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As the world reckons with an uncertain future at the hands of global climate change and biodiversity loss, the question of how to proceed seems ever more urgent. Approaches to sustainability in design tend to focus on technological solutions to what is often presented as a technical problem. This approach overlooks the ways in which the forces that have led us to this point are born out of our cultural story of what it means to be human, what the natural world is, and what our relationship is to it. This is the story that has permitted if not encouraged the kind of development that has led to global warming and extensive loss of biodiversity. If we are going to reverse these trends we must tell a new story – one that, among other things, removes humans from the center of the conversation, acknowledges the interconnectedness of things, and values multi- and extra-sensory ways of knowing. This thesis asks the question, “What might architecture look like if we held these beliefs and if we told ourselves a new story?” The thesis explores ways in which architecture can continue to advance the practice of sustainable design by embodying, encouraging, and reflecting this New Story. The theory is put to the test via a curated experiential journey, culminating at a tower in the middle of a forest. The design at once exemplifies New Story ideals and offers a place to dream about new ways of being and building.

Limited transaction and unit attribute information curtail the diffusion potential of green homes and create significant valuation and underwriting problems for the housing debt capital markets, more specifically mortgage originators (lenders) and appraisers. Put into the context of the technology adoption life cycle this missing information prevents green homes from crossing the chasm into the mainstream market. As lenders and appraisers are the gatekeepers of the mainstream mortgage markets, they will be key stakeholders in any strategy for green homes to cross this chasm. The missing transaction and attribute data creates two opportunities for scholarship. The first opportunity is to create and provide preliminary evidence of the chasm in the green housing market place. The second opportunity is to analyze, in the context of this chasm, what information and tools appraisers are using, at present, to estimate the value of high performance homes. / Ph. D.

Increased human-centric requirements could turn the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design program (LEED) into a sustainable development tool for cities through mitigation of gentrification. Green building rating systems, like LEED, were designed with environmental sustainability in mind. Sustainability holistically however is about preserving the environment, economics, and equity. A scoping literature review confirmed that LEED is used for energy efficiency and greening developments (preserving the environment). However, research also revealed that LEED has potential to mitigate gentrification (preserving economics and equity) if credits were adjusted, or the program was paired with policy, to have increased focus on affordability, maintaining local culture, and preventing resident displacement. Further conclusions based on literature could not be made due to a gap in research surrounding LEED programs and gentrification. Gentrification is a contemporary event that occurs from any type of land development; but more quantitative research surrounding gentrification-related variables could help guide LEED and policies towards what metrics would likely help reduce resident displacement. A longitudinal case study of Arlington County, Virginia paired with spatial modeling was performed with census-level data. The results demonstrated how LEED impacts onto gentrification-related variables could be measured. Accompanying census-level data with localized surveys in future studies could then provide more context to how gentrification impacts specific neighborhoods. This research establishes a methodological foundation for future studies to analyze these complex relationships between third-party green certification programs and gentrification. The code and related datasets for this study were uploaded to the Open Science Framework (OSF) (DOI 10.17605/OSF.IO/G3HCV) to help foster those next steps for not just other researchers in this space, but also localities. Localities, which currently utilize LEED and related programs in their development policies, could adapt this framework to help establish social and economic assistance programs to aid in making a more sustainable environment for residents without adjusting LEED itself. / Master of Science / The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design program (LEED) was developed to help the environment, but with some changes it may also be used to try and reduce gentrification in cities. Gentrification is a contemporary event that occurs from any type of land development. Gentrification is when people with lower-than-average incomes can no longer afford to live in an area and are replaced by those with significantly higher incomes. The push out of these areas comes in many forms, but most commonly is seen as a steep rise in rent increases. Existing research had not been able to easily measure gentrification, making it difficult to tell what causes it aside from developing areas; but more research into LEED may have shed some light on how cities can develop in a more people-centric way. LEED, and similar green building certifications, are used as guidelines for developing land (e.g., homes, offices, schools, factories) to be more environmentally friendly. However, just because a project is green, doesn't mean that it's sustainable or immune from common problems that can arise from land development projects – such as gentrification. With adjustments, the LEED program could achieve more sustainable metrics which could help mitigate resultant gentrification. In the first stage of this research, a broader selection of previously published research was investigated to understand the relationship between LEED-certified green infrastructure and gentrification. Through this investigation, the gap in the research was found to be larger than anticipated. The gap also points out how LEED would need to be adjusted or paired with policy changes to reach sustainability. However, how can we tell what changes need to be made? This research created models for Arlington County, Virginia that demonstrated how LEED impacts on gentrification-related variables could be studied; this is something that will need to be investigated further prior to informing policy as it is unique to each location. Focusing on gentrification-related variables by pairing census-level data with localized surveys would enable a broader understanding of the impact of a LEED project on the community in which it's located. This deeper dive would then assist in creating that policy for Arlington County to pair with LEED in efforts to create sustainable developments. Each city is unique in how they grow, which is why it is important that we figure out how these cities gentrify and create policies tailored to each of them. This research establishes a methodological foundation for future studies in other localities, with the code and datasets being publicly available on the Open Science Framework (OSF) (DOI 10.17605/OSF.IO/G3HCV). OSF provides researchers a platform to continue developing the methods analyzing these complex relationships between third-party green certification programs and gentrification, whether it be in a small town or a larger city. Localities, which utilize LEED and related programs in their development policies, could establish social and economic assistance programs to aid in making a more sustainable environment for residents without adjusting LEED itself.

