scholarly journals Evaluation of Building Materials Based on Sustainable Development Indicators

2017 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 143
Author(s):  
Mona Baglou ◽  
Parviz Ghoddousi ◽  
Mohsen Saeedi

Construction industry regarded as one of the key aspects of achieving the goals of sustainable development in communities. In this regard, the choice of building materials is one of the key challenges in order to improve project performance with respect to sustainable development indicators and the use of sustainable materials, is an effective step towards achieving sustainable construction. This research uses information and evidence, interview and questionnaire prepared (by five points Likert scale method). Also, it has provided expert opinions related indicators widely used in a construction materials, manufacturing process and defining the impact of the production of these materials on sustainable development deals. Validity and reliability of the questionnaires were also performed (with Cronbach's alpha method). As a result of this research, Cement was identified as the most unsustainable material, after that Steel and then Brick and Glass were located with a wide margin. So Light concrete block, Gypsum, Stone, Lime, and Concrete were identified as the most sustainable materials according to existing indicators respectively. The consequences of this study can help the project executors in order to promote the use of sustainable building materials in construction and also industries will be aware of the impact of the sustainability indicators on their products.

2011 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 50-62 ◽  
Author(s):  
Manuela Tvaronavičienė ◽  
Toma Lankauskienė

The aim of this article is to evaluate impact of FDI on sustainable development indicators of differently developed countries during two periods of time: a time span before (2000−2007) and a time span embracing the global economic crisis period (2000–2009). Reviewed ample supply of relevant scientific literature made a presumption to arise that the impact of FDI differs in developed, developing and underdeveloped countries, i.e. depends on the level of development: developed countries benefit most, developing less and underdeveloped least. Countries are attributed to respective groups according to their level of development and indicators are chosen for investigation. The following indicators capable of reflecting FDI impact on enhancing wellbeing in unevenly developed countries are: GDP, exports, inflation, population, life expectancy at birth, primary school pupils, infant mortality, total health expenditure per capita, total tax rate, internet users, residential consumption of electricity , and differences between developed and underdeveloped countries in the field of economic, social, business environment are taken into account. Several other hypotheses have been formulated and FDI impact on sustainable development indicators has been estimated with the help of empirical research in order to test the initial presumption. Obtained results enabled to compare peculiarities of FDI performance during two periods of time.


Author(s):  
D. P. Kothari

The green building design aims to minimize the need for the non-renewable energy of these resources, optimize their sustainability and maximize their conservation, recycling and usage. The use of effective building materials and construction techniques is maximized. Architectural bioclimatic technology will also optimize on-site usage of sources and sinks. It requires only minimum electricity to fuel itself and efficient appliances to meet its lighting, air-conditioning and other needs. Green buildings architecture optimizes the use of renewable energies and efficient waste and water management methods to create practical and hygienic working conditions for indoor environments. Materials such as chemical, physical and mechanical material properties and an appropriate specification are the fundamental elements of construction design and responsible for the mechanical strength of the design. The construction of green buildings is also the first step in choosing and utilizing eco-friendly materials with or better characteristics than traditional building materials. Based on the practical, technical and financial requirements, construction materials are usually selected. But, given that sustainable development has been a core issue in recent decades, building industry that is directly or indirectly responsible for a substantial share of annual environmental destruction, by pursuing environmentally sound constructions and buildings should take responsibility for contributing to sustainable growth. The quickest way for manufacturers to start integrating environmental design practices into buildings would be the diligent procurement of eco-friendly sustainable construction materials, including options for new material uses, recycling and reusing, organic product creation and green resource use. This paper aims to show how green building materials will help reduce the impact on the atmosphere and create a cleaner building that can be healthy for the occupant or our environment. In the sustainable progress of a nation, the choice of building materials that have reduced environmental burdens is helpful.


Author(s):  
Indrė Lapinskaitė ◽  
Patrikas Janulevičius

Purpose – is to analyse the different investment sources for sustainable development of a country and reveal the interaction between investment sources for sustainability and a country's sustainable development. Research methodology – analysis of scientific sources, collection and systematization of statistical data, a method for sustainable development index calculation, correlation regression analysis. Findings – each analysed country's progress of sustainable development is expressed as integrated sustainable development index revealed that all analysed countries are gradually increasing their sustainable development results. All three analysed investment sources are strongly affecting countries sustainable development, and stochastic relationship exists between variables. Research limitations – statistical data with incomplete time series, for which not all the most important sustainable development indicators were selected. The case of three Baltic countries (Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia) is used for the period 2003–2017. The three main investment sources for sustainable development of a country: assignations of the state budget, EU structural funds, and direct investments, are chosen for the research. Practical implications – results can be used in calculations for other countries sustainable development and investments interactions. They can be used to evaluate the impact of the different source and contribute to the modelling of their use. Originality/Value – this article is unique because it reveals the interaction of multiple sustainability sources, in terms of investment sources for sustainability and the results of a country's sustainable development. These sources can be supplemented and adapted to other countries (at least in developed countries EU level). Keywords: sustainability, sustainable development indicators, integrated sustainable development index, assignation of the budget, EU funds, direct investment


2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 68-78
Author(s):  
Johnson Josiah Marut ◽  
John Okwe ALAEZI ◽  
Igwe Christopher OBEKA

