In an age where the sharing economy has proliferated as a preferred means of travel in the tourism industry, and the accommodation sharing platform Airbnb has risen to the forefront, there is much criticism and discussion about the need for such nascent platforms to operate in alignment with sustainable development. Currently, economic benefits for the host and guest lie at the core of Airbnb’s sustainability appeal, while few concrete steps have been taken to advance environmental and social values. Many have proposed a green rating system and sustainability-oriented search filters as a means to propagate these values and catalyze a necessary paradigm shift within the sharing economy. Through the lens of green architecture and construction, this study analyzes the extent and manner in which sustainability features and amenities are promoted by hosts on Airbnb in the high-desert mountain town of Taos, New Mexico. This case study approach selects and intriguing destination that is not only characterized by a long history of earthen building traditions by the Tiwa people, but was also the birthplace of the world-renowned, off-the-grid Earthship concept. An analysis of all active Airbnb listings was compared with a more targeted analysis of off-the-grid listings to reveal that hosts more often than not frame their sustainability features and amenities in terms of visitor comfort, convenience, and enjoyment. For instance, the valorization of earthen adobe building for its authenticity and cultural appeal in lieu of its energy efficient and natural qualities. This indicated a high level of unexploited potential, wherein hosts could enhance their listing’s sustainability appeal and educational value through reframing these features to potential guests, and off-the-grid listings could benefit from implementing and promoting sustainable practices and emphasizing the local culture. Most importantly, after quantitively analyzing the features that arose, this study assembled the content basis for a theoretical green rating system and sustainability search filters that could be applied to Taos as a localized system, or merely provide insight to other destinations and the Airbnb platform as a whole.

China has adopted Sustainable Development as a national strategy for all industries. In civil construction sector, sustainability is regarded as the development of Green Building in China. Since 2000, China has introduced a series of policies and laws to promote Green Building. Green Building was defined as buildings that are “energy-efficient, land-efficient, water-efficient, and material-efficient” and emit “minimal pollution” in during its entire life cycle, and meets a specified standard for indoor environment at the same time. However, energy efficiency is the central issue of current Green Building development in China, while issues of resources and pollution are neglected, which is partly due to China’s energy structure. Social and economic aspects are also always ignored. The main aim of this thesis is to map pathways towards more comprehensive frameworks for how residential areas in China could be constructed in a more sustainable way in hot –summer and cold-winter area. Case study was the main method used to examine the specifications of Green Residential Building in China. This paper offers a general overview of the current green trend in China and presents a specific analysis on three cases to search for the proper approach for China’s unique situation by three specific cases representing three types of Green Building: Modern Vernacular Architecture, Eco-office and Mass-housing, according to their features in scale, location and function. This paper then presents a specific integrated sustainability analysis of the Landsea Housing Project in Nanjing, a hot-summer/cold-winter zone. Hammarby Sjöstad, a cutting edge project in Stockholm, is also discussed as a reference area from which experiences can be drawn for China. The aim was to improve the framework for construction of residential buildings in China in a more sustainable way, from energy efficiency to integrated sustainability. The paper also discusses the relationship between the economic growth and energy consumption in the fast-growing situation, presents several scenarios depicting energy and comfort and makes suggestions for China. The roles of government, developers and residents are also addressed. The paper argues that an adaptive and holistic approach, which must be expanded from both spatial scale and temporal span, should be established for the Green Residential Building development in China, as an effective way to meet the sustainability goal. / QC 20101013

