Sustainable Ecological Engineering Design

Various societies that have achieved a sustainable mode of living are examined in the light of the global history of human development, which is reviewed first. These are societies that never made the transition from agriculture to mercantile capitalism, and one group that never adopted agriculture at all.The objective of the chapter is to identify how social sustainability played a part in these achievements. Some of the factors that drove the development of non-sustainability are also identified. The impact of western ideas and civilisation on these societies is also identified and discussed. Societies that achieved social sustainability also achieved stable populations.

Recently, there is a phenomenal growth in the rate of the urbanisation of most countries of the world. As revealed by statistics, more than 50% of the world population already reside in cities, and this will rise to about 68% by 2050. This rapid growth represents a situation where most previously small cities are fast becoming megacities, and most previously megacities have continued to increase rapidly. Some of the immediate resultant effects of this unusual growth are both pressures on the already existing urban built environment, which consequently leads to its continuous expansion, and a remarkable increase in the population of people living in urban slums. The former and the latter effects that are the central focus of this study are worrisome situations that call for concern. The reason is that there is already a consensus among scholars that the built environment can have weighty negative impacts on the health and wellbeing of the people. The argument is that the level of these impacts hugely depends on the differences in the planning, structuring, and designing of the built environment in urban settings. With this, it may not be difficult to conclude that the impacts of living in urban slums/sub-standard built environment can be more endangering. Accordingly, this study explored the built environment, health, and wellbeing of the people living in urban slums. As a literature-based study, it reviewed relevant literature that highlights essential issues on the urban built environment and the health and wellbeing of the people in slums. The review produced an analysis demonstrating the possible characteristics of the built environment and showed how the environment can be structured and designed to enhance the health and wellbeing of the people living in urban slums. The recommendation emanating from the detailed analysis is that those who make decisions on the plan, design, and maintenance of urban built environments should start focusing on incorporating people’s health and wellbeing in their subsequent plans and designs.

Since the early start of universe and creation, man and creatures were enclitic by nature and well organized in harmony. Biomimicry as a concept is the mimicry and imitation of systems and strategies seen in the living world as a foundation for different fields, science and applications such as architectural field. Biomimicry has been applied through three levels, an organism level, behaviour level, and an ecosystem level, in terms of its forms, materials, construction methods, processes, or functions. Biomimicry is a source of innovation, particularly in creating more sustainable and potentially regenerative architecture. The problem is addressed according to the challenges that megacities face today, mainly high energy use, urban air pollution due to transport, large number of inhabitants’ activities, CO2 level and natural resources consumption in all sectors. So, improving cities’ infrastructure, mainly buildings, is one of the major steps needed to enhance livability in cities and mitigate climate change. The objective of this work is to assess the value of adopting biomimicry design concept, as a sustainable tool in architecture, due to its potential to create regenerative built environments. The research strategy is centred on a qualitative strategy and the method of data collection is a narrative and case studies’ types. It is also depends on a deductive approach. In this chapter, architectural examples are examined as a part of nature in order to explore the effect of nature on architecture. In addition, a comparative analysis of biomimicry approach depicting global applications of biomimicry in architecture is presented and discussed in terms of sustainability dimensions. Results of comparing the examined buildings show that the optimum building is CH2 Melbourne City Council House 2 in Australia which has the best sustainability features related to the biomimicry approach and linked to the climate change mitigation and adaptation.

While they carry only limited traffic volumes, low volume roads perform an essential social function in connecting communities. They form a significant component of the Australian road network and should therefore be constructed and maintained in order to provide a sustainable, effective, efficient, safe and reliable service. However, funding for them is often limited. Therefore, innovative and best practice network management strategies are required to ensure their productivity, safety, usability, social equity, sustainable environmental management, and resilience.To investigate current strategies for managing them, a survey was conducted of management practices for low volume roads and their networks in New South Wales, Australia. The research found that enhancements to current practices were possible and made recommendations for their improvement. Leveraging funding, ensuring that new low volume roads meet future traffic demands, and continuing to investigate best practices for life cycle based sustainable asset management were found to be the most successful strategies to meet these challenges.

Nature-based solutions are a popularising concept within current urban regeneration literature, exploring differing themes in the context of optimising public spaces. Focus on the adaptation of public space design, with the community at the forefront, has been documented to a limited degree, with few studies concentrating on possible design strategies.This literature review revealed that the majority of nature-based design frameworks, since 2017, have suggested the benefits of nature in public spaces to human health and well-being: whether physically or psychologically, and either within the full framework or as part of the framework’s scope. There are however variations in the number and clarity of steps needed to follow each framework, and it is evident that the importance of community driven designs is understated within built environment literature. Many frameworks favoured the use of academic studies as a secondary source for their creation, with few using primary analysis of community acceptance and co-creation.This paper explores the literature available on nature-based solutions and their design frameworks. It maps out the existing studies, to date, and reports on the initial findings for this progressing PhD research. Public spaces are, in their very definition, a space for the public; despite this, development of these spaces, as well as the literature around the subject, is far more theoretical and professionally inclined, rather than community influenced. With an emphasis on sustainable development, this paper suggests that community views on nature-based public spaces need to be the focal point of design frameworks for public urban spaces, which may then be used as a protocol for the production of optimal and effective nature-based public space regeneration.

