Sustainability Assessment: The Role of Indicators

2013 ◽  
pp. 81-99 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tomás Ramos ◽  
Sara Moreno Pires
Keyword(s):  
Sustainability Assessment

scholarly journals A Systematic Review of the Role of BIM in Building Sustainability Assessment Methods

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (13) ◽  
pp. 4444 ◽  
Author(s):  
José Pedro Carvalho ◽  
Luís Bragança ◽  
Ricardo Mateus
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Construction Industry ◽  
Design Process ◽  
Sustainability Assessment ◽  
The Other ◽  
Design Phase ◽  
Building Information Modelling ◽  
Current Role ◽  
Building Information

Building Information Modelling (BIM) is creating new opportunities for the Architecture, Engineering and Construction industry. One of them is the integration of the Building Sustainability Assessment (BSA) during the design process. Currently, an approach for using BIM to foster and optimise the application of BSA methods has not been clearly established yet, creating a knowledge gap on the application of BIM for sustainability assessment purposes. Thus, this paper analyses the current role of BIM to evaluate three BSA methods—LEED, BREEAM and SBTool. The current BIM applicability is assessed by performing a systematic review, where the criteria being assessed and the applied BIM software are identified. A comparison is made to determine which BSA method can currently take more advantage from BIM and to identify the number of assessed criteria from each one. Furthermore, the attractiveness of a BIM-based assessment for SBTool is analysed, facing the actual BIM scenario for LEED and BREEAM. Despite the restrictions, BIM use is increasing for sustainability purposes. Most of the analysed studies and identified software are still focused on the use of LEED for assessing sustainability during the design phase. However, BIM software capabilities can also support the assessment of the other BSA methods so that process replicability can happen. Among the most addressed criteria, the energy and material-related categories are the most eminent. Autodesk Revit is the most-used software. A BIM-based assessment for SBTool will have enough attractiveness. It can assess, at least, the same percentage of criteria as the other schemes, creating new opportunities to enhance building sustainability.

scholarly journals The critical role of advanced sustainability assessment tools in enhancing the real-world application of biofuels

2020 ◽  
pp. 67-73
Author(s):  
Meisam Tabatabaei ◽  
Mortaza Aghbashlo
Keyword(s):  
Sustainability Assessment ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Assessment Tools ◽  
Biofuel Production ◽  
Real World Application ◽  
Production And Consumption ◽  
Energy Accounting ◽  
Pros And Cons ◽  
Sustainability Assessment Tools

Sustainability has become of paramount importance in the biofuel industry. Accordingly, various ‎sustainability assessment schemes such as emergy analysis, techno-economic analysis, life ‎cycle ‎assessment, energy accounting, and exergy analysis and its extensions (exergoeconomic, ‎exergoenvironmental, and ‎exergoeconoenvironmental analyses) are being employed increasingly for decision-‎making on biofuel production and consumption systems. In this opinion paper, after classifying ‎and describing biofuel generations, the developed sustainability assessment tools are critically ‎explained, and their pros and cons are discussed. Overall, among the various sustainability assessment approaches introduced so far, exergy-based methods appear to be ‎the most promising tools for developing ‎sustainable biofuel systems. This can be attributed to the fact that the exergy ‎concept is deeply ‎rooted in the well-defined principles of thermodynamics.‎

An aggregated and dynamic analysis of innovations in campus sustainability

2018 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 353-375 ◽  
Author(s):  
Camille Washington-Ottombre ◽  
Siiri Bigalke
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Assessment Tool ◽  
Sustainability Assessment ◽  
Regression Tree ◽  
Education Institution ◽  
Classification And Regression Tree ◽  
Internal Factors ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Campus Sustainability

Purpose This paper aims to compose a systematic understanding of campus sustainability innovations and unpack the complex drivers behind the elaboration of specific innovations. More precisely, the authors ask two fundamental questions: What are the topics and modes of implementation of campus sustainability innovations? What are the external and internal factors that drive the development of specific innovations? Design/methodology/approach The authors code and analyze 454 innovations reported within the Sustainability Tracking Assessment and Rating System (STARS), the campus sustainability assessment tool of the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education. Using descriptive statistics and illustrations, the paper assesses the state of environmental innovations (EIs) within STARS. Then, to evaluate the role of internal and external drivers in shaping EIs, the authors have produced classification and regression tree models. Findings The authors’ analysis shows that external and internal factors provide incentives and a favorable context for the implementation of given EIs. External drivers such as climatic zones, local income and poverty rate drive the development of several EIs. Internal drivers beyond the role of the agent of change, often primarily emphasized by past literature, significantly impact the implementation of given EIs. The authors’ work also reveals that EIs often move beyond traditional mitigation approaches and the boundaries of campus. EIs create new dynamics of innovation that echo and reinforce the culture of a higher education institution. Originality/value This work provides the first aggregated picture of EIs in the USA and Canada. It produces a new and integrated understanding of the dynamics of campus sustainability that complexifies narratives and contextualizes the role of change agents.

