When implementing a bridge design proposal, it is common that several alternatives be considered, each with a different material of construction. Traditional building materials used for the construction of bridges have mainly been concrete, steel, timber or aluminium. With all these materials options, maintenance and replacement costs throughout the lifespan of a bridge make up for a large proportion of their total life cycle costs. Fiber Reinforced Polymer (FRP) provides a new viable construction material, which can be implemented in bridge construction. This plastic based material has favourable material properties such a very high strength to weight ratio, high corrosion resistance and durability, as well as very low maintenance costs over its lifetime. In the feasibility analysis, a case study of an existing FRP deck bridge was taken and examined in three aspects: structural, economic and environmental. The bridge was also redesigned with a concrete deck solution, to provide a comparison to a conventional construction material. The results were found, in general to be favourable towards the FRP solution. From the structural analysis savings on deflection, support reactions and superstructure stresses were outputted. Economically, the composite material was found to have a substantial higher initial cost but much lower periodic maintenance costs than the concrete option. Finally the FRP bridge option displayed a lower construction time for the superstructure, at one third of that of concrete and an overall lower environmental impact, based on material production and the overall bridge construction process.

The growing industry of Information and Communication Technology requires higher computing capacity of data centers. The air conditioning in data centers is a key to assure a sustainable computing environment. However, the traditional cooling systems cost large environmental footprints especially on energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. As a result, a green innovation of data center cooling solutions is taking place. The telecommunication company Teliasonera is developing a high density data center cooling system - the “Green Room” and has been studying the environmental performance of this system using a Life Cycle approach. As an extension of the previous study, more aspects of the project i.e. the location of the data center, life span, alternative cooling solutions, energy recovery possibilities and uncertainty analysis is explored using Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology. The comparison of locations of the Green Room indicates that the local temperature and electricity production sources are essential factors for the environmental performance of the Green Room. The analysis of the Green Room’s life span reveals that the utilization phase may not always cause the most significant impact during the whole life cycle of the Green Room. If the life span changes, the manufacture phase may predominate the life cycle of the Green Room. The comparative result of alternative cooling technologies addresses that utilizing “natural coolant” (e.g. geo cooling) is a key for sustainable cooling innovation as it could significantly reduce the environmental footprint of the cooling system. Besides, heating a single building (partly) by the waste heat generated from the Green Room could save 30% of cumulative energy input and could reduce more than half of the total environmental impact. Additionally, results uncertainties caused by the choice of different LCIA methods are discussed in the end of the study. / Teliasonera's Green Room concept

The growing industry of Information and Communication Technology requires higher computing capacity of data centers. The air conditioning in data centers is a key to assure a sustainable computing environment. However, the traditional cooling systems cost large environmental footprints especially on energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. As a result, a green innovation of data center cooling solutions is taking place. The telecommunication company Teliasonera is developing a high density data center cooling system - the “Green Room” and has been studying the environmental performance of this system using a Life Cycle approach. As an extension of the previous study, more aspects of the project i.e. the location of the data center, life span, alternative cooling solutions, energy recovery possibilities and uncertainty analysis is explored using Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology. The comparison of locations of the Green Room indicates that the local temperature and electricity production sources are essential factors for the environmental performance of the Green Room. The analysis of the Green Room’s life span reveals that the utilization phase may not always cause the most significant impact during the whole life cycle of the Green Room. If the life span changes, the manufacture phase may predominate the life cycle of the Green Room. The comparative result of alternative cooling technologies addresses that utilizing “natural coolant” (e.g. geo cooling) is a key for sustainable cooling innovation as it could significantly reduce the environmental footprint of the cooling system. Besides, heating a single building (partly) by the waste heat generated from the Green Room could save 30% of cumulative energy input and could reduce more than half of the total environmental impact. Additionally, results uncertainties caused by the choice of different LCIA methods are discussed in the end of the study. / Teliasonera's Green Room concept