The case has been made in the reports of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change for the crucial role of the built environment in mitigating the worst excesses of a warming global climate and in protecting people through adaptation. Town planners are essential actors in delivering sustainable and resilient urbanism. Given that legislation is implemented by people, the study aimed to examine how town planners experienced and thought about the changing legislation and how they understood the concepts of ‘sustainability’ and ‘resilience’ in the built environment. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 19 planners working in England who had at least 7 years’ experience. In the analysis, we explored meanings of sustainability and of resilience, and how these concepts were seen as incorporated in legislation. Sustainability was seen by the participants as embedded in regulations but its realisation varied substantially. Tensions were evident between the three pillars of environment, society and economy. ‘Resilience’ as a concept was poorly understood and legislative support was patchy at best: while flooding features extensively in local plans, wider issues of climate impact such as overheating are not comprehensively addressed. The conclusions are that planners are often frustrated in their attempts to develop a more sustainable built environment and that the current planning system is inadequate to deliver consistently sustainable and resilient outcomes. However, alignment between sustainability goals and professional identity were also noted, offering avenues to explore beyond the institutional constraints of legislation.

There are ongoing efforts to control global warming via reducing CO2 emissions, which are mostly based on human activities. Through life cycle assessment (LCA) carbon footprint (CFP) calculations provide a clear picture of embodied carbon (EC). In this study, the significance of EC estimation and reduction for railway projects are explored. The main motivation is having applicable sustainability strategies for railway systems in Turkey. Since there is no certification system, range or database, these efforts would be reference for the future works. Literature has been reviewed and real cases were analyzed in order to have a better understanding of the sustainability of railway systems. Three metro stations in İstanbul were explored as urban railway systems—an important urban infrastructure. With the relevance of the study, it is anticipated to have a better understanding of the EC of infrastructure projects.

Sustainable buildings, sustainable businesses and sustainable behaviours are befitting of modern society. Combining these ideals has been realised in the UK’s greenest motorway service areas (in Gloucestershire) where public perceptions towards the installation of sustainable drainage devices (SuDS) have been studied. Whilst the planning of sustainable drainage systems has gathered momentum (since the late 1990s), it is readily acknowledged that there is a deficit of community awareness and knowledge of the purpose, function and wider potential benefits derived from devices used to manage and minimise surface water. Until there is a comprehensive shift away from the traditional approach of underground piped drainage, blue-green infrastructure will remain a relatively unknown entity for the populace and a concomitant shortfall in demand will be encountered. Therefore, public opinions of the motorway service area eco-designed amenity buildings (green roofs) and their surrounding landscapes (swales and ponds) were sought through questionnaire surveys (n = 86) completed by visitors to both the southbound and northbound M5 Gloucester motorway service areas. Results reveal the public share unanimous support for the eco-design sustainable buildings (designed to achieve BREEAM Excellent), and an overwhelming enthusiasm for the aesthetic landscaping of the sites. However, it was clearly evident that visitors were not forming a link between the appearance of the motorway service area features and their associated role in contributing to the sustainable surface water management of the sites, despite the architect’s design intention for the landscape to be readily understood. It is concluded that a shift from ‘grey infrastructure’ will require the involvement of all stakeholders and changing public perceptions of ‘blue-green infrastructure’ will remain an obstacle until awareness of its value is far-reaching and celebrated beyond the confinements of architectural drawings and planning applications.

Housing shortages in least developed countries (LDCs) continue to escalate beyond previous records and based on current projections this trend is set to increase. The resulting homelessness and poverty affect large populations in many LDCs. The main contributing factors are recognised as global population growth and natural disasters, which disproportionally affect LDCs when compared with developed countries. The challenge of how best to address these shortages in a sustainable manner while simultaneously building resilience against future disasters into the communities has been a central debate in many LDCs. Many different actors, such as governments, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and communities undertake housing provision projects in these contexts. However, the outcomes are often of poor quality, which can be attributed to a lack of a coherent and holistic design and delivery process with the community served and lack of a sustainable design ethos.The aim of this research is to explore the complex area of the design and delivery of sustainable and affordable housing in LDCs and post-disaster contexts. The research focuses on the design decision-making and delivery process for selected international housing organisations, which operate in the field of sustainable housing in LDCs. The research bridges the domains of architecture and project and design management and, in particular, the aspect of decision support. A multi case study approach with nine leading international housing organisations operating in LDCs is undertaken. The study identifies key barriers and challenges faced in the design and delivery of sustainable housing in LDCs as well as key drivers for improvement. Key themes and considerations in the designer’s decision-making and delivery process are identified. A decision support system (DSS) tool for the design and delivery of sustainable housing in LDC contexts is developed directly from these results, which can then be applied in practice.

This study attempts to explore the depth of knowledge and understanding of sustainability issues across a range of construction professions and utilise this evidence to reveal if Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM) is being delivered with due diligence across the industry. A range of construction professionals, key actors in achieving sustainability across the built environment through their advisory roles in design and specification, were interviewed (n = 7). It became apparent that knowledge and understanding of sustainability was certainly below an expected level of competence suitable to deliver solutions across the multifaceted sustainability crisis, with many professionals failing to see beyond energy efficiency and carbon reduction. Furthermore, it revealed that planning policy changes incorporating BREEAM as a condition has had negative effects, leading clients and professionals to engage only when required. It was also evident that BREEAM schemes are being used with the goal to obtain development consents and cost was determining actions taken rather than best sustainability outcomes. This results in both BREEAM and Sustainability being perceived as an add-ons rather than core elements or drivers of a project and, in doing so, reduces the effectiveness of the design. Based on this evidence, it is proposed that there is a timely need to change construction professionals’ perceptions to achieve a truly sustainable built environment. With BREEAM being one of many similar certification schemes it is worrying that these findings may the same elsewhere around the world.