<p>The major climatic problem has been worsening extremely rapidly over the last decades and if no measures are taken soon, we will experience severe consequences over the years to come. It is therefore imperative to take instant actions to slow down the climatic changes that are also causing crucial health problems in different parts of the planet. The basis of this thesis is that both Energy Performance Certification (EPC), and Green Building (GB) aim to reduce carbon dioxide emission within the building sector which accounts for more than 40% of the total energy use both locally and globally. This thesis discusses and compares the environmental impacts made by Green Building and Energy Performance Certification in order to evaluate how different or similar they are in terms of energy performance efficiency of buildings.</p><p> </p><p>In order to accumulate as much facts and resources possible, research was done to find reliable internet sources and relevant books which took approximately two weeks. The rest of the ten weeks that were assigned for this project were spent writing this thesis while taking practical part in an Energy Performance Certification process and evaluation. There are three questions that this thesis is aimed to answer, which are:</p><p>-               How is Energy Performance Certification beneficial for our community welfare?</p><p>-               Why should owners/occupiers choose to transform their houses/buildings to Green Building certified constructions?</p><p>-               Is there a way of combining Energy Performance Certification with Green Building?</p><p> </p><p>There are many benefits that our Swedish and European Community can gain from applying Energy Performance Certification of building according to the Directive, including reducing carbon dioxide emission and introducing alternative and renewable sources of energy. As to whether GB is better than EPC or vice versa, there is ultimately a very fine line that divides the two. When comparing new constructions of EPC with new constructions of GB the only benefits that can be gained from GB are firstly that the buildings are guaranteed to be completely environmental friendly, and secondly that the owner/occupier may choose between four different levels of certifications. Other than that, they both have many similar beneficial factors which make it difficult to a state if one of them is better than the other.</p><p> </p><p>Lastly, it is very possible to combine the two into one complete standard, but only for new constructions. The energy performance of old existing buildings is much more difficult to improve due to e.g. the high costs involved or the cultural value of the constructions. Nevertheless, this may very well change in the further future when the rapidly improving technology within the building sector will hopefully contribute to finding cost- and energy-efficient solutions for existing buildings that will consequently contribute to GB and EPC being able to combine their regulations and make one single standard that can be applied in all the Member States, or if possible in the entire European Union Community.</p> / <p>De allvarliga klimatproblemen har förvärrats i oerhört snabb takt under de senaste decennierna och om inget görs snart, kommer vi att få uppleva allvariga konsekvenser under de kommande åren. Det är därför absolut nödvändigt att agera snabbt för att bromsa ner klimatförändringarna som också orsakat allvarliga hälsoproblem i många delar av jorden. Utgångspunkten för detta examensarbete är att både Energideklarationen och Green Building strävar efter att minska koldioxidutsläpp inom byggsektorn, som ansvarar för mer än 40 % av den totala energiförbrukningen i Sverige och utomlands. Detta arbete diskuterar och jämför Green Buildings och Energideklarationens påverkan på miljön för att sedan kunna evaluera hur pass lika eller olika de är när det gäller energiprestandaeffektiviteten av byggnader.</p><p> </p><p>För att kunna samla så mycket information som möjligt gjordes en undersökning för att hitta pålitliga Internetkällor och relevanta böcker. Undersökningen tog ungefär två veckor. Resten av de tio veckorna som var tilldelade för detta examensarbete användes för att skriva denna rapport samt praktiskt delta i en Energideklarationsprocess samt värdering. Det finns tre frågor som detta examensarbete syftar på att besvara, som är:</p><p>-               Hur viktig är Energideklaration för vårt samhälles välbefinnande?</p><p>-               Varför ska fastighetsägare välja att bygga/omvandla sina hus till Green Building?</p><p>-               Finns det något sätt att kombinera Energideklaration med Green Building?</p><p> </p><p>Det finns många fördelar för det svenska samt europeiska samhället med att tillämpa Energideklaration enligt Direktivet. Fördelarna inkluderar minskning av koldioxidutsläppen samt introducering av alternativa förnybara energikällor i byggnader. Dock är det i slutändan små faktorer som skiljer Green Building och Energideklaration åt och det är därför svårt att säga om den ena är bättre än den andra. Vid jämförelse av nya EPC konstruktioner med nya GB konstruktioner är den enda fördelen med GB först och främst att byggnaden är garanterad att vara helt miljövänlig samt att ägaren har möjligheten att välja mellan fyra olika certifieringsnivåer. Förutom detta, har båda två många likheter som gör det svårt att bedöma om den ena av dem är effektivare än den andra.</p><p> </p><p>Det är dessutom mycket möjligt att kombinera dessa två till en enda komplett standard, dock endast för nya konstruktioner. Gamla befintliga byggnaders energiprestanda är mycket svårare att förbättra på grund av t.ex. för höga kostnader eller det kulturella värdet av byggnaderna. Å andra sidan kan detta mycket väl ändras i framtiden då den snabbt utvecklade teknologin inom byggsektorn förhoppningsvis kan bidra till att hitta kostnads- och energieffektiva lösningar för befintliga byggnader som kan i sin tur leda till att GB och EPC kombineras till en enda standard som kan tillämpas i alla Medlemsstater, eller även i hela Europa om möjligt.</p>

