Azari-N, Rahman; Kim, Yong-woo. (2012). Comparative Assessment of Life Cycle Impacts of Curtain Wall Mullions. Building And Environment, 48(1), 135 – 145.
View Publication
Abstract
Glass curtain wall (Cw) systems have been inevitable elements of commercial buildings for over a century. The systems mainly consist of mullion materials and glazing units that are selected and designed to achieve the desired structural, thermal and daylighting performances as well as to meet cost and aesthetic concerns. The health and environmental life cycle impacts of CW systems, however, are not usually considered in design. The main objective of this paper is to study how change of mullion materials would affect the health and environmental impacts associated with a typical CW system over its life cycle. The mullion materials studied for the purpose of this paper include extruded aluminum, carbon steel and glulam timber. Also, the health and environmental impact categories of interest include global warming, acidification, eutrophication and human toxicity. To achieve the objective, a process-based cradle-to-gate attributional Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) method was applied. Results indicate that CW system with glulam timber mullions causes the least and CW system with extruded aluminum mullions causes the most damage to the environment and human health over their life cycle. A CW system with carbon steel mullions falls in-between. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Keywords
Commercial Building; Comparative Assessment; Curtain Walls; Environmental Life Cycle; Glass Curtain Walls; Inventory Analysis; Life Cycle Assessment (lca); Life Cycle Impacts; Aluminum Coated Steel; Ecodesign; Eutrophication; Global Warming; Health; Life Cycle; Office Buildings; Timber; Walls (structural Partitions); Energy; Wood; Products; Life Cycle Assessment; Environmental Impact; Curtain Wall; Mullion Material; Acidification; Aluminum; Attributional Life Cycle Assessment; Buildings; Carbon; Environmental Health; Glass; Glulam; Human Health; Humans; Materials Life Cycle; Steel; Toxicity
Lee, Namhun; Dossick, Carrie S.; Foley, Sean P. (2013). Guideline for Building Information Modeling in Construction Engineering and Management Education. Journal Of Professional Issues In Engineering Education And Practice, 139(4), 266 – 274.
View Publication
Keywords
Buildings (structures); Computer Aided Instruction; Construction Industry; Educational Courses; Management Education; Structural Engineering Computing; Building Information Modeling; Construction Engineering And Management Education; Cem Education; Bim; Cem Curriculum
Lin, Ken-yu; Tsai, Meng-han; Gatti, Umberto C.; Lin, Jacob Je-chian; Lee, Cheng-hao; Kang, Shih-chung. (2014). A User-centered Information And Communication Technology (ict) Tool To Improve Safety Inspections. Automation In Construction, 48, 53 – 63.
View Publication
Abstract
Occupational safety is imperative in construction, and safety inspection is among the most common practices that help enforce job safety on site. The safety inspection process, however, suffers from several drawbacks that hinder the efficiency, effectiveness, and analytical learning capacity of the process. Dedicated tools for user-centered information and communications technology could significantly reduce such drawbacks. This paper discusses the use of an original two-step user-centered design approach to develop and evaluate an iPad application that aims to address such drawbacks and improve the day-to-day practices and management of safety inspections. Evaluation results indicate the usefulness and practicality of the application and identify innovative uses not previously envisioned. Furthermore, the developed tool allows consistent data collection that can eventually be used to aid the development of advanced safety and health data analysis techniques. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Keywords
Information & Communication Technologies; Industrial Safety; Data Analysis; Technological Innovations; Ipads; Construction Safety; Field Data Collection; Field Inspection; Information And Communication Technology; Research To Practice; Safety Audit; Safety Inspection; Safety Technology; Site Inspection; User-centered Design; User-centered Information And Communication Technology Tool; Safety Inspection Process; Occupational Safety; Job Safety; Analytical Learning Capacity; Communications Technology; Two-step User-centered Design Approach; Ipad Application; Innovative Uses; Consistent Data Collection; Construction; Advanced Safety-health Data Analysis Techniques; Construction Industry; Information Technology; Inspection; Occupational Health; User Centred Design; Construction Site Safety; Management-system; Design; Productivity
Chen, Peng; Shen, Qing. (2016). Built Environment Effects on Cyclist Injury Severity in Automobile-Involved Bicycle Crashes. Accident Analysis & Prevention, 86, 239 – 246.