This study investigated the level of construction students’ familiarity and interest concerning sustainability in the built environment, their ability to identify recognizable sustainable principles, the important areas of sustainable knowledge for students’ employment, and factors affecting students’ outlook towards sustainability. To accomplish its main objectives, this study employed a survey research method as a main method of data collection. The survey instrument was developed by the authors through in-depth literature review in the areas of sustainability, sustainable construction, sustainable education, and transformation of people’s attitude and behaviour. The survey instrument was distributed to Construction Management students in all stages of the programmes of study at the Milwaukee School of Engineering and the Technological University Dublin. The results of descriptive statistics and thematic analysis present the some interesting findings. CM students perceived that they had a relatively high level of familiarity with sustainable construction and sustainability. They identified that knowledge and understanding of the principles of sustainability were important; however, a greater emphasis was placed on the knowledge of environmental rating tools. CM students also believed that general knowledge of sustainability would enhance their chances of securing a career in construction. Finally, several factors of the approaches to teaching and research in sustainability were addressed by the respondents where both US and Irish students indicated that a programme approach to embedding sustainability would be a more favoured approach. They also acknowledged that “practical experience related to sustainability would be very beneficial”, and that “workshops and seminars associated with sustainable development should be offered” that would contribute towards better students’ attitude towards sustainability. Interestingly, there was a very close alignment of attitudes and responses to the survey questions between the two groups.

The global buildings sector is now responsible for 40% of final energy consumption and is accounting for 33% of energy-related carbon dioxide emissions. This has resulted in a growing urgency to address energy and emissions from buildings and construction, to meet restrictive 2020 targets as specified by the European Union (EU). To achieve these targets a number of funding initiatives have been put in place through Horizon 2020 with a focus on BIM, due to it having the potential to rapidly produce energy outputs that enable design teams to analyse and compare the most cost-effective, energy-efficient options. However, despite the recorded benefits that BIM can bring to the design, there is still a lack of understanding of how it can be used on site by the supply chain to impact energy savings directly. In order to address this industry-wide concern a Multi-International consortium, bid, won and then launched the Horizon 2020 Energy BIMcert project in March 2018 with the goal to educate all areas of the supply chain in the use of BIM, so as to achieve better energy efficiency during the design, construction and ongoing maintenance of an asset. An online platform will be launched in September 2019, which will deliver blended training that combines theory, practice and eLearning that will enable workers to train more effectively. This paper will explore the initial stages of this project and will focus on how the findings from a survey and series of workshops conducted within the member states of the Energy BIMcert consortium have helped establish the training needs of the industry. These findings were cross-referenced with a state-of-the-art literature review on BIM pedagogy, which has resulted in the formation of the curriculum and learning outcomes for a number of BIM focused training units. Further to this, the paper will discuss how the delivery of the blended training and associated materials will affect current energy saving targets.

It is now 100 years since the end of the First World War. There has been much interest shown in visiting the battlefields and commonwealth war graves during this anniversary. We must never forget this terrible period of our country’s history. However, our own local history seems to be rapidly forgotten. Many areas where the “Pals” units had training camps or where German prisoners of war were interned are now forgotten, mainly due to housing development and expansion of towns and cities since then.The application of virtual reality (VR) to enable the immersion and recreation of archaeological sites is well known. Some good examples include the recreation of ancient Mayan temples and the virtual immersion within a cave used by Native American Indians in order to interact with thier cave art. More recently our museums are digitising fossil collections to put on line, so that they can be viewed in VR, or 3D printed, from anywhere in the world, thus sharing knowledge.This paper illustrates how VR can be used to recreate an immersive experience of the WW1 camp at Raikeswood in Skipton. This started as an initial archaeological dig by local school children as part of the curriculum for local history. Subsequent funding received by Skipton council enabled the production of online web and VR artefacts. The images and information used came from camp plans and sketches, mainly produced by the prisoners themselves. This information has shown the layout of the camp, prison life, the characters involved and events that took place there.The funding has resulted in a detailed web site, which shows a timeline of WW1 and the events within the camp. There are numerous images and extracts from diaries, including sketches by the prisoners. The VR model of the camp illustrates exactly where the camp was located geographically, the construction and function of each of the buildings and what took place within each major building.This paper will show how our local history can be conserved and preserved through the application of VR to create a virtual world of the camp.