The major climatic problem has been worsening extremely rapidly over the last decades and if no measures are taken soon, we will experience severe consequences over the years to come. It is therefore imperative to take instant actions to slow down the climatic changes that are also causing crucial health problems in different parts of the planet. The basis of this thesis is that both Energy Performance Certification (EPC), and Green Building (GB) aim to reduce carbon dioxide emission within the building sector which accounts for more than 40% of the total energy use both locally and globally. This thesis discusses and compares the environmental impacts made by Green Building and Energy Performance Certification in order to evaluate how different or similar they are in terms of energy performance efficiency of buildings.   In order to accumulate as much facts and resources possible, research was done to find reliable internet sources and relevant books which took approximately two weeks. The rest of the ten weeks that were assigned for this project were spent writing this thesis while taking practical part in an Energy Performance Certification process and evaluation. There are three questions that this thesis is aimed to answer, which are: -               How is Energy Performance Certification beneficial for our community welfare? -               Why should owners/occupiers choose to transform their houses/buildings to Green Building certified constructions? -               Is there a way of combining Energy Performance Certification with Green Building?   There are many benefits that our Swedish and European Community can gain from applying Energy Performance Certification of building according to the Directive, including reducing carbon dioxide emission and introducing alternative and renewable sources of energy. As to whether GB is better than EPC or vice versa, there is ultimately a very fine line that divides the two. When comparing new constructions of EPC with new constructions of GB the only benefits that can be gained from GB are firstly that the buildings are guaranteed to be completely environmental friendly, and secondly that the owner/occupier may choose between four different levels of certifications. Other than that, they both have many similar beneficial factors which make it difficult to a state if one of them is better than the other.   Lastly, it is very possible to combine the two into one complete standard, but only for new constructions. The energy performance of old existing buildings is much more difficult to improve due to e.g. the high costs involved or the cultural value of the constructions. Nevertheless, this may very well change in the further future when the rapidly improving technology within the building sector will hopefully contribute to finding cost- and energy-efficient solutions for existing buildings that will consequently contribute to GB and EPC being able to combine their regulations and make one single standard that can be applied in all the Member States, or if possible in the entire European Union Community. / De allvarliga klimatproblemen har förvärrats i oerhört snabb takt under de senaste decennierna och om inget görs snart, kommer vi att få uppleva allvariga konsekvenser under de kommande åren. Det är därför absolut nödvändigt att agera snabbt för att bromsa ner klimatförändringarna som också orsakat allvarliga hälsoproblem i många delar av jorden. Utgångspunkten för detta examensarbete är att både Energideklarationen och Green Building strävar efter att minska koldioxidutsläpp inom byggsektorn, som ansvarar för mer än 40 % av den totala energiförbrukningen i Sverige och utomlands. Detta arbete diskuterar och jämför Green Buildings och Energideklarationens påverkan på miljön för att sedan kunna evaluera hur pass lika eller olika de är när det gäller energiprestandaeffektiviteten av byggnader.   För att kunna samla så mycket information som möjligt gjordes en undersökning för att hitta pålitliga Internetkällor och relevanta böcker. Undersökningen tog ungefär två veckor. Resten av de tio veckorna som var tilldelade för detta examensarbete användes för att skriva denna rapport samt praktiskt delta i en Energideklarationsprocess samt värdering. Det finns tre frågor som detta examensarbete syftar på att besvara, som är: -               Hur viktig är Energideklaration för vårt samhälles välbefinnande? -               Varför ska fastighetsägare välja att bygga/omvandla sina hus till Green Building? -               Finns det något sätt att kombinera Energideklaration med Green Building?   Det finns många fördelar för det svenska samt europeiska samhället med att tillämpa Energideklaration enligt Direktivet. Fördelarna inkluderar minskning av koldioxidutsläppen samt introducering av alternativa förnybara energikällor i byggnader. Dock är det i slutändan små faktorer som skiljer Green Building och Energideklaration åt och det är därför svårt att säga om den ena är bättre än den andra. Vid jämförelse av nya EPC konstruktioner med nya GB konstruktioner är den enda fördelen med GB först och främst att byggnaden är garanterad att vara helt miljövänlig samt att ägaren har möjligheten att välja mellan fyra olika certifieringsnivåer. Förutom detta, har båda två många likheter som gör det svårt att bedöma om den ena av dem är effektivare än den andra.   Det är dessutom mycket möjligt att kombinera dessa två till en enda komplett standard, dock endast för nya konstruktioner. Gamla befintliga byggnaders energiprestanda är mycket svårare att förbättra på grund av t.ex. för höga kostnader eller det kulturella värdet av byggnaderna. Å andra sidan kan detta mycket väl ändras i framtiden då den snabbt utvecklade teknologin inom byggsektorn förhoppningsvis kan bidra till att hitta kostnads- och energieffektiva lösningar för befintliga byggnader som kan i sin tur leda till att GB och EPC kombineras till en enda standard som kan tillämpas i alla Medlemsstater, eller även i hela Europa om möjligt.