View Publication
Abstract
This analysis uses a generalized ordered logit model and a generalized additive model to estimate the effects of built environment factors on cyclist injury severity in automobile-involved bicycle crashes, as well as to accommodate possible spatial dependence among crash locations. The sample is drawn from the Seattle Department of Transportation bicycle collision profiles. This study classifies the cyclist injury types as property damage only, possible injury, evident injury, and severe injury or fatality. Our modeling outcomes show that: (1) injury severity is negatively associated with employment density; (2) severe injury or fatality is negatively associated with land use mixture; (3) lower likelihood of injuries is observed for bicyclists wearing reflective clothing; (4) improving street lighting can decrease the likelihood of cyclist injuries; (5) posted speed limit is positively associated with the probability of evident injury and severe injury or fatality; (6) older cyclists appear to be more vulnerable to severe injury or fatality; and (7) cyclists are more likely to be severely injured when large vehicles are involved in crashes. One implication drawn from this study is that cities should increase land use mixture and development density, optimally lower posted speed limits on streets with both bikes and motor vehicles, and improve street lighting to promote bicycle safety. In addition, cyclists should be encouraged to wear reflective clothing. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Keywords
Cycling Injuries; Traffic Accidents; Transportation Planning; Data Analysis; Employment; Built Environment; Cyclist Injury Severity; Generalized Additive Model; Generalized Ordered Logit Model; Ordered Response Model; United-states; Helmet; Frameworks; Driver; Risk
Ren Hong; Wang Peng; Cai Weiguang; Li Dandan; Du Yongjie; Sun Junqiao; Abramson, Daniel. (2016). Visitor Center Design Research Based on Resilience Theory. Open House International, 41(3), 5 – 11.
View Publication
Abstract
Visitor center plays an important role in the normal operation and sustainable development of scenic spots, especially as a portal image of its management. This paper presents resilience theory for visitor centers to identify some common issues in designing visitor centers in China scenic spots, including the lack of function, loss of architectural characteristics, and difficultly in adapting to changes in the number of visitors with periodic variations. The framework of resilience theory was set from four dimensions, namely, resilience and match in the composition of ontology function, the extended function, integration of buildings into the surrounding environment, and alternative construction technologies and materials. This theory was explained and analyzed with the application of the theory in practice in combination with the design of Mount Hua visitor center. Results showed that resilience theory yields good application effect.
Keywords
Resilience Theory; Visitor Center; Design Research; Function Space
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.
View Publication
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
Simonen, K.; Huang, M.; Aicher, C.; Morris, P. (2018). Embodied Carbon as a Proxy for the Environmental Impact of Earthquake Damage Repair. Energy And Buildings, 164, 131 – 139.
View Publication
Abstract
In evaluating the life cycle environmental impacts of buildings, the contributions of seismic damage are rarely considered. In order to enable a more comprehensive assessment of a building's environmental impact by accounting for seismic events, this project developed an environmental impact database of building component seismic damage - the largest of its kind known to date - by combining data from Carnegie Mellon University's Economic Input-Output Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) database with cost estimates of repair previously developed for FEMA's Performance Assessment Calculation Tool (PACT), a software that models probabilistic seismic damage in buildings. Fifteen indicators of environmental impacts were calculated for the repair of approximately 800 building components for up to five levels of seismic damage, capturing 'embodied' impacts related to cradle-to-gate manufacturing of building materials, products, and equipment. Analysis of the data revealed that non-structural and architectural finishes often dominated the environmental impacts of seismic damage per dollar spent in repair. A statistical analysis was performed on the data using Principal Component Analysis, confirming that embodied carbon, a popular metric for evaluating environmental impacts in building LCAs, is a suitable proxy for other relevant environmental impact metrics when assessing the impact of repairing earthquake damage of buildings. (C) 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Keywords
Life-cycle Assessment; Input-output; Buildings; Life Cycle Assessment; Seismic Analysis; Performance-based Design; Economic Input-output; Principal Component Analysis; Energy And Climate Change; Architectural Engineering; Carbon; Carbon Cycle; Earthquake Damage; Earthquakes; Environmental Impact; Environmental Management; Databases; Finishes; Environmental Assessment; Building Components; Construction Materials; Life Cycle Engineering; Life Cycle Analysis; Data Bases; Damage Assessment; Aseismic Buildings; Statistical Analysis; Equipment Costs; Cost Estimates; Data Processing; Data Analysis; Seismic Activity; Cost Analysis; Principal Components Analysis; Performance Assessment; Life Cycles; Repair; Impact Damage; Building Materials; Economic Analysis; Software
Ottesen, Jeffery L.; Martin, Greta A. (2019). Bare Facts and Benefits of Resource-Loaded CPM Schedules. Journal Of Legal Affairs And Dispute Resolution In Engineering And Construction, 11(3).