The construction and real estate industry accounts for a large share of the global energy consumption. Thus, an onerous responsibility is resting on the shoulders of the property owners and developers to alleviate the emissions derived from the real estate sector. With the escalating necessity for undertaking measures aimed at averting additional negative impact on the climate, a rising level of engagement from governmental as well as private stakeholders emerges. As a consequence of the negative development in the sector, and with tenants willing to pay rentalpremiums to be seated in premises in buildings certified as green, the issuance of green certifications have surged. The purpose of this study is to examine whether the distance from the city center has an impact on the green sales premiums for commercial office properties on the Swedish property market, to be able to compose more accurate calculations of green investments. This is investigated ona national level, as well as for cities exceeding 200,000 inhabitants. The study is a quantitative study which uses hedonic regression models to answer the research questions. The data used is collected through a transaction database provided by Cushman & Wakefield Sweden, with additional data from Sweden Green Building Council and Statistics Sweden, among others. The results conclude an incremental green premium of 14.80% at the 1 km mark from the city center for the country level data set, and 31.92% for the larger cities, at the 10%, respective 1% level of significance. However, some coefficients are inconsistent and the author highlights potential deficiencies within the course of action. / Bygg- och fastighetssektorn står idag för en stor del av den globala energiförbrukningen. Därmed vilar ett tungt ansvar på fastighetsutvecklare, förvaltare och andra aktörer i branschen för att minska utsläppen från fastighetssektorn. Med det ökande behovet av att vidta åtgärder för att undvika ytterligare negativ påverkan på klimatet, har även engagemanget från både offentliga och privata aktörer tilltagit. Som en konsekvens av den negativa utvecklingen inom sektorn och att hyresgäster är villiga att betala en premie för att husera i byggnader som är miljöcertifierade, har utfärdandet av gröna certifikat ökat markant. Syftet med denna studie är att undersöka om avståndet från centrum har en inverkan på den gröna försäljningspremien för kommersiella kontorsfastigheter på den svenska fastighetsmarknaden, för att kunna göra mer exakta investeringskalkyler gällande investeringar i miljöcertifierade fastigheter. Detta undersöks på dels nationell nivå, och dels för städer med över 200 000 invånare. Studien är en kvantitativ studie som använder hedoniska regressionsmodeller för att besvara forskningsfrågorna. Dataseten komponeras med hjälp av en transaktionsdatabas som tillhandahålls av Cushman & Wakefield Sweden, tillsammans med ytterligare data från bl.a. Sweden Green Building Council och Statistiska centralbyrån. Resultatet indikerar en ökande grön premie om 14,80% vid 1 km från stadens centrum för datasetet på nationell nivå, och 31,92% för de större städerna, vid 10% respektive 1% signifikansnivå. Vissa koefficienter är dock inkonsekventa och författaren lyfter fram potentiella brister i handlingsförloppet.

Världens fokus på hållbar utveckling är större än någonsin tidigare, och konstruktionssektorn ansvarar för upp emot 25 till 40 procent av de globala koldioxid emissionerna. Ett av nyckelmaterialen för att öka en byggnads energieffektivitet är isoleringsmaterialen. Syftet med detta kandidatexamensarbete är att utvärdera GWP:n av hampafiberisolering jämfört med de två marknadsledande isoleringsmaterialen, mineralull och cellplast.  GWP:n av de tre isoleringsmaterialen beräknas efter att vardera isoleringsmaterial har blivit placerat i ett envåningshus med storleken 30 m2. Livscykelanalysen för byggnader används sedan som bakgrund för att beräkna GWP:n av de tre byggnaderna. De beräknade kategorierna för GWP:n av byggnaderna är: råmaterial, transport, produktion, konstruktion samt energianvändningen. Byggnaderna antas ha en inomhustemperatur på 20°C och har blivit konstruerade i Stockholm, Sverige.  Utan överraskning var hampafibern det isoleringsmaterial som hade lägst GWP i kategorierna; råmaterial, produktion och konstruktion. Däremot på grund av hampafiberns mindre optimala termiska konduktivitet jämfört med de andra isoleringsmaterialen var byggnaden med hampafiberisolering den minst energieffektiva.  Trots den lägre energieffektiviteten visade sig byggnaden med hampafiberisolering vara den med lägst GWP under en 30 årsperiod, förutsatt att förnyelsebara energikällor användes. Överraskande nog, var däremot källan från vart elektriciteten kom mycket viktig för att avgöra byggnadernas GWP. När den svenska elmixen från Boverkets klimatdatabas användes var skillnaden i GWP mellan de olika byggnaderna marginell. Användes istället förnyelsebara energikällor i form av vindkraft, var hampafiberisoleringen det mest fördelaktiga isoleringsmaterialet ur ett miljöperspektiv. / The world's focus on global warming has grown larger than ever before, and the construction sectorisresponsibleforupwardsof 25to40percentoftheglobalcarbonemissions.Oneof the key materials to increase the energy efficiency of buildings are insulation materials. The purpose of the thesis is to evaluate the global warming potential of insulation made out of hemp compared with the two leading insulation materials on the global market, Mineral wool insulation & EPS.  The global warming potential of the three insulation materials are calculated whilst each is placed in a 30 m2 one-story house. The life cycle assessment (LCA) of buildings is used as background to calculate the global warming potential of each of the three buildings. The calculated categories for the global warming potential are: raw materials, transportation, production, the construction phase, and energy usage in the building. The buildings are assumed to have an inside temperature of 20°C and have been constructed in Stockholm, Sweden.  To no surprise the hemp fibre insulation material had the lowest global warming potential out of the three materials during the raw material, production and construction phase. However due to the less optimal value of thermal conductivity for the hemp fiber insulation compared to the other materials, the energy efficiency in the building using hemp fibre insulation was comparatively the worst.  However, the building using hemp fibre insulation could be concluded as the one with the least global warming potential during a 30 year usage if the correct energy sources were used. Surprisingly enough it turned out that the source of electricity was vital for the global warming potential. When using the Swedish electricity mix found in Boverkets Climate database the difference between the buildings was marginal. If renewable sources in the form of wind power were used instead of the national mix for electricity the differences were more noticable and the building using hemp fiber as insulation was less impactful the lower the global warming potential of the energy source was per kWh.

