Celina Balderas Guzmán, PhD, is Assistant Professor in the Department of Landscape Architecture. Dr. Balderas’ research spans environmental planning, design, and science and focuses on climate adaptation to sea level rise on the coast and urban stormwater inland. On the coast, her work demonstrates specific ways that the climate adaptation actions of humans and adaptation of ecosystems are interdependent. Her work explores how these interdependencies can be maladaptive by shifting vulnerabilities to other humans or non-humans, or synergistic. Using ecological modeling, she has explored these interdependencies focusing on coastal wetlands as nature-based solutions. Her work informs cross-sectoral adaptation planning at a regional scale.
Inland, Dr. Balderas studies urban stormwater through a social-ecological lens. Using data science and case studies, her work investigates the relationship between stormwater pollution and the social, urban form, and land cover characteristics of watersheds. In past research, she developed new typologies of stormwater wetlands based on lab testing in collaboration with environmental engineers. The designs closely integrated hydraulic performance, ecological potential, and recreational opportunities into one form.
Her research has been funded by major institutions such as the National Science Foundation, National Socio-Environmental Synthesis Center, UC Berkeley, and the MIT Abdul Latif Jameel Water and Food Systems Lab. She has a PhD in the Department of Landscape Architecture and Environmental Planning from the University of California, Berkeley. Previously, she obtained masters degrees in urban planning and urban design, as well as an undergraduate degree in architecture all from MIT.
Narjes Abbasabadi, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Architecture at the University of Washington. Dr. Abbasabadi also leads the Sustainable Intelligence Lab. Abbasabadi’s research centers on sustainability and computation in the built environment. Much of her work focuses on advancing design research efforts through developing data-driven methods, workflows, and tools that leverage the advances in digital technologies to enable augmented intelligence in performance-based and human-centered design. With an emphasis on multi-scale exploration, her research investigates urban building energy flows, human systems, and environmental and health impacts across scales—from the scale of building to the scale of neighborhood and city.
Abbasabadi’s research has been published in premier journals, including Applied Energy, Building and Environment, Energy and Buildings, Environmental Research, and Sustainable Cities and Society. She received honors and awards, including “ARCC Dissertation Award Honorable Mention” (Architectural Research Centers Consortium (ARCC), 2020), “Best Ph.D. Program Dissertation Award” (IIT CoA, 2019), and 2nd place in the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)’s Race to Zero Design Competition (DOE, 2018). In 2018, she organized the 3rd IIT International Symposium on Buildings, Cities, and Performance. She served as editor of the third issue of Prometheus Journal, which received the 2020 Haskell Award from AIA New York, Center for Architecture.
Prior to joining the University of Washington, she taught at the University of Texas at Arlington and the Illinois Institute of Technology. She also has practiced with several firms and institutions and led design research projects such as developing design codes and prototypes for low-carbon buildings. Most recently, she practiced as an architect with Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture (AS+GG), where she has been involved in major projects, including the 2020 World Expo. Abbasabadi holds a Ph.D. in Architecture from the Illinois Institute of Technology and Master’s and Bachelor’s degrees in Architecture from Tehran Azad University.
Burpee, Heather; McDade, Erin. (2014). Comparative Analysis of Hospital Energy Use: Pacific Northwest and Scandinavia. Health Environments Research & Design Journal (HERD) (Vendome Group LLC), 8(1), 20 – 44.
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Abstract
OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to establish the potential for significant energy reduction in hospitals in the United States by providing evidence of Scandinavian operational precedents with high Interior Environmental Quality (IEQ) and substantially lower energy profiles than comparable U.S. facilities. These facilities set important precedents for design teams seeking operational examples for achieving aggressive energy and interior environmental quality goals. This examination of operational hospitals is intended to offer hospital owners, designers, and building managers a strong case and concrete framework for strategies to achieve exceptionally high performing buildings. BACKGROUND: Energy efficient hospitals have the potential to significantly impact the U.S.'s overall energy profile, and key stakeholders in the hospital industry need specific, operationally grounded precedents in order to successfully implement informed energy reduction strategies. This study is an outgrowth of previous research evaluating high quality, low energy hospitals that serve as examples for new high performance hospital design, construction, and operation. Through extensive interviews, numerous site visits, the development of case studies, and data collection, this team has established thorough qualitative and quantitative analyses of several contemporary hospitals in Scandinavia and the Pacific Northwest. Many Scandinavian hospitals demonstrate a low energy profile, and when analyzed in comparison with U.S. hospitals, such Scandinavian precedents help define the framework required to make significant changes in the U.S. hospital building industry. METHODS: Eight hospitals, four Scandinavian and four Pacific Northwest, were quantitatively compared using the Environmental Protection Agency's Portfolio Manager, allowing researchers to answer specific questions about the impact of energy source and architectural and mechanical strategies on energy efficiency in operational hospitals. RESULTS: Specific architectural, mechanical, and plant systems make these Scandinavian hospitals more energy efficient than their Pacific Northwest counterparts. More importantly, synergistic systems integration allows for their significant reductions in energy consumption. CONCLUSIONS: This quantitative comparison of operational Scandinavian and Pacific Northwest hospitals resulted in compelling evidence of the potential for deep energy savings in the U.S., and allowed researchers to outline specific strategies for achieving such reductions.
