built environment Articles
-
A parametric review of the built environment sustainability literature
The literature on built environment sustainability has grown dramatically in the past 10 years. Despite the proliferation of literature, there is still no consensus on how comprehensively and uniformly to define the concept of sustainability as it pertains to the built environment, nor is there consensus on what aspects of the built environment should be considered in evaluating the ...
-
Defining sustainability for built environment systems: an operational framework
One of the ongoing challenges in the quest to make our built environment more sustainable is defining what sustainability means in terms understandable to and measurable by built environment decision makers. This paper illustrates one approach to developing a comprehensive and exhaustive definition of sustainability for the built environment deriving domain-specific variables from fundamental ...
-
Greening the Built Environment
ASTM Standards and Products Form the Foundation of Sustainable Construction Efforts Today, a major focal point for the worldwide building industry is the growing demand for sustainable construction. Sustainable, or “green,” construction is focused on the more effective use of resources and ultimately the creation of healthier, energy efficient, more environmentally friendly homes and ...
-
Obsolescence types and the built environment - definitions and implications
In view of the literature to date as well as anecdotal conversations with practitioners and consultants in various sectors of the built environment industry, it is observed that the term 'obsolescence' is scarcely used or comprehended with its diverse implications. In the context of climate change impacts this term is even more uncommon. This paper describes implications of the term in the form ...
-
Spatial distribution and influential factors of urban crime
The higher crime rate with rapid industrialisation and urbanisation became a major social issue in Korea. Though enormous efforts have been made by governments, the brutality of crime is getting worse and more frequent. It is partially attributed to the existing anti–crime policies that were not formulated with a consideration of regional variations in built environments. This paper ...
-
Sustainability in the built environment: a new holistic taxonomy of aspects for decision making
The new agenda of sustainability requires a change in emphasis and a change in the criteria through which sustainability is evaluated in planning and design. It requires the adoption of a suitable framework which enables decision makers (designers, planners, local authorities) to understand the problems implied in a decision. This paper seeks to illustrate the relevance of the framework developed ...
-
Absent voices: accommodating the interests of future generations in current decision-making processes
Underlying the paper's arguments is the proposition that current built environment policies are based on a particular rationality that fails to accommodate the value of keeping options open in the interest of future generations. This failure brings to the fore the question of what counts as a "sustainable" decision. Consideration is given to how established deliberative techniques might be ...
-
Interactions between physical activity and the environment to improve adolescent self–esteem: a randomised controlled trial
Natural environments promote physical activity (PA) and are psychologically restorative. In adults, performing PA in nature provides additive benefits for self–esteem (SE). Studies in adolescents indicate no such effect. However, they have not examined the effect of interaction with natural environments. The aim of this study was to analyse the effects of exercising in natural and built ...
-
Designing and building healthy places for children
The design and construction of the built environment have broad implications for the health of children. Healthy places should protect children from injury, pollutants and disease, provide children with a place to be physically active, play and experience nature, and promote a sustainable future. Health promotion can occur at all scales of the built environment, including buildings, communities ...
-
In search of symbiosis: constructing built environments based on site thermal climatic characteristics
Utilising nature as a building system input generates symbiotic interrelationships between the occupants and the built and natural environment, and suggests an innovative design methodology grounded in the contextual natural processes of a given site. This approach was explored through the design of an office building within a variant climate site, Takoma Park, Washington DC. The focus was on the ...
-
Sustainability: an individual or collective endeavour?
The discussion on sustainability is often focused on indicators that measure the progress towards sustainability or on checklists that suggest what needs to be done to create sustainable buildings. This article argues that most of these systems are predicated on maintaining the status quo and that real sustainability cannot be achieved unless there is a collective vision of what can and should be ...
-
The transition to sustainability in the planning, construction and management of the built environment in South Africa
The concept of sustainable development and its application in South Africa are outlined, within the context of emerging policies and legislation. South African trends in the transition to sustainability are discussed for each of five stages in the life cycle of the built environment: urban planning; project design; the manufacture of building materials and products; construction and maintenance ...
-
An introduction to the Special Issue: An overview, history and context for the consideration of risk in the built environment
Especially since the terrorist attacks in the USA in 2001, the public has become much more enlightened regarding the trade-off of risk and security among choices of investment in communities. This introductory paper suggests that this is an important time to share the broader, comparative issues of structural safety with respect to risk assessment and management in the built environment, i.e. the ...
-
Role of environmental health professionals in improving the built environment
Environmental health professionals (EHPs) have always played a critical role in protecting the public’s health by preventing outbreaks, responding to environmental emergencies, and enforcing public health standards. Traditionally, this role has not focused on improving the built environment, which is the physical environment where people live, work, and play. The design of the built environment, ...
-
Study on the effect of preference of air–conditioning usage on the exergy consumption pattern within a built environment
According to previous work, preference is one major factor influencing occupants' behaviour. This paper aims at identifying the magnitude preference on the exergy consumption pattern within a built environment. The comparison is made between one group claiming to like sleeping in air–conditioned spaces and the other claiming to dislike it. In conclusion, the exergy analysis showed that at the ...
-
Strategies to assess the sustainability in the rehabilitation process – a tool for interventions in old centres
In order to reduce the pace of new constructions, it is necessary to rethink the city and act upon the built environment taking into account the impact of the urban expansion. These interventions must be conditioned by the need to guide human activity towards the sustainability principles. This paper presents a sustainability assessment model for buildings located in old city centres which have ...
-
It’s time to bring nature into our built environments
The best design includes nature at its core. If we think about where we most enjoy vacationing, it usually involves some beautiful natural location such as a beach, an island or the mountains. The restorative experiences nature offers are a quality of biophilia, the innate human need for a connection with nature. Chances are, you enjoy a sunny spot on the windowsill, a crackling fire, a lush ...
By Ensia
-
The Haxall Initiative - SkyFoundry Open Sources Core Software to Accelerate the BIoT
SkyFoundry has formally announced the release of Haxall, our new initiative that open sources many of the SkySpark’s core software modules. We are open sourcing these proven software components will streamline development and reduce the cost of creating IoT devices for the built environment (BIoT). We believe this will directly help to accelerate the transition to data-driven, intelligent ...
-
Development of human–body exergy balance model for a better understanding of thermal comfort in the built environment
This paper briefly describes the human–body exergy balance equation developed so far applying a variety of formulae derived from the fundamentals of thermodynamics, namely the concepts of wet/dry exergy associated with moist air and liquid water, warm/cool exergy transferred by radiation and convection. A couple of numerical examples of the whole human–body exergy balance are given and discussed ...
-
Reliability-based load-rating procedure for existing bridges
A procedure has been developed to enable structural engineers to assess the reliability of existing bridges and to determine reliability-based load-ratings for existing bridges without using the classical methods of structural reliability analysis. The reliability index β is expressed as an explicit function of load and resistance parameters similar to those considered in conventional structural ...
Need help finding the right suppliers? Try XPRT Sourcing. Let the XPRTs do the work for you