Currently, the public has a strong sense of the need for environment protection and the use of sustainable, or “green,” design in buildings and other civil structures. Since green design elements and technologies are different from traditional design, they probably have impacts on the building environment, such as vibration, lighting, noise, temperature, relative humidity, and overall comfort. Determining these impacts of green design on building environments is the primary objective of this study. The Zero Energy Research (ZOE) laboratory, located at the University of North Texas Discovery Park, is analyzed as a case study. Because the ZOE lab is a building that combines various green design elements and energy efficient technologies, such as solar panels, a geothermal heating system, and wind turbines, it provides an ideal case to study. Through field measurements and a questionnaire survey of regular occupants of the ZOE lab, this thesis analyzed and reported: 1) whether green design elements changed the building’s ability to meet common building environmental standards, 2) whether green design elements assisted in Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) scoring, and 3) whether green design elements decreased the subjective comfort level of the occupants.

The primary objective of the thesis is to investigate whether there exists a price premium for LEED-certified buildings in Sweden's commercial property market. Furthermore, the thesis investigates the inflation-hedging potential of commercial real estate in Sweden, aiming to determine if LEED-certified buildings are a more effective hedge against inflation. The thesis aims to contribute to the existing body of knowledge on ESG and sustainability practices, offering valuable insights to investors, occupiers, and other stakeholders to make more informed decisions. To determine these relationships, the thesis employed a quantitative approach and constructed four hedonic regression models in R-Studio. One model examines the price premiums of LEED-certified buildings, while the other model focuses on the price growth of these buildings in relation to inflation. Transactional data was obtained from Cushman & Wakefield Sweden, consisting of 412 observations ranging from the second quarter of 2013 to the first quarter of 2024. Data has been collected from various sources, including MSCI Property Intel, the U.S. Green Building Council, and the SCB Statistical Database. According to the results, there is a significant price premium of 40.1% for LEED-certified buildings in Sweden's commercial property market. In addition, buildings with a Platinum-level command a price premium of 103%, while those with a Silver-level carry a price premium of 80%. Buildings with a Gold-level did not demonstrate any statistical significance. Additionally, the findings indicate that LEED-certified buildings outperform non-certified ones in terms of price growth during inflationary periods, at 5.8% per 1% increase in CPIF. The latter is more in line with the CPIF, indicating that LEED-certified buildings may serve as a more efficient inflation hedge in Sweden's commercial property market. The results suggest that the null hypothesis for both models can be rejected and the alternative hypothesis can be accepted. / Det primära syftet med avhandlingen är att undersöka om det finns en prispremie för LEED-certifierade byggnader på den svenska kommersiella fastighetsmarknaden. Dessutom undersöker avhandlingen inflationssäkringspotentialen hos kommersiella fastigheter i Sverige, med målet att avgöra om LEED-certifierade byggnader är ett effektivare skydd mot inflation. Avhandlingen syftar till att bidra till den befintliga kunskapen om ESG och hållbarhet praxis, vilket ger värdefulla insikter till investerare, ockupanter och andra intressenter för att fatta mer informerade beslut. För att fastställa dessa relationer använde avhandlingen ett kvantitativt tillvägagångssätt och konstruerade fyra hedoniska regressionsmodeller i R-Studio. En modell undersöker prispremier för LEED-certifierade byggnader, medan den andra modellen fokuserar på prisökningen av dessa byggnader i förhållande till inflationen. Transaktionsdata erhölls från Cushman & Wakefield Sverige, bestående av 412 observationer som sträckte sig från det andra kvartalet 2013 till det första kvartalet 2024. Data har samlats från olika källor, bland annat MSCI Property Intel, U.S. Green Building Council och SCB statistikdatabas. Enligt resultaten finns det en signifikant pris premie på 40,1% för LEED-certifierade byggnader på den svenska kommersiella fastighetsmarknaden. Vidare erhåller byggnader med en Platinum-nivå en prispremie på 103%, medan de med en Silver-nivå erhåller en prispremie på 80%. Byggnader med Guld-nivå visade ingen statistisk betydelse. Dessutom visar resultaten att LEED-certifierade byggnader överträffar konventionella byggnader avseende prisökning under inflation, med 5,8% per 1% ökning i KPIF. Det senare är mer i linje med KPIF, vilket tyder på att LEED-certifierade byggnader kan fungera som en effektivare inflationssäkring på den svenska kommersiella fastighetsmarknaden. Resultaten tyder på att nollhypotesen för båda modellerna kan förkastas och den alternativa hypotesen kan accepteras.