A disproportionate number of accidents occur in construction relative to other industries, the direct and indirect cost of which contributes to the cost of construction. Construction is a multi-stakeholder process and consequently all stakeholders, architectural designers included, influence the construction process.Design influences and impacts on construction H&S directly and indirectly. Directly through concept design, selection of structural frame, detailed design, selection of cladding, and specification of materials. Indirectly through the selection of procurement system, related interventions such as prequalification, decision regarding project duration, and selection of contractor.Therefore, architectural designers should be empowered to contribute to construction H&S. However, the need for such empowerment is amplified by legislation in certain countries, such as the OH&S Act and Construction Regulations in South Africa. Despite the influence and impact of architectural design on construction H&S and the evolution of legislation, traditionally South African architectural designers have perceived construction H&S to be the responsibility of the contractor.This paper reports on two descriptive surveys conducted among architectural academics, and a range of built environment practitioners to evolve a framework for firstly, tertiary architectural, and then secondly, tertiary built environment construction H&S education at Universities and Universities of Technology in South Africa.The findings of the literature and descriptive surveys amplify the need for the inclusion of construction H&S as a module, and the addressing of a range of construction H&S aspects, as opposed to merely legislation, relative to architectural programmes.

This paper explores what knowledge and skills are needed, and how those skills and knowledge might be gained, in order to deliver more sustainable outcomes from construction, using the concept of ‘middle actors’. ‘Middle actors’ are the individuals who occupy the space between ‘top-down’ policy and instruction, and ‘bottom-up’ norms. In construction, ‘middle actors’ with influence on building performance include clerks of works, project managers, tradespeople and technical advisers.There is a relentless drive for more sustainable buildings that use less energy, generate less waste during construction and use, and provide healthy environments for people to live and work in. This direction of travel can no longer be considered ‘new’ and yet it remains far from the mainstream. To create buildings which are sustainable, we need to consider not only technology and design changes, but how to alter the wider system of construction. We use middle actors as the lens through which to examine these non-technical changes, and the skills and knowledge required to achieve them.A review of the concept of middle actors as it has been applied to construction and an overview of skills and knowledge needs for sustainable construction is followed by identifying middle actors in new build and retrofit, commercial and domestic projects currently under way with one developer in Leeds, UK. The skills and knowledge needed by ‘middle actors’ to deliver more sustainable outcomes from their projects are described, based on empirical data gathered from project teams, and further structured by considering when in the project cycle they are needed, and what routes to gaining the required skills and knowledge might be most effective. This analysis reinforces that there is no single route to achieving more sustainable buildings and instead the activities, responsibilities and networks of individuals need to be carefully considered in developing training programmes for construction teams.

A research project is being undertaken to identify a delivery framework for managing, and successfully completing a degree apprenticeship in civil engineering. The research will investigate challenges, barriers and best practice experienced by the Employer, the Apprenticeship Training Provider (ATP) and the Apprentice: the tripartite stakeholders. Patterns of challenges, barriers and best practice will illustrate promising points of intervention to develop evidence to inform a supporting framework. As the Civil Engineering and Civil Engineering (Site Management) degree apprenticeship standards were approved for delivery in 2017, the first candidates for the End Point Assessment (EPA) are expected to be presented around January 2020. This means that research based specifically on degree apprenticeships in civil engineering is in its infancy and current performance data and insights are scarce.This paper outlines initial research carried out with Small-Medium Enterprises (SMEs) and students around their initial experiences with the scheme. The research adopts a phenomological methodology to understand the perceived significance of the apprenticeships from the SME experience, and reviews results from a questionnaire provided to degree apprenticeship students.Initial findings are presented, and a review of the methodology is discussed around appropriateness, accuracy and validity of those data retrieved. This is then applied to time-bound considerations in relation to the main body of research and future investigations. Thus, the research parameters of the next phase of the research are identified and discussed.

The main aim of this study is to determine a Green Star-rated literary museum’s post-occupancy user satisfaction. This research employed a case study survey research design in which a BUS (building use studies) questionnaire was administered to a case to determine the satisfaction of users with the performance of the green building. The data analysis involved the calculation of means for factors of satisfaction, parameters of comfort, determination of tolerance of users with the green building and a comparative analysis with similar buildings from the BUS database. The benchmarking determined whether the study building was better, the same as or worse than similar buildings. Findings of the study indicate the perceptions of occupants regarding the building design rated highest in terms of satisfaction, attributable to the integrative design process of the Green Building Council South Africa (GBCSA) and elements of social design, whereas perceived health rated the lowest. In terms of the factors of comfort, the perceptions of occupants regarding the overall comfort of the building contributed positively, whereas noise was a concern. Findings of the study further indicate that the study building performed better than the benchmark in terms of factors of satisfaction and those of comfort. The occupants of the study building demonstrated tolerance with the building’s environment, which may be attributable to pro-environmental behaviours. This information is beneficial to the facilities managers to enable occupants to exercise more control over the thermal conditions of the building. In terms of future designs and heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) control strategies, it would be beneficial to install systems that mimic the desired conditions of the occupants. Building owners and managers should consider introducing noise reduction strategies in traffic areas such as floor padding for noise attenuation. Benefits could arise from a noise awareness campaign and the installation of a visible or audible decibel warning system as additional strategies.