Studien syftar till att ta fram rekommenderade livscykelplaner för övergångskonstruktioner för att i framtiden möjliggöra säkrare livscykelkostnadsanalyser. Nedbrytningen av övergångskonstruktioner kan grovt delas upp i två kategorier, användarrelaterad nedbrytning samt nedbrytning associerat med rådande klimatförhållanden. I studien har årsdygnstrafiken och klimatzonernas påverkan på övergångskonstruktionen studerats genom utvärdering av historiskt utförda åtgärder kopplade till Trafikverkets broförvaltningssystem BaTMan. Regressionsanalyser och överlevnadsanalyser utfördes för de vanligaste åtgärderna. Resultaten visar att utbyte av tätprofil samt övergångskonstruktion är de åtgärder som förekommer allra mest och sker i genomsnitt efter 25 respektive 33 år. Från analyserna kunde utläsas att trafikintensiteten är en faktor som direkt påverkar nedbrytningen och således reparation och utbyte av övergångskonstruktion, troligt är även att tung trafik står för en stor del av nedbrytningen. Även klimatet verkar ha en påverkan på både övergångskonstruktionens och tätprofilens livslängd. Baserat på resultaten rekommenderas tre livscykelplaner, livscykelplanerna kan användas som underlag i framtida livscykelberäkningar. De kan även användas som stöd för förvaltare vid uppbyggnad av strategier under förvaltningsfasen. / This study aims to develop recommended Life-Cycle Plans for bridge expansion joints which in the future can be used for Life-Cycle Cost analysis to achieve a higher degree of certainty. The degradation of expansion joints can be roughly divided into two categories, user-related degradation and degradation due to climatic conditions. In the study, the influence of annual average daily traffic and climate zones on the expansion joint will be studied by evaluating historically conducted maintenance actions related to the Swedish Transport Administrations (Trafikverket) bridge management system BaTMan. Regression analysis and survival analyzes were performed for the most common actions. The results show that replacement of the strip seal and the expansion joint is the most commonly performed maintenance measures and occurs on average after 25 and 33 years. From the analyzes it was deduced that the traffic intensity is a factor that directly affects the degradation and therefore also the repair and replacement of the expansion joint, likely is also that a large part of the degradation is due to the wear of heavy vehicles. The climate also seems to have an impact on the lifetime of the expansion joint as well as the strip seal. Based on the results, three Life-Cycle Plans was recommended. These Life-Cycle Plans can be used for future Life-Cycle Cost calculations but also to support bridge managers when comparing different maintenance strategies during the operational phase.

Construction of infrastructure does not only mean large capital investments but also future costs to operate and maintain these assets. Decision making in planning and design of roads will impact the need of future operation and maintenance activities. Additionally, infrastructure management is often under increasing pressure of aging structures, limited budgets and increased demands from public which require transparency in the decision making. Life cycle costing is a methodology that takes into account costs throughout an asset’s life cycle including investment, operation, maintenance and disposal. Despite the methodology’s existence for more than 40 years, the practical application is often reported to be scarce in both private and public sectors. Implementation in road planning and management means a high complexity where the life cycle costing can to be applied from early planning, design, construction and management in which all influence life cycle cost. Life cycle costing can also be applied in many different ways, level of detail and for different type of studies. For effective implementation of life cycle costing in road planning, design and management, different considerations need to be understood. In this thesis the application of life cycle costing has been studied through case study research. The main case selected was an investment to convert a single carriageway road to a, so called, sparse collision-free road. Through widening and separation between driving directions the traffic safety is significantly improved. However, in recent years increased operation and maintenance costs have been associated with the road type. Especially concerns regarding increased road user cost during road works have been expressed. This case was examined in two case studies from different perspectives. The first one was to study the implications on project appraisal and the second one examined the possibility to optimise pavement design. Results from cost benefit analyses based on established road appraisal techniques indicated that operation and maintenance related costs had limited impact on profitability. The second study also indicated that future cost can be influenced differently depending on criteria for optimal alternative. Based on economic analyses using established techniques, increased operation and maintenance liabilities appear to be of limited concern, in contrary to the perception. In future research this need to be set in context of road management with refined analysis in order to study implications for future management. / <p>QC 20141028</p>