‘Net Positive Water’ explores the capability of domestic architecture to combat the developing urban water problem. Urban intensification is contributing to the volatility of urban waters and the breakdown of the urban water cycle. Inhabitant water misuse and overconsumption is overwhelming aging municipal utilities, resulting in the decay of urban water quality. LEEDTM and The Living Building Challenge are recognized Green Building Guidelines prescribing sustainable site and building water standards. Case Studies of domestic Green Building projects will showcase water conservation to enable domestic water renewal. Net Zero Water Guidelines based on the Green Building Guidelines outline Potable and Non-Potable water use to achieve a sustainable volume of water demand at 70 litres per capita per day. Sustainable water practices are encouraged by utilizing domestic building systems to increase water value and water awareness. Time-of-Use and Choice-of-Use exposure for household water related tasks establish water savings through the use of best-performing water fixtures and appliances. Net Positive Water Guidelines will establish On-site and Building standards for sustainable harvesting and storage of water resources. Clean and Dirty water management will prescribe Passive design and Active mechanical processes to maintain best-available water quality in the urban domestic environment. Net Positive Water building typology will integrate urban inhabitation as a functional component of the urban water cycle to use, reuse, and renew water resources. The method will be tested using a Mid-rise Pilot project to deploy the necessary Passive and Active mechanisms to generate Net Positive Water quality through Net Zero Water sustainable water use. The pilot project is situated in Waterfront Toronto - The Lower Don Lands development to harness regional interests for water renewal and environmental revitalization.

‘Net Positive Water’ explores the capability of domestic architecture to combat the developing urban water problem. Urban intensification is contributing to the volatility of urban waters and the breakdown of the urban water cycle. Inhabitant water misuse and overconsumption is overwhelming aging municipal utilities, resulting in the decay of urban water quality. LEEDTM and The Living Building Challenge are recognized Green Building Guidelines prescribing sustainable site and building water standards. Case Studies of domestic Green Building projects will showcase water conservation to enable domestic water renewal. Net Zero Water Guidelines based on the Green Building Guidelines outline Potable and Non-Potable water use to achieve a sustainable volume of water demand at 70 litres per capita per day. Sustainable water practices are encouraged by utilizing domestic building systems to increase water value and water awareness. Time-of-Use and Choice-of-Use exposure for household water related tasks establish water savings through the use of best-performing water fixtures and appliances. Net Positive Water Guidelines will establish On-site and Building standards for sustainable harvesting and storage of water resources. Clean and Dirty water management will prescribe Passive design and Active mechanical processes to maintain best-available water quality in the urban domestic environment. Net Positive Water building typology will integrate urban inhabitation as a functional component of the urban water cycle to use, reuse, and renew water resources. The method will be tested using a Mid-rise Pilot project to deploy the necessary Passive and Active mechanisms to generate Net Positive Water quality through Net Zero Water sustainable water use. The pilot project is situated in Waterfront Toronto - The Lower Don Lands development to harness regional interests for water renewal and environmental revitalization.