Keywords
Environmental Quality; Energy Consumption; Health Facility Design & Construction; Comparative Studies; Energy Consumption In Hospitals; Pacific Northwest; Scandinavia; Built Environment; Case Study; Design Process; Healthcare Facility Design; Hospital; Post Occupancy
Spencer, Benjamin; Lawler, Josh; Lowe, Celia; Thompson, Luanne; Hinckley, Tom; Kim, Soo-hyung; Bolton, Susan; Meschke, Scott; Olden, Julian D.; Voss, Joachim. (2017). Case Studies in Co-Benefits Approaches to Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation. Journal Of Environmental Planning & Management, 60(4), 647 – 667.
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Abstract
Attempts to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions or manage the effects of climate change traditionally focus on management or policy options that promote single outcomes (e.g., either benefiting ecosystems or human health and well-being). In contrast, co-benefits approaches to climate change mitigation and adaptation address climate change impacts on human and ecological health in tandem and on a variety of spatial and temporal scales. The article engages the concept of co-benefits through four case studies. The case studies emphasize co-benefits approaches that are accessible and tractable in countries with human populations that are particularly vulnerable to climate change impacts. They illustrate the potential of co-benefits approaches and provide a platform for further discussion of several interdependent principles relevant to the implementation of co-benefits strategies. These principles include providing incentives across multiple scales and time frames, promoting long-term integrated impact assessment, and fostering multidimensional communication networks.
Keywords
Greenhouse Gas Mitigation; Air Pollution Control; Climate Change; Environmental Health; Ecological Impact; Management; Ecological Health; Human Health; Impact Assessment; Incentives; Multidimensional Networks; Health; Impacts; Drought; Perspective; Strategies; Mangroves; Science; Risks; Ecosystems; Platform; Implementation; Networks; Social Welfare; Environmental Policy; Case Studies; Greenhouse Effect; Impact Tests; Communication Networks; Environmental Changes; Greenhouse Gases; Human Populations; Spatial Discrimination; Adaptation; Climate Effects; Mitigation; Environmental Impact; Health Care Policy
Baganz, Gösta; Proksch, Gundula; Kloas, Werner; Wolf Lorleberg; Baganz, Daniela; Staaks, Georg; Lohrberg, Frank. (2020). Site Resource Inventories – A Missing Link in the Circular City’s Information Flow. Advances In Geosciences, 54, 23-32.
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Abstract
A circular city builds upon the principles of circular economy, which key concepts of reduce, reuse, recycle, and recover lead to a coupling of resources: products and by-products of one production process become the input of another one, often in local vicinity. However, sources, types and available quantities of underutilised resources in cities are currently not well documented. Therefore, there is a missing link in the information flow of the circular city between potential users and site-specific data. To close this gap, this study introduces the concept of a site resource inventory in conjunction with a new information model that can manage the data needed for advancing the circular city. A core taxonomy of terms is established as the foundation for the information model: the circular economy is defined as a network of circular economy entities which are regarded as black boxes and connected by their material and energy inputs and outputs. This study proposes a site resource inventory, which is a collection of infrastructural and building-specific parameters that assess the suitability of urban sites for a specific circular economy entity. An information model is developed to manage the data that allows the entities to effectively organise the allocation and use of resources within the circular city and its material and energy flows. The application of this information model was demonstrated by comparing the demand and availability of required alternative resources (e.g. greywater) at a hypothetical site comprising a commercial aquaponic facility (synergistic coupling of fish and vegetables production) and a residential building. For the implementation of the information model a proposal is made which uses the publicly available geodata infrastructure of OpenStreetMap and adopts its tag system to operationalise the integration of circular economy data by introducing new tags. A site resource inventory has the potential to bring together information needs and it is thus intended to support companies when making their business location decisions or to support local authorities in the planning process.
Keywords
Digital Mapping; Economics; By Products; Aquaponics; Economic Conditions; Fish; Spatial Data; Consumers; Food; Infrastructure; Energy Flow; Greywater; Information Flow; Biogas; Consumption; Residential Buildings; Taxonomy; Data; Resources; Sustainable Development; Urban Areas; Cities; Coupling
Chen, Cindy X.; Pierobon, Francesca; Jones, Susan; Maples, Ian; Gong, Yingchun; Ganguly, Indroneil. (2022). Comparative Life Cycle Assessment of Mass Timber and Concrete Residential Buildings: A Case Study in China. Sustainability, 14(1).