The requirement to incorporate sustainability into the curriculum of construction management programs in the United States has only been required since July 2015. At this time the American Council for Construction Education (ACCE) introduced the revised Document 103: Standards and Criteria for Accreditation of Construction Education Bachelor Degree Programs. The curriculum requirements of the standards in previous versions had been prescriptive in nature, requiring construction programs to demonstrate the inclusion of a required number of credit hours of prescribed subject matter and topical content. The previous standard had no requirement to teach sustainability. A series of workshops was conducted with construction industry participants to gather data in order to develop a set of learning outcomes that would define the capabilities of students graduating from a 4-year ACCE accredited program. The new standard requires programs to demonstrate graduates of their program have achieved 20 Student Learning Outcomes, one of which is that upon graduation students should be able to “understand the basic principles of sustainable construction.” The approach for delivering sustainable construction subject matter across the curriculum at an ACCE accredited university is presented, together with method of academic assessment of students during their senior year. Course learning outcomes addressing the principles of sustainable construction were developed and subject matter taught across several courses from freshman through senior level students. Academic assessment is achieved by senior students conducting an individual assessment of a project building to demonstrate understanding of how the design and construction of the building reflects the basic principles of sustainable construction. Students are set six specific tasks that address: LEED Certification; Erosion & Sedimentation Control; Building Commissioning; Environmentally Preferred Products; Construction Waste & Indoor Air Quality. Students are graded using a five criteria grading rubric. Results from academic assessment conducted since the Fall of 2015 suggest students are consistently meeting performance criteria.

Increasingly the management of stakeholders is reported, by research on the management of projects, as being critical to the successful development of projects. Current research into the management of stakeholders charts a move from: classifying who stakeholders might be, to one of determining whether and how to manage them, to one of recommending ‘engagement’. Stakeholders are seemingly important players in the project’s environment because they are able to both significantly influence the project’s delivery and because they may well be the arbiters of whether the project can be considered successful or not. This latter point indicates the role that stakeholders and those stakeholders that are beneficiaries of the project can have in determining how ‘value’ is interpreted. This research proposal identifies a gap in existing literature; that gap is in the final process of stakeholder management. Aligned to a risk management process, stakeholder management ends with the idea that the stakeholder will be managed. As writers show that ‘engagement’ might be beneficial, then ‘interest-based negotiation’ (IBN) allows for a project manager to engage with these groups through IBN. Anecdotal evidence shows that elements of IBN might be unconscious components of successful project managers’ interactions with stakeholders. This paper proposes a study design that will allow for the hypothesis H1 ‘Successful stakeholder engagement can be correlated with project managers employing elements of interest-based negotiation’ to be tested.

As urban sprawl continues to put pressure on cities across the globe, so too is the need to service those who live and work within these regions. The need to provide fresh, clean drinking water to each person is becoming increasing difficult and somewhat unsustainable. In the context of Ireland, this is no different, particularly with ageing and leaking services. To counteract such issues, there is a need to replace old and often hazardous asbestos water main pipelines with more durable solutions. However, in doing so, the process unearths particularly hazardous material to those whom have the task of replacing it. There is an ever-growing need for advanced methods of materials management and space scheduling on confined construction sites with a considerable gap in literature accounting for the management and removal of hazardous waste. Therefore, the aim of this study is to investigate the effective management of such hazardous waste, within what is invariably a confined construction site environment. To achieve this aim, three case studies are identified, all of which involve the removal of old asbestos water main, in a confined city centre environment. Three individuals on each case study are interviewed, using a semi-structured approach, to investigate how they effectively manage and mitigate the risks associated with the decommissioning, packaging and removal of hazardous asbestos waste from each of their respective projects. The findings indicate that, in order of importance, Space Scheduling, Critical Space Analysis, and Supply Chain Management are critical in the safe identification, decommissioning, excavation, extraction, packaging and ultimate removal and disposal of hazardous asbestos waste water main. This research is conducted with the ultimate viewpoint of increasing the efficiency of pipeline construction where hazardous waste is present, reducing costs on-site and, ultimately, improving the health and safety, both of those working on-site and also those in the vicinity of the removal of this hazardous waste.

Delayed and disrupted construction projects contribute poor sustainability in construction project environments. UK construction documents an extensive history of project delay and disruption, with contracting organisations operating in environments with a prevalence of excessive sub-letting, fragmentation, poor integration of sub-contractors, build strategy dislocation, contractual-adversarial relationships, and poor adoption of project planning frameworks.This investigation reviews the extent and impact of individual and team behaviours and cultures within a contracting organisation project and the influences on the success of Critical Path Method (CPM) project planning and scheduling. CPM remains the standard method of project planning and scheduling in the construction industry, despite newer systems such as Lean Construction, Last Planner® System, Agile Project Management, and PRINCE2.Exploratory qualitative data was collected through a purposive sample of six semi-structured interviews with UK construction management personnel on a sample case study project. Experienced project managers and project planning staff from contracting and sub-contracting organisations were consulted on project planning, scheduling and programme development, co-ordination, integration, procedures, methods, techniques, training, and development.Results identify CPM planning operating in unstructured environments characterised by poor operating and application protocols, and poor understanding and ad hoc engagement by project teams. Poor leadership and facilitation of programme development by senior project management could be associated with later project failure. It is concluded that fundamental problems with basic project planning and scheduling undermine sustainability in construction due to late completions.