The study reviewed Alternative Building Materials for sustainable construction towards sustainable development. The study was able to identify some Alternative Building Materials, their features, classes (types), and importance for sustainable construction toward sustainable development. The study uses a systematic literature review and content analysis. Some of the Alternative Building Materials include laterite soil, brick wastes, rice husk ash burnt refuse ash, fly ash, periwinkle shell powder, earthworm cast, pulverized burned clay, periwinkle shell aggregate, tubali, earth/mud blocks or bricks, laterite blocks, bamboo for roofing & ceiling, palm front roofing, clay/mud plaster. The classes of the Alternative Building Materials include: modified conventional industrial materials, unconventional/ indigenous/ traditional materials, and modified unconventional/traditional indigenous materials. The features of sustainable construction materials include recyclability, insulation and thermal conductivity and deconstruct ability, availability, manufacturing and price, flexibility and high life time expectancy. The importance of Alternative Building Materials includes: the protection of the environment through reduce energy use and also cutting down CO2 emission, provision of affordable housing, energy conservation, meeting increasing demands for housing stock, provision of employment opportunities, the development and propagation of indigenous technological ingenuity and skills of our local people. The study advocates for the integration of the entire stakeholders in the construction industry towards utilisation of Alternative Building Materials for sustainable construction towards sustainable development. The study also advocates for the cataloguing of all Alternative Building Materials so as to create awareness to all the potential clients and stakeholders of the industry regarding their availability and importance.


2015 ◽  
pp. 147-160 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Bobylev ◽  
N. Zubarevich ◽  
S. Solovyeva

The article emphasizes the fact that traditional socio-economic indicators do not reflect the challenges of sustainable development adequately, and this is particularly true for the widely-used GDP indicator. In this connection the elaboration of sustainable development indicators is needed, taking into account economic, social and environmental factors. For Russia, adaptation and use of concepts and basic principles of calculation methods for adjusted net savings index (World Bank) and human development index (UNDP) as integral indicators can be promising. The authors have developed the sustainable development index for Russia, which aggregates and allows taking into account balanced economic, social and environmental indicators.


2014 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 175-178
Author(s):  
Ilie Banu ◽  
Ioana Madalina Butiuc

AbstractRegarding the economic crises and the slow recovery that still continues, we believe that a solution can be improving the capacity to research and innovate in order to achieve sustainable development. Another key issue of the paper is about developing the cooperation between academia and business. The challenge of this development is how to increase the amount to finance research and innovation that can be implemented in the economy. As a global solution, to this problem we can recommend, for example, reducing tax evasion and by fiscal education. Also particular sources have to be found in order to develop innovation on SME level. It is essential for innovation to make quality research in order to be better prepared and increase adaptability to economic cycles. The aim of the paper is to find out how service innovation and cooperation between academia and business can enhance sustainable development indicators. The conclusions of the paper are structured in particular proposals and recommendations.


Gaia Scientia ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 182-194
Author(s):  
Paulo Sérgio Fagundes Araujo ◽  
Maria Cristiana da Silva Souto ◽  
Paulo Roberto Medeiros de Azevedo ◽  
Maria de Fatima Freire de Melo Ximenes

This study aimed to correlate sustainable development indicators with the occurrence of mosquitoes from the genus Aedes and phlebotominae sand flies, vectors of dengue fever, American visceral leishmaniasis and American tegumentary leishmaniasis, in order to establish a relationship between infestation indices and sustainability conditions in southern and northern neighborhoods of Natal, Brazil, adjacent to environmental protection zones 5 and 9, respectively. Data were obtained on Aedes aegypti and A. albopictus breeding sites and captures of phlebotominae sand flies of the genus Lutzomyia in the study area between 2006 and 2008, from the Center of Zoonosis Control of the Municipal Health Secretariat, and correlated with environmental and social indicators. Factorial analysis was applied to transform these indicators into a sustainability index for each neighborhood studied (Neighborhood Sustainability Index – NSI). Relating these indices with the occurrence of insect vectors at these sites shows a high positive correlation between SID and the Breteau index of A. aegypti (p=0.028) and with the index of household infestation by phlebotominae sand flies (p=0.01). This reveals a pattern allowing the association of sustainability conditions in the study areas with the occurrence of these insects. Analyses demonstrate the occurrence of a larger number of A. aegypti breeding sites and higher indices of household infestation by phlebotominae sand flies in neighborhoods with lower sustainability indices. Knowledge of the relationship between sustainable development indicators and the occurrence of zoonotic vectors may contribute to public health programs as well as to a restructuring of public policies in the study areas.


Buildings ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 82
Author(s):  
Salmabanu Luhar ◽  
Demetris Nicolaides ◽  
Ismail Luhar

Even though, an innovative inorganic family of geopolymer concretes are eye-catching potential building materials, it is quite essential to comprehend the fire and thermal resistance of these structural materials at a very high temperature and also when experiencing fire with a view to make certain not only the safety and security of lives and properties but also to establish them as more sustainable edifice materials for future. The experimental and field observations of degree of cracking, spalling and loss of strength within the geopolymer concretes subsequent to exposure at elevated temperature and incidences of occurrences of disastrous fires extend an indication of their resistance against such severely catastrophic conditions. The impact of heat and fire on mechanical attributes viz., mechanical-compressive strength, flexural behavior, elastic modulus; durability—thermal shrinkage; chemical stability; the impact of thermal creep on compressive strength; and microstructure properties—XRD, FTIR, NMR, SEM as well as physico-chemical modifications of geopolymer composites subsequent to their exposures at elevated temperatures is reviewed in depth. The present scientific state-of-the-art review manuscript aimed to assess the fire and thermal resistance of geopolymer concrete along with its thermo-chemistry at a towering temperature in order to introduce this novel, most modern, user and eco-benign construction materials as potentially promising, sustainable, durable, thermal and fire-resistant building materials promoting their optimal and apposite applications for construction and infrastructure industries.


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