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Abstract
As the population continues to grow in China's urban settings, the building sector contributes to increasing levels of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Concrete and steel are the two most common construction materials used in China and account for 60% of the carbon emissions among all building components. Mass timber is recognized as an alternative building material to concrete and steel, characterized by better environmental performance and unique structural features. Nonetheless, research associated with mass timber buildings is still lacking in China. Quantifying the emission mitigation potentials of using mass timber in new buildings can help accelerate associated policy development and provide valuable references for developing more sustainable constructions in China. This study used a life cycle assessment (LCA) approach to compare the environmental impacts of a baseline concrete building and a functionally equivalent timber building that uses cross-laminated timber as the primary material. A cradle-to-gate LCA model was developed based on onsite interviews and surveys collected in China, existing publications, and geography-specific life cycle inventory data. The results show that the timber building achieved a 25% reduction in global warming potential compared to its concrete counterpart. The environmental performance of timber buildings can be further improved through local sourcing, enhanced logistics, and manufacturing optimizations.
Keywords
Mass Timber; Embodied Carbon; Climate Change; Carbon Reduction; Building Footprint; Built Environment; Forest Products; Life Cycle Analysis; Environmental Impacts; Wood Laminates; Geography; Concrete; Flooring; Manufacturing; Global Warming; Concrete Construction; Construction Materials; Emissions Trading; Greenhouse Gases; Residential Areas; Energy Consumption; Life Cycle Assessment; Greenhouse Effect; Life Cycles; Construction Industry; Logistics; Floor Coverings; Urbanization; Timber; Urban Environments; Building Components; Emissions; Residential Buildings; Carbon Footprint; Urban Areas; Environmental Impact; Building Construction; Case Studies; Wood Products; Mitigation; Buildings; Timber (structural); United States--us; China
Wang, X.; Liu, C.; Kostyniuk, L.; Shen, Q.; Bao, S. (2014). The Influence of Street Environments on Fuel Efficiency: Insights from Naturalistic Driving. International Journal Of Environmental Science And Technology, 11(8), 2291 – 2306.
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Abstract
Fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions in the transportation sector are a result of a three-legged stool: fuel types, vehicle fuel efficiency, and vehicle miles travelled (VMT). While there is a substantial body of literature that examines the connection between the built environment and total VMT, few studies have focused on the impacts of the street environment on fuel consumption rate. Our research applied structural equation modeling to examine how driving behaviors and fuel efficiency respond to different street environments. We used a rich naturalistic driving dataset that recorded detailed driving patterns of 108 drivers randomly selected from the Southeast Michigan region. The results show that, some features of compact streets such as lower speed limit, higher intersection density, and higher employment density are associated with lower driving speed, more speed changes, and lower fuel efficiency; however, other features such as higher population density and higher density of pedestrian-scale retails improve fuel efficiency. The aim of our study is to gain further understanding of energy and environmental outcomes of the urban areas and the roadway infrastructure we plan, design, and build and to better inform policy decisions concerned with sustainable transportation.
Keywords
Travel; Consumption; Emissions; Cities; Energy; Street Environments; Fuel Efficiency; Structural Equation Modeling; Naturalistic Driving
Yi, June-seong; Kim, Yong-woo; Lim, Ji Youn; Lee, Jeehee. (2017). Activity-Based Life Cycle Analysis of a Curtain Wall Supply for Reducing Its Environmental Impact. Energy And Buildings, 138, 69 – 79.
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Abstract
Life-Cycle Assessment has been used extensively in the construction industry to assess the environmental impacts of building materials. Attributional LCA considers processes in a supply chain which allows users to identify a process to improve to minimize the environmental impacts. However, the level of detail adopted in traditional attributional LCA is aggregate, not appropriate for process improvement efforts in the construction project context which is characterized as a complex system. This paper proposes Activity-based LCA (ABLCA) which adopts the methodology of the activity-based costing system to carry out the assessment and analysis of environmental impacts for the life cycle. The research carried out a case study on the curtain wall supply chain. The outcome of inventory analysis for each activity and environmental impact assessment showed the curtain wall supply chain process made an impact on five environmental impact categories: global warming air, acidification air, HH criteria air; eutrophication air, and photochemical smog air. With comparison to the outcome of environmental impact assessment from existing LCA, the proposed management system to investigate environmental impacts was addressed. The proposed ABLCA enables management to develop an environmental-impacts-reduction plan focusing on critical activities. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Keywords
Construction Industry & The Environment; Energy Conservation In Construction Industry; Building Materials & The Environment; Complexity (philosophy); Global Warming & The Environment; Activity-based Management; Attributional Lca (life-cycle Assessment); Curtain Wall; Environmental Impacts; Activity-based Life Cycle Analysis; Ablca; Construction Industry; Building Materials; Inventory Analysis; Life-cycle Assessment; Environmental Impact Categories; Curtain Wall Supply Chain Process; Environmental Impact Assessment; Environmental-impacts-reduction Plan; Environmental Factors; Inventory Management; Life Cycle Costing; Product Life Cycle Management; Supply Chain Management; Walls; United-states; Performance; Buildings; Energy; Trends; Lca; Environmental Impact; Supply Chains; Environmental Assessment; Construction Materials; Life Cycle Engineering; Eutrophication; Life Cycle Analysis; Construction; Climate Change; Global Warming; Smog; Life Cycle Assessment; Case Studies; Cost Analysis; Acidification; Photochemical Smog; Environmental Management; Life Cycles
Ho, Chung; Lee, Hyun Woo; Gambatese, John A. (2020). Application of Prevention Through Design (PTD) to Improve the Safety of Solar Installations on Small Buildings. Safety Science, 125.
