Sustainable development is gaining more focus than ever, and sustainable urban water management is increasingly being incorporated in urban planning worldwide. Internationally, certification systems for sustainable urban planning have gained popularity, and a Swedish version of the British certification system BREEAM Communities is on its way. In this degree project the technical water related aspects of the certification system BREEAMCommunities are analyzed and compared with the corresponding aspects of the American certification system LEED for Neighborhood Development. Water related aspects of both systems are discussed on basis of research in sustainable urban water management. Difficult questions raised in managing the urban water of the future are e.g. climate changes and new technical solutions for storm water management.

With issues such as energy crises, climate change and environmental degradation becoming evermore prevalent on national and international levels, industrialized societies are beginning to take heed of the impact they are having on the natural environment and we are beginning to see movements towards socially and environmentally responsible decision-making. With the impact that buildings have on the environment, it is important to understand what barriers are preventing or slowing investment in socially and environmentally responsible property. The present study was conducted to determine whether LEED certification has a significant impact on the market value of office buildings in Toronto, Ontario – value determined by the average net asking rent for each building. For some 68 subject and control buildings, we matched information on the net asking rent for 16 LEED certified (subject) buildings to 52 otherwise comparable properties (control buildings). Using ordinary least squares (OLS) analysis, we looked to find what relationship exists between net asking rent and the LEED label. Controlling for other variables historically shown to have an impact on property value, we expected the results of this study to determine whether there is a business case for LEED certification in the downtown Toronto office market. The results of the study have shown that LEED certification has had no impact on the market value of the sample of office buildings in Toronto. This is a surprising result, given the growth in the number of LEED buildings in Canada, but interviews with three senior executives in the industry have helped to provide insight into this trend. It seems that with time LEED will likely have an impact in this market, but it hasn‘t arrived yet.

Bewertung und Untersuchung einer Nachhaltigkeitszertifizierung im Bauwesen

Nowadays many people recognize the need for sustainable development more than ever because of improper urban sprawl, rapid exhaustion of natural resources, and serious environmental problems. Emission of carbon dioxide from transportation sources causes severe air contamination, and this will increase due to the continued use of private vehicles. Thus, local governments are trying to keep public transit on a satisfactory level due to rising commuting time for cities. The U.S. Census shows that the majority of people would prefer to use their private automobile rather than utilize existing mass transit systems. Therefore, it is up to local governments to consider setting up more efficient alternative mass transit systems to deal with the increasing pollution caused by automobiles. Organizations adopt certain environmental standards for many different reasons, such as commitment to environmental issues affecting their industry. Other organizations could also benefit, both economically and environmentally, by utilizing such standards. The LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) rating system is one of the more commonly-used environmental standards which presents guidelines for making decisions regarding land development while preserving the environment. However, only a few studies have attempted to evaluate this voluntary rating system which makes it difficult to justify the motivation of organizations that have adopted such voluntary standards. In this respect, this research primarily aims to explore the economic influence on the market value of undeveloped land through an analysis of public transportation in San Francisco, CA. Population density and area of each parcel are the factors considered to make the predictive model more powerful. Findings in this study show that LEED PTA (Public Transportation Accessibility) criteria, and population density significantly affect the appraised land unit value in specific purposed zones. Particularly, the economic impact of public transportation accessibility tended to be positive. With these findings, the statistical model for predicting land value was created. The result of this research can assist developers to make better site selections to accelerate the growth of sustainable construction.

Universiẗat, Diss., 2005--Düsseldorf.

Techn. University, Diss., 2004--Dresden.

Interior designers require advanced sustainable strategies beyond the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating system to expand their ecological accountability. Biomimicry is a biology inspired design (BID) methodology that is integrating into U.S. interior design (ID) curricula. This thesis research aims to identify the extent to which biomimicry is taught in Canadian post-secondary ID programs. Through a mixed-methodology research design, this study explored the strategies and lessons learned from North America interior design educators teaching biomimicry. Integrating a science-based problem-solving methodology into design education requires a transition strategy that includes both high-tech and low-tech teaching tools. This study discusses avenues to heighten biomimicry awareness, for Canadian educators, and addresses the challenges that weaving a complex multidisciplinary topic into interior design pedagogy will bring. Future research regarding biomimicry applications from interior design learner and practitioner perspectives would complement this study, and inform biology inspired design curricula development. / February 2016

abstract: The intent of this research is to determine if cool roofs lead to increased energy use in the U.S. and if so, in what climates. Directed by the LEED environmental building rating system, cool roofs are increasingly specified in an attempt to mitigate urban heat island effect. A typical single story retail building was simulated using eQUEST energy software across seven different climatic zones in the U.S.. Two roof types are varied, one with a low solar reflectance index of 30 (typical bituminous roof), and a roof with SRI of 90 (high performing membrane roof). The model also varied the perimeter / core fraction, internal loads, and schedule of operations. The data suggests a certain point at which a high SRI roofing finish results in energy penalties over the course of the year in climate zones which are heating driven. Climate zones 5 and above appear to be the flipping point, beyond which the application of a high SRI roof creates sufficient heating penalties to outweigh the cooling energy benefits. / Dissertation/Thesis / M.S. Built Environment 2011

Master of Science / Department of Architectural Engineering and Construction Science / Julia A. Keen / The intent of this report is to recommend a process for legislation that can be used to identify commercial buildings that have the greatest potential to reduce energy consumption. A point-based evaluation is completed of current energy processes for existing commercial buildings. The recommended energy evaluation system is applied to an existing building, which allows for a detailed review of how the evaluation is completed for a building. The results are presented to display the value of assessing building energy performance. Additionally, the results reinforce the potential to transform the industry and energy use by buildings.

abstract: Given the importance of buildings as major consumers of resources worldwide, several organizations are working avidly to ensure the negative impacts of buildings are minimized. The U.S. Green Building Council's (USGBC) Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating system is one such effort to recognize buildings that are designed to achieve a superior performance in several areas including energy consumption and indoor environmental quality (IEQ). The primary objectives of this study are to investigate the performance of LEED certified facilities in terms of energy consumption and occupant satisfaction with IEQ, and introduce a framework to assess the performance of LEED certified buildings. This thesis attempts to achieve the research objectives by examining the LEED certified buildings on the Arizona State University (ASU) campus in Tempe, AZ, from two complementary perspectives: the Macro-level and the Micro-level. Heating, cooling, and electricity data were collected from the LEED-certified buildings on campus, and their energy use intensity was calculated in order to investigate the buildings' actual energy performance. Additionally, IEQ occupant satisfaction surveys were used to investigate users' satisfaction with the space layout, space furniture, thermal comfort, indoor air quality, lighting level, acoustic quality, water efficiency, cleanliness and maintenance of the facilities they occupy. From a Macro-level perspective, the results suggest ASU LEED buildings consume less energy than regional counterparts, and exhibit higher occupant satisfaction than national counterparts. The occupant satisfaction results are in line with the literature on LEED buildings, whereas the energy results contribute to the inconclusive body of knowledge on energy performance improvements linked to LEED certification. From a Micro-level perspective, data analysis suggest an inconsistency between the LEED points earned for the Energy & Atmosphere and IEQ categories, on one hand, and the respective levels of energy consumption and occupant satisfaction on the other hand. Accordingly, this study showcases the variation in the performance results when approached from different perspectives. This contribution highlights the need to consider the Macro-level and Micro-level assessments in tandem, and assess LEED building performance from these two distinct but complementary perspectives in order to develop a more comprehensive understanding of the actual building performance. / Dissertation/Thesis / Masters Thesis Engineering 2015