SammanfattningProdukter produceras idag i stor utsträckning för att tillfredsställa konsumenters behov varpåmiljöbelastningen eskalerar i takt med efterfrågan och produktionen som sker därefter. Lösningenpå problemet kan sammanfattas i ekodesign där miljöoptimering av produktutvecklingen skerutifrån ett helhetsperspektiv; råvaruutvinning, produktion, användning, återvinning, slutligtomhändertagande samt transporter.Teknik-konsultföretaget ÅF uppmärksammade detta problem hos svenska producenter ochstartade 2008 en intern sektion, EcoDesign center, som erbjöd sina kunder ekodesignrelateradetjänster. Utmaningarna och problemen hos kunderna har med tiden förändrats och för att centretska kunna erbjuda sina kunder relevanta tjänster, undersöks i detta arbete svenska producentersrelation till ekodesign idag.Syftet med arbetet har varit att kartlägga producenternas problem och utmaningar inommiljöanpassad produktutveckling och samtidigt utvärdera ÅF EcoDesign centers förutsättningaratt tillgodose sina kunder. Att utifrån denna kunskap komma med förbättringsförslag ochrekommendationer på hur centrets ekodesigntjänster kan optimeras har varit målet med arbetet.Resultatet visar att ekodesignarbetet inte är tillräckligt utbrett vilket främst beror på bristfälligefterfrågan av ekodesignade produkter. Kundefterfrågan är direkt kopplat till ekonomiskaincitament, företag drivs i vinstsyfte och utan en efterfrågan kommer ekodesignarbete inteimplementeras. Producenterna har inte insett eller förstått den ekonomiska potentialen medmiljöeffektiv produktutveckling och tror det är dyrt och tidsödande. En orsak till detta kan varabristen på enkla ekodesignverktyg, då de flesta existerande verktyg kräver experter.Kunskapsbristen är ett faktum, vilket producenterna själva ser som ett av de största hindren förimplementering av ekodesign i produktutvecklingsprocessen.ÅF:s EcoDesign center bör satsa på en inledande ekodesigntjänst som kartlägger vad för typ avekodesigntjänst deras kunder behöver hjälp med. Denna tjänst ska fungera som en inkörsport tillövriga ekodesignområden som EcoDesign center rekommenderas att satsa på i framtiden; PRS(Product Regulatory Support), strategi, eco screening, utbildning, tjänstedesign ochmarknadsföring. / Products are currently produced to satisfy customer needs to a large extent whereupon theenvironmental impact escalates due to the demand and production. A solution to the problemcan be summarized in the term eco design where the environmental optimization of a producthas a holistic perspective, including everything from raw material extraction, production, uses,recycling, disposal and transport.ÅF, a technology consulting firm, drew attention to this problem and started EcoDesign centerin 2008, an in-house section where they offered their customers eco design related services. Thechallenges and problems in their customers needs have changed over time and understandinghow the center should provide their customers with relevant service is investigated in this thesis.The aim of the thesis has been to identify producers’ problems and challenges with greenproduction and at the same time evaluate EcoDesign center's prerequisites to satisfy theircustomers’ needs. Based on this knowledge, the aim has been to come up with suggestions andrecommendations on how the center can optimize their eco design related services.The result shows that the eco design work is not sufficiently widespread, mainly due to a poordemand for eco designed products. Customer demand is directly linked to economic incentives,companies run for profit and without a demand an eco design work will not be implemented.Producers have not realized the economic potential of eco effective products and think it isexpensive and time consuming. One reason can be the lack of simple eco design tools, sinceexisting tools require expertise. The lack of knowledge is a fact, which the producers consider tobe one of the biggest obstacles to implement eco design in the product developing process.EcoDesign center should invest in an initial eco design service that identifies in which types ofeco design areas their customer needs help. This service will act as a gateway to other eco designservices offered at the center. In the future, EcoDesign center is recommended to focus on thefollowing, eco design related work; PRS (Product Regulatory Support), strategy, eco screening,education, service design and marketing.