Baigiamajame magistro darbe nagrinėjamos ekologiškos statybinės medžiagos, analizuojami namo dalių konstrukciniai variantai, statant namus iš šių medžiagų. Taip pat sudaroma kompiuterinė sistema, padedanti vartotojui išsirinkti racionaliausią ekologiškų medžiagų panaudojimo variantą. Darbą sudaro trys dalys. Pirmojoje dalyje apžvelgiama ekologiškų statybinių medžiagų samprata, pagrindiniai principai, aprašomas statybinių medžiagų gyvavimo ciklas, aptariama aplinkai nekenksmingų medžiagų situacija Europoje. Antrojoje dalyje plačiau aprašomos gamtai nekenksmingos statybinės medžiagos, galimi tokių medžiagų konstrukciniai variantai. Analizuojami sienų, stogo dangos, šilumos izoliacijos ir šildymo sistemos pritaikymo galimybės statant ekologišką namą. Trečiojoje dalyje nagrinėjamas praktinis ekologiško namo konstrukcijų pritaikymo modelis. Sudaroma alternatyvų ir kriterijų sistema, apibūdinanti nekenksmingo aplinkai namo konstrukcinius elementus. Panaudojant kiekybinius ir kokybinius kriterijus ir galimas medžiagų alternatyvas, atliekama daugiakriterė statybinių medžiagų ir jų konstrukcijų analizė, sudaroma kompiuterinė sistema. / Ecological and environmentally friendly building materials and constructional options, that are used to build houses, are considered in this master work. It also contains the computer system enabling the user to choose the most rational option of ecological materials. This master work consists of three parts: In the first part the concept of ecological building materials and main principles are described. It also contains information about the life cycle of building materials and the situation of environmentally friendly materials in Europe are discussed. The second part describes environmentally friendly building materials and possible structural variations of such materials. It analyzes walls, roof, heat insulation and possibilities of heating system in the ecological house. In the third part the practical model of the ecological house is considered. An alternative and criteria system that describes the environmentally friendly house constructional elements is created. Using quantitative, qualitative criteria and possible material alternatives multiple criteria analysis of building materials and their construction is performed. The computer system is also made.

Many serious illnesses are linked to everyday exposures to toxic chemicals. In the U.S., most chemical exposure comes from common consumer products such as pesticides, fragranced products, cleaning supplies, and building materials--products so widely used that people consider them "safe." As the links between everyday toxic exposures and potential health effects become better understood, evidence increasingly shows that reducing exposures can create a healthier society. Although some individuals may choose to build a healthy home and maintain a healthy household, they are still exposed to pollutants at their residences from the actions of others, such as to pesticides that are used by neighbors, businesses, and governments. They need healthy residential developments in environmentally healthy communities. This research investigates "healthy residential developments," defined as a property that aims to reduce pollutant exposures to the extent required by vulnerable populations, which for this research are individuals with multiple chemical sensitivities (MCS). Through a case study approach, this research investigates two exemplars of healthy residential developments, and explains how and why they form and continue. It also examines their implementation methods, and implications for planning and policy. Primary data collection methods included in-person interviews, telephone interviews, and site visits. Research strategies included the analysis of interview data, and categorical aggregation using thematic categories within and across cases. The categories focused on factors of formation and continuation for the two healthy residential developments. Findings include the challenges of people disabled with MCS to find safe housing; the importance of planning to address these challenges; the role of individuals, funding, and zoning in the formation of healthy residential developments; the role of funding, safe maintenance, and property management in their continuation; and, the need for affordable and safe housing for vulnerable populations. Future research can address the need to develop methods to create and sustain healthy residential developments, understand and reduce sources of exposure that initiate and trigger chemical sensitivity, and investigate experiences and implementation strategies in other countries.