View Publication
Abstract
Forum papers are thought-provoking opinion pieces or essays founded in fact, sometimes containing speculation, on a civil engineering topic of general interest and relevance to the readership of the journal. The views expressed in this Forum article do not necessarily reflect the views of ASCE or the Editorial Board of the journal.
Ianchenko, Alex; Simonen, Kathrina; Barnes, Clayton. (2020). Residential Building Lifespan and Community Turnover. Journal Of Architectural Engineering, 26(3).
View Publication
Abstract
Environmental impact studies within the built environment rely on predicting building lifespan to describe the period of occupation and operation. Most life cycle assessments (LCAs) are based on arbitrary lifespan values, omitting the uncertainties of assessing service life. This research models the lifespan of American residential housing stock as a probabilistic survival distribution based on available data from the American Housing Survey (AHS). The log-normal, gamma, and Weibull distributions were fit to demolition data from 1985 to 2009 and these three models were compared with one another using the Bayesian information criterion. Analysis revealed that the estimated average housing lifespan in the United States is 130 years given model assumptions, although a probabilistic approach to lifespan can yield higher accuracy on a case-by-case basis. Parameters for modeling housing lifespan as log-normal, gamma, and Weibull survival functions are published with the intent of further application in LCA. The application of probabilistic housing lifespan models to community-wide turnover and integration with existing simulations of natural disaster are proposed as potential ways to achieve community sustainability and resilience goals. (c) 2020 American Society of Civil Engineers.
Keywords
Energy-consumption; Service Life; Cycle; Demolition; Emissions; Design; Impact; Model; Housing Stock Lifetime; Residential Buildings; Housing Turnover; Life Cycle Assessment; Service Life Prediction
Altenberg Vaz, Nathan; Inanici, Mehlika. (2021). Syncing with the Sky: Daylight-Driven Circadian Lighting Design. Leukos, 17(3), 291 – 309.
View Publication
Abstract
The use of daylight in the built environment is often preferred to artificial light sources as its successful application can provide visual comfort and satisfaction along with the potential for significant energy savings. Exposure to daylight is also the primary source for stimulus that establishes a healthy day/night cycle in all living organisms. This is known as circadian rhythm. Newly discovered photoreceptors (intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells - ipRGC) within the mammalian eye, including humans, are specifically linked to the portion of the brain responsible for maintaining a healthy circadian rhythm. This discovery has led to a new subject area in the field of lighting design focused on controlling the spectrum of light that these photoreceptors are sensitive to. Currently, work in the field of circadian lighting design is concentrated on the use of artificial light sources for circadian stimulus. This is largely due to the advent of the widespread use of LED technology, which has proven that it can be a significant source of light that can delay or advance the circadian clock. The use of daylight to provide circadian stimulus has been a given in this field of design, however, there has not been very much research into how the built environment affects our ability to effectively receive this stimulus from daylight. In this research, the groundwork is established to start to create a set of guidelines to help architects and designers maximize the potential for daylight to provide circadian stimulus at the earliest stages of a project. This is accomplished through a series of lighting simulations that explore and test various architectural parameters that affect daylight-driven circadian lighting, with simultaneous consideration given to photopic lighting availability and visual comfort. The architectural parameters tested in this study included window head height, building orientation, shading devices, visual obstructions to the sky, and room depth. The results show that informed design decisions could maximize circadian potential in a given space, while achieving visually satisfactory luminous environments.
Keywords
Action Spectrum; Melanopsin; Environments; Sensitivity; Framework; Stimulus; Rod; Circadian Lighting; Daylight; Lighting Simulation; Alfa