scholarly journals Life Cycle Sustainability Performance Assessment Method for Comparison of Civil Engineering Works Design Concepts: Case Study of a Bridge

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (21) ◽  
pp. 7909 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kristine Ek ◽  
Alexandre Mathern ◽  
Rasmus Rempling ◽  
Petra Brinkhoff ◽  
Mats Karlsson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
Performance Assessment ◽  
Civil Engineering ◽  
Sustainability Assessment ◽  
Concrete Slab ◽  
Assessment Method ◽  
Sustainability Performance ◽  
Design Concepts ◽  
Composite Bridge

Standardized and transparent life cycle sustainability performance assessment methods are essential for improving the sustainability of civil engineering works. The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate the potential of using a life cycle sustainability assessment method in a road bridge case study. The method is in line with requirements of relevant standards, uses life cycle assessment, life cycle costs and incomes, and environmental externalities, and applies normalization and weighting of indicators. The case study involves a short-span bridge in a design-build infrastructure project, which was selected for its generality. Two bridge design concepts are assessed and compared: a concrete slab frame bridge and a soil-steel composite bridge. Data available in the contractor’s tender phase are used. The two primary aims of this study are (1) to analyse the practical application potential of the method in carrying out transparent sustainability assessments of design concepts in the early planning and design stages, and (2) to examine the results obtained in the case study to identify indicators in different life cycle stages and elements of the civil engineering works project with the largest impacts on sustainability. The results show that the method facilitates comparisons of the life cycle sustainability performance of design concepts at the indicator and construction element levels, enabling better-informed and more impartial design decisions to be made.

scholarly journals Sustainability Assessment of Public Transport, Part I—A Multi-Criteria Assessment Method to Compare Different Bus Technologies

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 825
Author(s):  
Jonas Ammenberg ◽  
Sofia Dahlgren
Keyword(s):  
Fossil Fuels ◽  
Sustainability Assessment ◽  
Public Procurement ◽  
Assessment Method ◽  
County Level ◽  
Participatory Process ◽  
Problem Context ◽  
The Public ◽  
Sustainability Performance ◽  
Sustainability Assessments

This article departs from the perspective of Swedish regional transport authorities and focuses on the public procurement of bus transports. Many of these public organizations on the county level have the ambition to contribute to a transition involving the continued marginalization of fossil fuels and improved sustainability performance. However, there are several renewable bus technologies to choose between and it can be difficult to know what alternative (or combination) is preferable. Prior research and the authors’ experiences indicate a need for improved knowledge and supportive methods on how sustainability assessments can support public procurement processes. The purpose of this article is to develop a multi-criteria assessment (MCA) method to support assessments of public bus technologies’ sustainability. The method, which was established in an iterative and participatory process, consists of four key areas and 12 indicators. The article introduces the problem context and reviews selected prior research of relevance dealing with green or sustainable public procurement and sustainability assessments. Further on, the process and MCA method are presented and discussed based on advice for effective and efficient sustainability assessments. In the companion article (Part II), the MCA method is applied to assess several bus technologies involving biodiesel, biomethane, diesel, electricity, ethanol and natural gas.

scholarly journals Sustainability Performance Assessment Using Self-Organizing Maps (SOM) and Classification and Ensembles of Regression Trees (CART)

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (7) ◽  
pp. 3870
Author(s):  
Mehrbakhsh Nilashi ◽  
Shahla Asadi ◽  
Rabab Ali Abumalloh ◽  
Sarminah Samad ◽  
Fahad Ghabban ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Performance Assessment ◽  
Prediction Accuracy ◽  
Prediction Models ◽  
Sustainability Assessment ◽  
Regression Trees ◽  
Machine Learning Techniques ◽  
Coefficient Of Determination ◽  
Sustainability Performance ◽  
Learning Techniques ◽  
Self Organizing

This study aims to develop a new approach based on machine learning techniques to assess sustainability performance. Two main dimensions of sustainability, ecological sustainability, and human sustainability, were considered in this study. A set of sustainability indicators was used, and the research method in this study was developed using cluster analysis and prediction learning techniques. A Self-Organizing Map (SOM) was applied for data clustering, while Classification and Regression Trees (CART) were applied to assess sustainability performance. The proposed method was evaluated through Sustainability Assessment by Fuzzy Evaluation (SAFE) dataset, which comprises various indicators of sustainability performance in 128 countries. Eight clusters from the data were found through the SOM clustering technique. A prediction model was found in each cluster through the CART technique. In addition, an ensemble of CART was constructed in each cluster of SOM to increase the prediction accuracy of CART. All prediction models were assessed through the adjusted coefficient of determination approach. The results demonstrated that the prediction accuracy values were high in all CART models. The results indicated that the method developed by ensembles of CART and clustering provide higher prediction accuracy than individual CART models. The main advantage of integrating the proposed method is its ability to automate decision rules from big data for prediction models. The method proposed in this study could be implemented as an effective tool for sustainability performance assessment.

Life-cycle sustainability assessment of pavement maintenance alternatives: Methodology and case study

2019 ◽  
Vol 213 ◽  
pp. 659-672 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaoyan Zheng ◽  
Said M. Easa ◽  
Zhengxian Yang ◽  
Tao Ji ◽  
Zhenliang Jiang
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
Sustainability Assessment ◽  
Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment ◽  
Pavement Maintenance

scholarly journals Life Cycle Costing in Sustainability Assessment—A Case Study of Remanufactured Alternators

2011 ◽  
Vol 3 (11) ◽  
pp. 2268-2288 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erwin M. Schau ◽  
Marzia Traverso ◽  
Annekatrin Lehmann ◽  
Matthias Finkbeiner
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
Sustainability Assessment ◽  
Life Cycle Costing

The impact of Logistics 4.0 on corporate sustainability: a performance assessment of automated warehouse operations

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Natnaree Nantee ◽  
Panitas Sureeyatanapas
Keyword(s):  
Performance Assessment ◽  
Sustainability Assessment ◽  
Corporate Sustainability ◽  
Worker Safety ◽  
Self Assessment ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Sustainability Performance ◽  
Technological Adaptation ◽  
Warehousing Systems ◽  
The Impact

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to gain a better understanding of the impacts of Logistics 4.0 initiatives (focusing on automated warehousing systems) on the economic, environmental and social dimensions of firms' sustainability performance. To achieve this objective, a new framework for the assessment of sustainable warehousing in the 4.0 era is developed.Design/methodology/approachThe framework, developed via the item-objective congruence index, Q-sort method and interviews with experts, is employed to assess performance changes through management interviews in two warehousing companies after the implementation of automation technologies.FindingsMost aspects of both companies' sustainability performance are considerably improved (e.g. productivity, accuracy, air emission, worker safety and supply chain visibility); however, the outcome for some criteria might be worsened or improved depending on each company's solutions and strategies (e.g. increasing electricity bills, maintenance costs and job losses).Practical implicationsThe findings provide insight into the effective implementation of warehousing technologies. The proposed framework is also a valid and reliable instrument for sustainability assessment for warehousing operators, which companies can utilise for self-assessment.Originality/valueThis paper contributes to establishing a body of literature that explores the previously unclarified effects of Logistics 4.0 on firms' sustainability performance. The proposed framework, which captures critical concerns of corporate sustainability and technological adaptation, is also the first of its kind for warehouse performance assessment.

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