Sustainability Assessment for Project Managers

2013 ◽  
pp. 288-302 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gilman C. K. Tam
Keyword(s):  
Project Management ◽  
Assessment Tool ◽  
Sustainability Assessment ◽  
Project Managers ◽  
Project Manager ◽  
Evaluation Framework ◽  
Implementation Project ◽  
Design And Implementation ◽  
Project Sustainability

In the two decades since the Earth Summit in 1992, an increasing number of projects have built sustainability considerations into project design and implementation. Project managers without knowledge and guidance on sustainability assessment would find it difficult to drive projects and programs contributing towards a sustainable society. The purpose of this chapter is to devise an assessment tool for project managers incorporating the concept of pillar-based and principles-based sustainability approaches as well as the EIA-driven and objectives-led assessment methodologies. The definitions of sustainability in project management and program management are discussed as basis for the establishment of sustainability evaluation framework. The views of project management community regarding the role of project manager in handling project related sustainability activities are discussed. This chapter contributes to devising a practical assessment tool for project managers in managing project sustainability.

The role of common local indicators in regional sustainability assessment

2010 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 646-656 ◽  
Author(s):  
André Mascarenhas ◽  
Pedro Coelho ◽  
Eduarda Subtil ◽  
Tomás B. Ramos
Keyword(s):  
Sustainability Assessment ◽  
Regional Sustainability

scholarly journals The role of aesthetics in building sustainability assessment

Spatium ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 79-89
Author(s):  
Indre Grazuleviciute-Vileniske ◽  
Gediminas Viliunas ◽  
Aurelija Daugelaite
Keyword(s):  
Sustainability Assessment ◽  
Aesthetic Quality ◽  
Sustainable Architecture ◽  
Sustainable Building ◽  
Cultural Sustainability ◽  
Environmental Criteria ◽  
Building Assessment ◽  
Living Building Challenge ◽  
Regenerative Approach

This theoretical study examines the role of aesthetics in the assessment frameworks of sustainable architecture. The article is organized into two main sections: a general literature review and the results. The results section encompasses an analysis of the place of aesthetic quality in the understanding of sustainable architecture, and an overview and discussion of the general sustainable building assessment frameworks and the main sustainable buildings certification systems (LEED, BREEAM, WELL, Living Building Challenge), identifying the existing and potential place of cultural sustainability and aesthetics in them. Finally, four architectural theories holding the potential for balancing human and environmental criteria in the assessment of sustainable architecture are presented. These theories are: sustainability aesthetics, genius loci, biophilia, and a regenerative approach. The conclusion was made that these approaches hold the potential for the breakthrough of aesthetic quality and uniqueness of sustainable architecture.

scholarly journals Enhancing urban regeneration at the neighbourhood level: the role of sustainability assessment frameworks

2020 ◽  
Vol 2 ◽  
pp. 1
Author(s):  
Ayomikun Solomon Adewumi
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Sustainability Assessment ◽  
Urban Regeneration ◽  
Local Context ◽  
Economic Recessions ◽  
Neighbourhood Level ◽  
Sustainability Challenges ◽  
Global Population ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose: Urban centres have been argued to be crucial in the battle for sustainability.  With more than half of the global population presently living in cities, the sustainability challenges of global warming, environmental degradation, social inequality, and economic recessions have continued to thrive. To this end, there have been efforts to revive and improve the existing physical and social structure of cities in a process known as urban regeneration. The aim of this paper is to explore the role of sustainability assessment frameworks in urban regeneration. Approach: Aligning with the positivism philosophical position, and using document analysis as a data collection method, the study discusses the state of the art of urban regeneration and its application in recent times. The study also reviewed selected neighbourhood sustainability assessment frameworks as a tool for decision-making towards sustainability to know the extent in which they capture the goals of urban regeneration. Findings: Findings showed that the uptake of the sustainability assessment frameworks could play a role in enhancing integration of local context, social wellbeing and economic prosperity, environmental quality, and stakeholder engagement at the neighbourhood level which are the main aspects of urban regeneration. Theoretical and practical implications: In theory, this paper establishes the assumption that with some revisions, sustainability assessment frameworks could serve as a tool for decision-making in urban regeneration process. Practise-wise, urban regeneration at the neighbourhood level can now be measured against sustainability benchmarks and indicators.

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