Building envelopes are elements with a long lifetime, which provide a barrier between internal and external space and contribute to the internal environmental conditions provision. Their complex role ensures a large impact on the environmental and energy performance of a building and the occupant perception of a space. This study looks at the use of novel materials and processes to help reduce the environmental impact of buildings by improving facade and transparent roof design. There are three main strands to the work. First, novel building components, ETFE foil cushions were examined. Physical testing has shown that ETFE foil cushions compare favourably to double glazing in terms of thermal and daylighting performance which was also noted as one of the most likeable feature by occupants. Environmental impact analysis has indicated that ETFE foils can reduce the environmental impact of a building through reduced environmental burden of both the construction and operation of the building. Secondly, a cradle-to-gate Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) was carried out for float glass, which considered the environmental impacts of glass manufacture. The embodied energy was calculated to be 13.4 ± 0.5 GJ per tonne while the total number of eco-points 243 ± 11 per tonne. It is shown that float glass is comparable to the use of steel, and highly preferable to the use of aluminium as a cladding panel. Finally, a concept design tool (FACADE) was developed by defining a large number of office facade models and employing dynamic thermal, daylighting and environmental impact modelling to create a database which can be accessed through a user friendly interface application. A parametric analysis has indicated that using natural ventilation where possible can reduce the environmental impact of offices by up to 16%. Improving the standard of the facade and reducing the internal heat loads from lighting and equipment can reduce environmental impact up to 22%. This study makes a significant contribution to understanding the environmental impact of building envelope individual and integrated components.

Delay is one of the most common problems in the steel construction industry. At the time of bidding steel contractors plan tasks and assign resources according to the site visits, the information given in the contract and specifications related with the project. However, as the project progresses some conditions of the work may change. These changes may affect originally planned means and methods. Finally, the affected activities cause the project total cost and duration to increase. In steel construction projects, if not managed properly in accordance with the contract, changes are likely to result in claims between the project participants. In this study, a delay analysis methodology which is based on time impact analysis is proposed. The aim of this methodology is to quantify impacts of work changes on the schedule and cost of steel construction projects and identify the responsible parties for these changes. A risk breakdown structure is presented to help decision-makers to identify probable sources of risk factors that usually result in time and cost overruns. The potential sources of change are categorized into 3 groups: contractor-related, owner-related and external factors. By using this structure, contractors may classify changes and assign the impacts of changes to the appropriate parties. The proposed methodology comprises of 3 steps: identification and quantification of delays, allocation of these delays to responsible parties and using TIA to calculate overall impact of changes on time and cost. The major benefits of this methodology are / a) its ability to handle and quantify changes in a step by step procedure, b) it provides a graphical representation of actual progress, and c) it helps decision-makers to give reliable decisions by monitoring the impact of changes during the project&amp / #8217 / s life cycle. Construction professionals may use it to apportion impact of changes in a systematic and reliable way. Moreover, reports generated by using this methodology can provide evidence during the claim management process. An application of this methodology on a steel project demonstrates the superiority of the process in explaining the dynamic nature of changes and in apportioning the impacts between different parties in a systematic way.

This thesis utilizes input-output analysis to calculate the economic impacts from potential prion diseases outbreaks in Alberta and Canada. Both chronic wasting disease and bovine spongiform encephalopathy have the capacity to not only affect the farmed cervid and cattle industries, but to impact all industries with direct and indirect links to these sectors. Cervid sector shocks consistently yield small spillover effects on the economy in all models. In contrast, the cattle sector generates larger multiplier effects. A worst-case scenario that reduces cervid sector output to zero yields total economic losses of $11.5 million in Alberta, and $43.7 million in Canada. A reduction of cattle sector output to zero results in total economic losses of $6.4 billion in Alberta, and $34.9 billion in Canada. / Agricultural and Resource Economics

The main purpose of this dissertation is to develop a process to improve actual policy-making procedures in terms of aviation environmental effects. This research work expands current practices with physics based publicly available models. The process herein proposed provides information regarding the interdependencies between the environmental effects of aircraft. These interdependencies are also tied to the actual physical parameters of the aircraft and the engine, making it more intuitive for decision-makers to understand the impacts to the vehicle due to different policy scenarios. These scenarios involve the use of fleet analysis tools in which the existing aircraft are used to predict the environmental effects of imposing new stringency levels. The aircraft used are reduced to a series of coefficients that represent their performance, in terms of flight characteristics, fuel burn, noise, and emissions. These coefficients are then utilized to model flight operations and calculate what the environmental impacts of those aircraft are. If a particular aircraft does not meet the stringency to be analyzed, a technology response is applied to it, in order to meet that stringency. Depending on the level of reduction needed, this technology response can have an effect on the fuel burn characteristic of the aircraft. The proposed alternative is to create a fleet of replacement aircraft to the current fleet that does not meet stringency. These replacement aircraft represent the achievable physical limits for state of the art systems. In addition, the replacement aircraft show the linkage between environmental effects and fundamental aircraft and engine characteristics, something that has been neglected in previous policy making procedures. Another aspect that has been ignored is the creation of the coefficients used for the fleet analyses. In current literature, a defined process for the creation of those coefficients does not exist, but this research work develops a process to do so and demonstrates that the characteristics of the aircraft can be propagated to the coefficients and to the fleet analysis tools.