The programme management approach was intended as a way of delivering organisational strategy and achieving beneficial outcomes through the coordination, prioritisation, and precise resources allocation of projects based on their relative “value” contribution. Such coordination of projects would offer greater sustainable valued outcomes, and has been widely adopted in the U.K. Despite the intentions of the theory of programme management, and the fact that literature largely concurring on the themes and facets of “programme management theory”, as much as 53% of programmes underperform in delivering their strategies and 34% of projects were found to offer no beneficial outcomes (NAO, Delivering major projects in government: a briefing for the committee of public accounts, 2016), suggesting that issues and flaws exist within this theory and that perhaps there is a gap in terms of the attention being given to the experience of managing programmes in practice. This study aimed to illustrate the challenges faced when exercising the theory of “programme management” in practice and utilised a qualitative in-depth focus group discussion amongst programme and project experts to do so. The primary data findings concluded that there is indeed a gap between the two that especially manifests in regard to issues with: the lack of strategic focus leading misalignment of projects thus the distortion of strategic vision, the subjectivity of “value” leading to conflict in the selection and prioritisation of projects and the rigid governance structures that prevent strategic decision-making and hinder innovation. Several attributions were made as to the root causes of these issues as well as possible solutions based on interpretations of expert opinions and the overall data analysis. Following a critical discussion and comparison between the primary and the literature findings, this study hypothesises that programme management theory and practice are still at an embryonic stage and yet to meet one another and that governance might the missing link between strategy formulation and execution. This study further recommends more empirical and qualitative research be conducted in order to bridge the gap between theory and practice and suggests that elements a hierarchically flatter governance structure, a bottom-up approach to strategy, visualisation to aid prioritisation, and human behavioural errors are important aspects to be taken into consideration when doing so.

Green building is mostly adopted by the private sector or the private property development companies who are enjoying the benefits of it. Hence the study will explore the obstacles impeding the implementation of sustainable project management in the public sector in South Africa. Structured questionnaires were distributed to different construction companies and construction professionals involved in the public projects. From 80 questionnaires distributed, 65 were brought back and they were all valid and usable. Findings from the survey results obtained from the chosen respondents revealed that there is resistance to change from convectional to green practices by organization employees, lack of awareness of green building methods and technologies, absence of dependable exact cost data/information, limited government involvement, the complexity of codes and regulations on green building and sustainable construction, high cost of green building material and also attracts a higher risk of delays in construction. From the findings the government of South Africa needs to play a huge role implementing sustainable construction project management in public buildings, which will benefit the government and the end users and reduce the nation’s carbon emission emanating from construction sector.

Solar photovoltaic (PV) panels experience long-term performance degradation resulting in lower like-per-like efficiencies and performance ratios when compared with their initial performance. Manufacturers of solar photovoltaic modules usually guarantee the life span for more than 20 years. It is therefore necessary to track and mitigate degradation of PV modules over this period to satisfy such guarantees and beyond this period to identify maintenance and repair requirements. Degradation of solar PV modules makes them less efficient, less reliable and, ultimately, inoperative. This paper reviews relevant literature to discuss: Causes of efficiency reductions in photovoltaic cells Ways to achieve long-term durability of solar photovoltaic modules How viability of solar photovoltaic modules is affected by degradation The remedies to solar photovoltaic (PV) degradation

The discussion on the importance of public charging infrastructure is usually framed around the ‘chicken-egg’ challenge of consumers feeling reluctant to purchase without the necessary infrastructure and policy makers reluctant to invest in the infrastructure without the demand. However, public charging infrastructure may be more crucial to EV adoption than previously thought.Historically, access to residential charging was thought to be a major factor in potential for growth in the EV market as it offered a guaranteed place for a vehicle to be charged. However, these conclusions were reached through studies conducted in regions with a high percentage of homes that have access to residential parking.The purpose of this study is to understand how the built environment may encourage uptake of EVs by seeking a correlation between EV ownership and public charging points in an urban and densely populated city such as London.Using a statistical approach with data from the Department for Transport and Zap Map, a statistically significant correlation was found between the total (slow, fast and rapid) number of public charging points and number of EV registrations per borough—with the strongest correlation found between EV registrations and rapid chargers.This research does not explicitly prove that there is a cause-and-effect relationship between public charging points EVs but challenges some of the previous literature which indicates that public charging infrastructure is not as important as home charging. The study also supports the notion that the built environment can influence human behaviour.

This paper describes the development and testing of a building performance evaluation based claims process that underpins a new insurance-backed energy performance warranty for guaranteeing the in-use performance of new homes in the UK. The insurance backed warranty is based on the principle that if there are deficiencies in the building fabric or energy systems (physical factors) of an insured dwelling which causes excessive energy consumption, the insurance will make good those deficiencies. However, excess energy consumption resulting from occupancy factors is not insured. To be able to accurately identify the cause (physical or occupancy factors) of excessive energy use, a socio-technical building performance evaluation based claims process is developed and tested for four low-energy new-build flats located in a development in Southeast England. Data on energy use, environment (temperature, relative humidity, CO2 levels) and occupant behaviour (opening-closing of windows, appliances’ use) were collected using high-frequency energy and environmental data loggers, questionnaires, interviews and activity logging diaries over a full heating season (October 2017–April 2018). The influence of physical (form, location) and occupant factors (occupancy patterns, heating schedules, hot water requirement, use of electrical appliances) on in-use energy consumption was investigated for three end uses: space heating, water heating and electrical appliances. Results suggest that in the four low-energy flats, occupant behaviour does not significantly affect actual space heating demand (which is mainly determined by physical factors), as much as hot water and use of electrical appliances, indicating that in low-energy gas-heated dwellings, excessive gas use is more likely to be eligible for an insurance claim than high electricity use. In future research the claims process could be less invasive using smart meter data to identify the influence of physical or occupant factors.