This thesis explores three state-run green building programs (California, Minnesota and New York) through comparative case-study analysis. Main topics discussed include cost benefits, health benefits, certification (i.e. LEED or other), and lessons learned from direct interviews with program staff.

Higher education is an idyllically positioned organization from which meaningful dissemination of knowledge and interdisciplinary research is capable of actuating practices that resource consumption. Paradoxically, the construction, maintenance, and operations of the built environment, including the built campus environment, have contributed to the decline of raw resources and degradation of environmental processes. An opportunity exists to bridge the knowledge gap between the design and construction phase and the operations and maintenance phase of the green certified building life cycle, while examining the parts that contributed to the green-certification of the whole building. The purpose of this research was to 1.) identify green-building features and determine their frequency of implementation in new capital (NC) LEED-certified, campus buildings to effectuate operations and maintenance cost savings, indoor wellbeing, and environmental stewardship, and 2.) determine the relationships of greenbuilding feature usage across building, institutional, and LEED characteristics. The study used archival data to document the green efforts of each building with the study’s sample of 195 buildings on the campus of 107 universities and colleges, in the United States, between 2007 and 2017. The study’s findings indicated that the public institutions earned the LEED certification more often than private institutions and the sample was void of two-year community colleges. The sample was restricted for green-building features that (a) reduce economic cost, (b) improve indoor wellbeing, and (c) increase environmental stewardship. The results and implications are discussed. / Includes bibliography. / Dissertation (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2017. / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection

Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (or LEED) is the most commonly used green building rating system in the United States, bestowing upon LEED certified buildings the prestige of being considered more sustainable than their non-certified neighbors. The public often assumes that LEED certified buildings are completely sustainable or even net-zero with regards to greenhouse gas emissions, but in actuality buildings certified under the most popular version of LEED are only required to be 15% more energy efficient than required by most state building codes – a far cry from the energy usage cuts needed to stave off global warming. By examining the history of LEED and its parent organization (the United States Green Building Council), contemporary criticisms of the certification system and its widespread adoption, and real-world performance of existing LEED buildings, this thesis seeks to uncover whether the LEED system is an effective tool in the fight against climate change and why it has yet to live up to its name.

&lsquo / Green Buildings&rsquo / play an important role to increase the implementation of sustainable strategies in the construction industry. Although there is a process of change within Turkish building environment towards implementation of green strategies nowadays, limited research has been conducted to search the reasons that drive the market and the important barriers that block the green building movement. This thesis is intended to fill this gap in the literature and contribute to the field of knowledge regarding green building construction in Turkey. The results shall benefit both government and market practitioners for the development of green building market. The data presented in this thesis are mainly obtained from a comprehensive questionnaire survey developed based on a deep literature search. The questionnaire is completed by professionals who have an interest on this topic or who have involvement in green building projects. In order to analyze the gathered data, a variety of statistical methods are used and the results are evaluated in detail. In addition to questionnaire survey, six case study green building projects in Turkey are examined and so a snapshot picture of current situation of the green movement is taken. Accordingly, financial considerations, faced difficulties and lessons learned are explained. The findings shall assist in understanding the real needs for green building development in Turkish construction sector. Finally, recommendations for government and researchers are presented so as to steer the construction sector in the direction of sustainability.