Area closures have been widely used in the management of migratory fish and conservation of endangered marine species, but very few economic models are available to assess the impacts of a closure because economists have paid little attention to complexities in fishery management, such as spatial heterogeneity in fish stocks and fleet dynamics. This study presents a spatial economic model that features (i) heterogeneously distributed stocks of multiple species, (ii) their movement across areas, (iii) travel costs depending on fishing location, and (iv) optimal allocation of fishing trips to areas and of the primary target in each fishing set. Because catch-per-unit-effort (CPUE) diminishes with effort, trips are alternately allocated to several areas, where the expected crew's wages are equalized. While this optimal allocation of trips derives a demand for labor (DDL), fishermen's tradeoff between offshore days (labor) and onshore days (leisure) yields an upward-sloping labor supply curve, which determines, together with the DDL, the equilibrium level of wage and labor. Using catch and effort data summarized from the federally mandated commercial logbooks into 5° square monthly strata, auction price data, and survey data for longliner's cost structure, this model is applied to the Hawaii longline fishery to conduct policy simulations. While a near-shore area closure leads to fewer trips of longer duration, a closure of the North Pacific to protect sea turtles significantly reduces swordfish catch and significantly increases the catch of near-shore species, which may endanger the stocks of near-shore species or affect the harvests by other boats. The impacts of prohibiting swordfish sets on the industry could be more severe than the above closure for turtle conservation. A revenue tax is not effective in reducing fishing effort. A closure increases fish movement (FM) from the closed area to open, neighboring areas, resulting in higher levels of the stocks in those open areas. This FM effect benefits the fishery industry, and could reduce the fishermen's income loss from a closure--estimated by the model without FM--by half, if fish are mobile and the closed area(s) is a "source" in terms of the direction of movement.

Typescript. / Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Hawaii at Manoa, 1983. / Bibliography: leaves 628-705. / Microfiche. / lMaster negative: Microfiche MS33210. / viii, 705 leaves, bound ill. 29 cm

This thesis investigates the participation of Maori (New Zealand�s indigenous people) in the impact assessment process. Traditionally, Maori have had limited involvement in the management of New Zealand�s environment. One possible solution to this could be through the adoption of a collaborative management framework. Unfortunately, there is limited information and research on tools that could facilitate collaborative management between iwi and applicants for resource consent (including, developers, planning consultants and local authorities). Therefore, this research attempts to fill in a gap in current literature and to investigate the potential of the cultural impact assessment as a tool for collaborative management. Despite some criticisms of collaborative management, there are examples where this form of communicative planning has resulted in a very positive outcome for indigenous groups. Therefore, the specific aim of this research is to analyse the extent to which cultural impact assessments can be used as a tool to promote collaborative management between iwi and applicants. In achieving the research objectives of the thesis, the theoretical background of collaborative management and impact assessment theories are explored. In addition, democracy and participation theories are also investigated. In particular, in the discussion of these theories emphasis is placed on the potential involvement of indigenous peoples. The thesis argues that the application of collaborative management via the use of cultural impact assessments may potentially increase Maori involvement in planning. Analysis of collaborative management and impact assessment theories is supported by empirical research. This includes; 1) an exploration of the New Zealand setting for the two theories, 2) a content analysis of cultural impact assessments from eight different iwi authority in New Zealand, and 3) a case study analysis of two iwi organizations that have an established system for undertaking cultural impact assessments (Kai Tahu ki Otago and the Wellington Tenths Trust). The research finds that cultural impact assessments are very similar to other impact assessment reports. However, they should be viewed as evolving documents, as there are some areas of the assessment process that need to be improved upon. The research concludes by suggesting that cultural impact assessments do have the potential to be a tool for collaborative management between iwi and applicants. Further research and education in relation to the content, value and process of cultural impact assessments is required. It is also argued that increased resourcing, training and legislative requirements are needed to further increase Maori participation in planning.