The UK power sector is migrating from an old centralised network of large, mainly fossil-fuel-based generating stations towards a more dynamic energy ecosystem with new entrants generating and actively managing their consumption. This is occurring at a time when electricity system participants are searching for solutions to tackle three criticalities known as the “energy trilemma”: de-carbonising, securing long-term supply resilience and affordability. The wider context is that energy is a fundamental part of UK society. The inability to access clean, reliable sources of affordable energy is a barrier to securing development which is sustainable. However, there is limited published research which takes a comprehensive approach to assessing whether the impact of changes to the UK power system are contributing to sustainable development. This research is therefore focused on an evaluation of sustainability through the investment decisions of stakeholders in respect of solar photovoltaics (solar PV) and other Distributed Energy Resources, in the UK context. This research considers the “sustainability impact” within three sectors: the public, private and third sectors. Relevant metrics and benchmarks will be considered against the UN Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDGs) whilst also exploring the “real” value to society.

In recent years, insufficient access to energy and environmental challenges caused the push for clean and sustainable means of power generation. The integration of renewable energy resources into the electricity grid is known to reduce Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions and environmental pollution. Solar power has the enormous benefit of availability and can often be accessed cost effectively. However, there is a recurring problem of intermittency and variability in most solar power generation systems. The variability and intermittent nature of solar power sources introduce significant challenges in the planning and scheduling of smart grids. Solar power prediction can mitigate this variability and improve the integration of solar power resources into smart grids. This paper presents an Artificial Neural Network (ANN) model for solar power prediction, and assesses how several weather input variables from Leeds, UK, affect the prediction accuracy. Following this, the Nonlinear Autoregressive Exogenous Neural Network (NARX NN) model performance is compared with Nonlinear Autoregressive Neural Network (NAR NN) model using a time series modelling approach. The result shows that NARX NN model outperformed NAR NN model for the studied geographical location.

Energy and carbon retrofitting of traditional listed dwellings (TLDs) in the South-East England is much required but faces a multi-faceted and complex suite of issues and problems. A research project has been designed to specifically address those problems. It utilises a mixed methods approach centred around multi-staged dynamic Building Energy Simulations (BES) for selected case studies of TLDs in Brighton and Hove. The cases have been surveyed, modelled and simulated to assess their current energy performance and thermal behaviour as well as potential benefits of responsive and effective retrofit interventions. The use of simulation implies the need for a thorough validation strategy to ensure that the data generation and analysis tool is reliable, valid and replicable in similar or identical contexts. Case studies research allows for an empirical validation, based on the calibration of simulated models with monitored data. For this ongoing research project, a calibration strategy has been devised, based on the findings of a critical review of literature. It utilises energy consumption data as well as temperature and relative humidity data for each case study.Providing a brief overview of the methodological framework of the research, the paper describes in detail the approach utilised to ensure that the datasets, collected and generated using different sources, corroborate each other. Such validation process aims to generate virtual models capable of accurately representing the real case studies in their status-quo energy performance and thermal behaviour. The calibrated models can therefore be reliably used during the following stages of analysis when the impacts of selected retrofit interventions are to be evaluated.

Overheating in dwellings is a major consideration affecting buildings in both temperate climates like the UK, as well as in warmer climates. At the same time, it is recognised that the impacts of global warming and climate change are affecting weather patterns in the UK resulting in many changes, including long periods of hot weather in the summer and warmer wetter winters (Lowe et al., UKCP 18 science overview report. Met Office, November 2018 (updated March 2019). https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/pub/data/weather/uk/ukcp18/science-reports/UKCP18-Overview-report.pdf , 2018). In order to reduce global CO2 emissions, fabric improvements are being made to buildings to make them more energy efficient. To achieve these improvements the thermal insulation and airtightness of the building is often improved. The combination of these factors not only serves to retain heat energy during winter heating periods, but it can also result in excessive rises in internal temperatures during the summer, resulting in overheating. This can result in the building occupants’ experiencing discomfort and they may even be exposed to temperatures that pose serious health risks for the most vulnerable in society. In order to provide a safe and healthy environment for occupants, we must provide energy-efficient dwellings that consider not only current but also future climate scenarios. The paper presents the initial findings of a study investigating the risk of overheating in the UK’s first large-scale Passivhaus retrofit.

Delivering building energy retrofit project will bring about economic gains, while enhancing social well-being and engendering sustainable development. However, building energy retrofit projects encompass additional considerations and requirements in terms of process, material, expertise, and technology. All these factors constitute complexities in the delivery of the project. In addressing this problem, the paper presents how stakeholders understand implementation challenges in the delivering of projects amongst South African service providers. The case-based study highlighted the challenges, and solution concerning the methodologies that are appropriate in ameliorating the situations.