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Abstract
As a viable, clean and renewable energy resource, solar energy has gained a significant interest in the US residential sector. Most solar systems are installed on rooftops to take advantage of available space and reduce land use. However, this installation environment also exposes workers to unique safety hazards related to existing roof conditions such as slippery roofing materials, irregular roof layouts, and steep roof slopes. Although Prevention through Design (ND) has been widely considered as an effective way to address safety issues during the design phase, little to no studies have applied ND to improve safety in solar energy installations. To fill this knowledge gap, this research aimed to investigate how, during the design phase, to address the safety concerns of solar workers when installing solar energy systems on residential buildings. Through a series of interviews, four case studies, and a seminar, seven solar ND attributes were identified: roofing materials, roof slopes, roof accessories, panel layouts, fall protection systems, lifting methods and electrical systems. Based on the attributes, a ND protocol was developed that can serve as guidance for implementing ND in solar installations. This paper presents the research activities and findings, and feedback gained from solar contractors through a seminar on the study. The study is expected to contribute to reducing safety hazards by implementing ND, help improve safety performance in solar installations on small residential buildings and support the promotion of safety in sustainable construction.
Keywords
Roofing Materials; Renewable Energy Sources; Sustainable Construction; Solar Energy; Clean Energy; Construction Safety; Prevention Through Design; Small Buildings; Solar Installations; Buildings (structures); Construction Industry; Hazards; Occupational Safety; Roofs; Safety; Solar Power; Sustainable Development; Steep Roof Slopes; Design Phase; Solar Energy Installations; Solar Workers; Installing Solar Energy Systems; Residential Buildings; Seven Solar Ptd Attributes; Roof Accessories; Ptd Protocol; Solar Contractors; Safety Performance; Viable Energy Resource; Clean Energy Resource; Renewable Energy Resource; Us Residential Sector; Solar Systems; Installation Environment; Unique Safety Hazards; Roof Conditions; Slippery Roofing Materials; Irregular Roof Layouts; Issues; Accident Prevention; Protocol; Energy Sources; Residential Areas; Land Use; Prevention; Design; Falls; Occupational Hazards; Contractors; Residential Energy; Protection Systems; Renewable Energy; Buildings; Roofing; Layouts
Jung, Meen Chel; Kang, Mingyu; Kim, Sunghwan. (2022). Does Polycentric Development Produce Less Transportation Carbon Emissions? Evidence from Urban Form Identified by Night-Time Lights Across US Metropolitan Areas. Urban Climate, 44.
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Abstract
Identifying the comprehensive metropolitan urban form is important to propose effective policies to mitigate transportation carbon emissions. A publicly accessible night-time light dataset was used to identify urban centers and develop two polycentric indices to compute the composition and configuration of urban form, respectively. We used the most populous 103 U.S. metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs), with their corresponding transportation carbon emissions, polycentric indices, population sizes, gross domestic product (GDP) per capita, and road network densities. We first explored the typology of urban form and classified MSAs into six types based on two polycentric indices. We then introduced correlation analysis and statistical models to test the relationships between polycentric urban form and transportation carbon emissions. We found: (1) more urban centers lead to more emissions (compositional dimension), (2) more spatially distributed urban centers result in less emissions (configurational dimension), and (3) population and GDP per capita are positively related to carbon emissions. These findings suggest the importance of measuring two polycentric dimensions separately but using them together. Urban planners should consider mixed strategies that combine the traditional intra-center-based smart growth principles and the metropolitan-level inter-centers spatial plan to effectively counteract climate change.
Keywords
Polycentric Urban Form; Urban Centers; Carbon Emissions; Night-time Lights; Smart Growth; Climate Change; Co2 Emissions; Spatial Structure; Satellite Imagery; Cities; Patterns; Trends; Growth; Determinants; China