be a useful reference for practitioners involved in implementing sustainability in their projects or firms. Case studies, best practices and highlights of cutting edge research are included throughout, making the book both a core reference and a practical guide.

Download or read book Sustainability of Structural Materials written by Emad Bakhoum and published by . This book was released on 2017 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Sustainable Logistics Systems Using AI based Meta Heuristics Approaches written by Jiuping Xu and published by Taylor & Francis. This book was released on 2023-12-22 with total page 186 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book introduces and analyses recent trends and studies of sustainable logistics systems using AI-based meta-heuristics approaches, including AI-based meta-heuristics applied to supply chain network models, integrated multi-criteria decision-making approaches for green supply chain management, uncertain supply chain models etc. It emphasizes both theory and practice, providing methodological and theoretical basis as well as case references for sustainable logistics systems using AI based meta-heuristics. Most of multi-national enterprises today face the challenge of sustainable development for their logistics systems trying to meet or exceed customer expectations. Sustainable development attracts both researchers and industrial practitioners who are focused on the design and implementation of logistics system. AI-based meta-heuristics approaches has emerged as a capable method for quickly providing optimal or near-optimal solutions for the problems that exact optimization cannot solve. Recent advances in various AI-based meta-heuristics approaches can resolve various and complex logistics and supply chain problem types. This book mainly encompasses the most popular and frequently employed AI-based meta-heuristics approaches such as genetic algorithm, variable neighborhood search, multi-objective heuristic search and the hybrid of these approaches. The chapters in this book were originally published in the International Journal of Management Science and Engineering Management.