I denna uppsats diskuteras hur relationsmarknadsföring kan användas av företag som utvecklar högteknologiska SaaS-lösningar för att bygga lönsamma relationer på en tidig marknad. För att svara på frågeställningen “Hur kan högteknologiska SaaS-leverantörer arbeta med relationsmarknadsföring för att attrahera kundgrupperna Innovators och Early adopters på den tidiga marknaden utifrån The Technology Adoption Life Cycle?” har en kvalitativ metod i form av en fallstudie använts. Semistrukturerade intervjuer med respondenter från en SaaS-leverantör och deras kunder nyttjas för insamling av empirin. Detta för att öka förståelsen för vad både leverantörer av SaaS och deras kunder värdesätter i en relation. Urvalet av teori bygger på hur segmenteringsverktyget The Technology Adoption Life Cycle och teorier kring relationsmarknadsföring kan kombineras för att öka förståelsen för hur olika kundrelationer kräver olika tillvägagångssätt på den tidiga marknaden. Genom analyser av den insamlade empirin har författarna av denna uppsats dragit slutsatsen att relationsmarknadsföring är ett brett område. Utöver produkten behöver SaaS-leverantörer fokusera på andra nyckelfaktorer där personal, teknologi, tid och kunskap ingår. Det är dessutom avgörande att SaaS-leverantörer lägger stor vikt på den interna marknadsföringen eftersom alla interaktioner och beröringspunkter med kunden påverkar relationen. Tillit till det andra företaget och engagemang i relationen är ytterligare aspekter som ligger till grund för att bygga långvariga relationer. Dessa relationer är avgörande för att SaaS-lösningen ska kunna nå den huvudsakliga marknaden där kapitalet finns och en prenumerationsmodell ger önskad avkastning.  Genom live-in marketing kan SaaS-leverantören ta del av viktiga insikter från sina kunder på den tidiga marknaden och möjliggöra en kundcentrerad utveckling av SaaS-lösningen. Undersökningen som denna uppsats bygger på har däremot visat att ett fokus på spridning genom word of mouth inte nödvändigtvis leder till ökad exponering och försäljning, samt att utträdesbarriärer inte är ett tillvägagångssätt för att skapa engagemang i relationen. / This undergraduate thesis explores the possibilities of high tech SaaS providers to apply relationship marketing in order to establish profitable relationships in the early market. A qualitative method in the form of a case study was used to answer the research question “How can high tech SaaS providers apply relationship marketing theory in order to attract customer groups in the early market based on The Technology Adoption Life Cycle?”. To collect the empirical material, semi-structured interviews were conducted with respondents from one SaaS provider and two of their customers. This was done to increase the knowledge on what SaaS providers and their customers value in a relationship. The segmentation tool The Technology Adoption Life Cycle and relationship marketing theory was applied to increase the understanding of how various customer groups require different approaches in the early market. Through analysis of the collected empirical material, the authors of this thesis have drawn the conclusion that relationship marketing is a broad field. Beside the product itself, SaaS providers need to focus on other key factors such as personnel, technology, time and knowledge. Since all interactions with the customer will affect the relationship, internal marketing should be of paramount importance to the SaaS provider. Trust between partners as well as commitment to the relationship play a vital part in the longevity of relationships in the early market. These relationships are crucial in order for a SaaS to reach the mainstream market where a subscription model can show true value for the SaaS-provider. SaaS providers can use live-in marketing to gain important insights from its customers in the early market and develop their SaaS with a customer centric approach. The research that has been conducted in this thesis has shown that focusing on diffusion through word of mouth does not necessarily result in increased exposure and sales, but also that costs of leaving a relationship does not increase the customers commitment to the relationship.

Achieving a sustainable production has become more important in the same phase as the environmental focus grows. Sustainable production means that you take into consideration the economical and environmental life cycle, that can be analyzed and measured with help from LCC (Life Cycle Cost) and LCA (Life Cycle Assessment). The purpose of this study has been to increase the understanding for how LCC and LCA can be used in order to improve the economical and environmental sustainability within manufacturing processes. The goal has been to identify weaknesses and improvement potential in order to strengthen sustainability. There has also been a purpose to create a template with the purpose to promote other companies to identify which factors need to be improved. Data has been collected through structured interviews and other documents from the studied company. Results and conclusions present that the studied company’s production is economically and environmentally sustainable but there is room for improvement.  The improvement suggestions that the authors have come up with is following: - Reduce costs by improving the flow within the production - Shorten the distance of transportation by choosing local suppliers - Choosing more environmentally friendly transportation. / Att uppnå en hållbar produktion är någonting som blir viktigare och viktigare med de ökade miljökrav som ställs. Hållbar produktion innebär att man tar hänsyn till den ekonomiska och miljömässiga livscykeln, som kan analyseras och mätas med hjälp av LCC (Life Cycle Costs) och LCA (Life Cycle Assessment).  Syftet med denna studie har varit att ge en ökad förståelse för hur LCC och LCA kan användas för att förbättra den ekonomiska och miljömässiga hållbarheten inom produktioner. Målet med studien har varit att identifiera svagheter och förbättringspotential inom produktionsprocesser för att stärka hållbarheten. Det har även funnits ett syfte att skapa en mall med syfte att främja andra företag att identifiera vilka faktorer som behöver förbättras. Data har samlats in genom strukturerade intervjuer och annan dokumentation från det studerade fallföretaget. Resultat och slutsats presenterar att företagets produktion är ekonomiskt och miljömässigt hållbart men att förbättringspotential finns. De förbättringsförslag som författarna kom fram till var följande: - Reducera kostnader genom att förbättra flödet - Minska transportsträckan genom lokala leverantörer - Välja miljövänligare transport / <p>Digital presentation som följd av Covid-19.</p>