Environmental costs of products are closely related to their environmental impacts incurred at all life cycle stages of a product. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and Life Cycle Costing (LCC) methods are often used to estimate these environmental costs and impacts. However, LCA analysis is known to be a costly and time-consuming method, whereas LCC analysis often neglects the social cost which is currently paid by society as a whole. Therefore, this research proposes a new methodology to assess the environmental impact and social cost for the entire life cycle of a product, which can be used as a simple and transparent tool for the early conceptual design stage. The methodology delivers the Environmental Impact Drivers and the associated Social Cost Drivers for all product life cycle stages via spreadsheets, and it provides the Life Cycle Impact Assessment (LCIA) method in the SimaPro software as a user interface. Furthermore, the drivers provide the values for four different geographical regions and damage categories. The conceptual model is based on the impact pathway approach which integrates the Simplified LCA (SLCA) model and the social cost databases. The SLCA model is derived from an extension of previous research whereas the social costs are based on the most suitable Economic Valuation (EV) studies such as the EPS2000d, EXMOD, Ecosense and Asian EV studies. The data collection for the SLCA database was accomplished by using the LCA analysis of the Eco Indicator 99 H/A method and the Hierarchical clustering technique. The data for the social cost database was collected using the Benefit Transfer Method which obtains the EV studies mainly from the Environmental Valuation Reference Inventory (EVRI) data source. Several case studies utilising existing products, including a product redesign case study were used to prove the concept and demonstrate the efficiency of this proposed methodology.

After more than a decade of environmental impact assessment ( EIA ) provisions within South Australian Planning Act, 1982 it is appropriate to examine the role of the environmental impact statement ( EIS ) as a major element of EIA and an important decision making tool for major projects over this period. The thesis first provides a review of EIA from its overseas origins to its development at the Commonwealth level in Australia. This provides the context within which to examine the system of EIA for major developments or projects in South Australia, which are dealt with largely through the EIS process. The thesis examines the type of projects which, according to the discretionary criteria in the Planning Act, have attracted EIS requirements between 1982 - 1993 and uses this to determine generic groupings of projects. It is noted that marinas represent the largest group of projects with EIS requirements, although EISs have been called for power generation related projects, electricity transmission line projects, tourist related projects, industrial projects, mining projects, water management projects, transport projects and a number of other projects. The thesis examines the number of EISs that have been completed, whether or not the projects have been approved or rejected and to what extent any patterns have emerged. The thesis then focuses on all the completed EISs in terms of their content, timing of preparation, public involvement and response, associated legislative requirements, type and role of developer, type and role of EIS consultant, the assessment of the EIS, and the decision making process. The thesis notes the high approval rate for projects with completed EISs suggesting most of the environmental problems have been resolved or are capable of being resolved. It is also noted that a number of projects are abandoned before the EIS is ever completed and that the few rejected EIS proposals are associated with high numbers of public submissions. Although each of the rejected proposals has a complex history of project development, environmental assessment and negotiations, it is noted that the decision to reject the proposals was ultimately a political decision. The thesis comments on the limited role of the South Australian Planning Commission ( SAPC ) in EIS project decision making in South Australia and the increasing use of the Governor as a decision maker. Although the SAPC is the statutory planning authority it is constrained by having to have regard to the principles in the Development Plan which is geared toward development control rather than for the extraordinary major projects which become subject to EIS requirements. The thesis then examines proposed changes to EIA in the context of early attempts to initiate EIA reform in South Australia through to the current Development Bill. These proposals are placed in context with changes to EIA procedures that have taken place at the Commonwealth level, the proposed development of a national agreement on EIA, and also the implications for EIA which are likely to flow from recent Commonwealth initiatives on ecologically sustainable development strategies. In addition the implications of recently developed environment protection agencies and associated legislation are examined at both the State and Commonwealth levels. Collectively these reviews and analyses provide the context of current thinking on EIA as it is likely to affect South Australian EIA processes in the future. Finally the thesis discusses the evolving role of the South Australian EIS in the context of its evolutionary process and the proposed legislative changes in South Australia, together with other related initiatives. This discussion touches on a number of issues such as public administration, the actual practice of the EIA process as opposed to the theory of EIA and what is written into the EIA legislation. In conclusion an overview is given of the current role of the EIS with some predictions for the future of EIA in South Australia. / Thesis (M.Plan.)--Department of Architecture, 1993.

Thesis (M.Env.St.)--University of Adelaide, Dept. of Geographical and Environmental Studies, 2001. / Bibliography: leaves 78-83.