This paper describes the research, development, design, production and analysis of a prototype teaching and learning resource entitled ‘Eco Material Trumps’. A card game is intended to be used within an educational setting and as a source of reference for built environment professionals. The set of cards contain data on the sustainability credentials of common building materials and the aim is for the game to be used to stimulate debate on how, in practice, decision makers need to balance the differing criteria that are used to establish the environmental impact of construction materials. This research has revealed that there is a disparate body of existing knowledge from a wide variety of industry and academic sources related to the subject matter which until now has not been collated into a single resource. One of the main barriers to the development and uptake of games in a learning context is the lack of empirical data to support the hypothesis for its effectiveness, as well as a lack of understanding about how these games might be used most appropriately in practice. This study used a questionnaire to investigate participants’ perceptions of the value and importance of the active learning and cooperative activities they undertook during interactive and experiential workshops and the results and analysis are presented within this paper. Findings from the feedback elicited from workshops show that this resource enables the processing of complex sets of data, brings together data from disparate sources, encourages interaction and discussion, promotes learning through visual and tangible presentation of data and encourages sustainable thinking about and beyond the subject matter.

A working ecosystem is a cornerstone to human prosperity. When ecological concerns are associated with the economic aspects, the challenge lies in addressing human issues without corrupting the environment. The presence of mankind and society relies upon the life support framework of the physical environment. Thus, the purpose of the study is to appraise the sustainable development of mankind through ecological services in developed and developing countries. The research relied on the use of credible past and present literature from the theoretical and conceptual analysis undertaken to form the fundamental concept which this study is formed upon. The literature revealed that the economic significance of ecological services to the sustainable development of mankind legitimizes the need to comprehend their value. Similarly, to understand the association between ecological services and the development of mankind as a component that supports policy decisions, different approaches can be implemented towards the remuneration of ecological services. These approaches are mainly through the market and governmental approach. Moreover, the study contributes to the body of knowledge on how ecological services could bring about radical sustainable development in developing countries.

The construction industry has both positive and negative repercussions on the environment. One of the main negative impacts is waste generation. The huge amount of construction and demolition waste (CDW) entering landfills in Port Elizabeth, South Africa, has stressed the local environment. To alleviate its adverse impacts, the municipality and construction industry have adopted a set of measures.A study was conducted to provide insight into CDW management practices in Port Elizabeth, to develop a response to the CDW problem. The objectives were to determine whether: CDW is indiscriminately disposed of; certain CDW is hazardous; there is a disproportionate amount of CDW, and generated CDW is often re-wasted. The sample included construction managers, site agents, and municipal officials in the employ of the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality.The study revealed that the number of CDW disposal sites is inadequate, which contributes to illegal dumping of CDW, and a culture of lawlessness engenders and leads to illegal dumping of CDW. Furthermore, illegal dumping of hazardous waste is a threat to human and environmental health. Lastly, the research determined that contractors manage their schedule of materials ordered, packaging of material, and recycle damaged or incomplete material, which mitigates CDW.The challenges encountered during this research are beneficial to both researcher and industry practitioners, since they could develop further research and CDW management plans accordingly.

Erosion and sediment controls on construction sites minimize environmental impacts from sediment-laden stormwater runoff. Sediment is contained on project sites by installing sediment barriers. However, there is little performance-based testing data for the various designs, configurations, and materials for sediment barriers. To better understand sediment barrier performance, researchers at the Auburn University-Erosion and Sediment Control Testing Facility (AU-ESCTF) developed a full-scale testing apparatus to conduct performance testing on sediment barriers. Using this apparatus, researchers have evaluated five sediment barrier options to compare performance and identify possible shortcomings using standardized full-scale testing methods. This performance testing subjected sediment barrier practices to simulated field conditions typically experienced on-site without the variability of testing in nonstandard field locations or the limitations imposed by small-scale testing. Through testing, the researchers measured sediment barrier performance in the following areas: improvement in water quality by measuring turbidity, sediment retention, and structural integrity. The sediment barriers were installed using the same tools and techniques used for construction site installation. The full-scale testing apparatus exposed the evaluated sediment barriers to water and sediment loads expected to be encountered as the result of a 2-year, 24-h storm for central Alabama. Two nonwoven, wire-backed silt fence installations were evaluated with which the standard trenched method proved to capture a greater amount of sediment compared to the sliced-method of installation, which experienced significant undermining. The best performing practice was the ALDOT Sediment Retention Barrier that captured over 90% of sediment introduced without undermining. The worst performing practice was a wheat straw wattle that undermined so significantly, it was deemed to be a failing practice, resulting in the premature stoppage of each test.

LEED (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design) certification is becoming increasingly prevalent, not only globally but also in the Irish construction industry. This paper investigates the current readiness of contractors in Ireland for achieving LEED certified construction projects, while identifying factors for consideration going forward. Objectives include evaluating the current readiness of Irish contractors respective to LEED, and subsequently highlighting factors for consideration, to better enable those working towards securing and delivering LEED certified construction projects. In achieving this aim, a qualitative methodology is undertaken, using three case studies as a basis for the study. Within each case study, three semi-structured interviews are carried out, with the results analysed, coded, with themes emerging for subsequent discussion. The key findings from the study indicate that Irish contractors are not adequately prepared to achieve LEED certification. In overcoming this, the study concludes that further education is essential, both at third-level graduate level, but also for further/return to education prospects. Those interviewed unanimously agreed that further education and training is essential to bridge the divide to achieve higher Irish contractor conformance to the requirements set out when achieving LEED Certification. The findings represent value to Irish contractors as it shows a clear dearth in both knowledge and ability in achieving LEED certification, while providing proposed solutions, to better enable Irish contractors in attaining LEED certification through further education and training.