Research on historical developments that lead to the establishment of global organizations for climate change has shown that the phenomenon of surface temperature is not a new topic of focus. Increased policy restrictions, brand image, fear of resource scarcity, growing market trends towards sustainability and consumer awareness are among the several external factors that have influenced the growing research in corporate transition towards carbon neutrality. The main aim of this study is to understand through data accounting of major material and energy carrier changes, how a non-production facility could transition to become a carbon-neutral facility. Therefore, an exploratory case study has been performed and conducted at Volvo CE Customer center in Eskilstuna, Sweden, with two objectives: i) to identify and quantify the customer center current footprint by mapping the main contributors to greenhouse gases emissions, and ii) to recommend specific &amp; general measures that can mitigate the carbon footprint of the facility. Three research questions related to the facility’s current carbon footprint, measures implemented so far, and the best applied assessment method, have guided us throughout the study. The methodology has been framed to give a theoretical underpinning for understanding the project from a holistic perspective. The split of the methodology has been constructed in line with the theoretical framework that gave the foundation to the needed theories to be taken into account i.e. GHG protocol, which is the tool that has been adopted by the study to attain the desired aim, including the three scopes under the protocol which were also defined accordingly. ‘Scope 1’ has been taken into account and is a representation of direct emissions, ‘Scope 2 represents the indirect emissions, and ‘Scope 3’ (according to the GHG protocol) takes into account the rest of the indirect emissions arranged into 15 categories, from which applicable to our study were 4 categories (1, 3, 4 and 6). The results showed that during the base year (2019) the highest user within Scope 1 was diesel, followed by HVO, and under Scope 2, The results from Scope 1 and 2, together with the results of Scope 3 category, were analyzed using the attributional LCA approach recommended by the GHG protocol to calculate their contribution to the customer centers’ total carbon footprint. It was found that Scope 1 stands for 128.52 t CO₂-eq while Scope 2 stands only for 1.16 t CO₂-eq and finally Scope 3 stands for most of the emissions with 3719 t CO₂-eq. It has been found that in 2019, the customer center has saved 101.05 tonnes of GHG by implementing measures, such as switching from using Diesel to HVO and switching from the mixed electricity to the renewable ones, according to the attributional perspective presented in the GHG protocol. However, different results were found when these values were discussed and analyzed from the consequential perspective, since this perspective analyses the effects of the implemented measures on the global emission level. This concluded that implementation of conservation and efficiency measures must take priority before switching to higher priced renewables. Thus, the resulting carbon neutrality will be consequentially safer. The recommendations stated in this study also follows the same principle “Conserve before investing”. Suggestions and recommendations outlined in the study for future implementation approach carbon neutrality as a strategy and not a burden, helping the customer neutral achieve the goal in an Environment, Economic and Socially sustainable manner.

The current civil engineering reality is showing disturbing fact that no profession are present in all phases the life cycle of a construction object. Is becoming increasingly evident need for interconnection of all participants of the investment process in all phases the life cycle of a construction object, and it is thanks to facility management. Facility management in the Czech Republic is still relatively new and continually develops. Facility management is introduced including the associated standards in this thesis.Thesis deals with the position of facility manager and define facility management principles. The proposed methodology for monitoring of the operational life cycle cost of buildings is also presented on the specific construction object. Defined facility management principles are then set in the context of cost management of the selected construction object. The aim of the doctoral thesis is to prove or disprove that the application of the facility management principles can optimize the costs of administrative buildings.