This thesis puts forth the means of a strategic approach to address a persistent problem in the energy system and in this way, to transition the built environment to a future state that is more exergy-aware to curb CO2 emissions. Such a vision is made possible by the six-fold contributions of the research work: I) An analytical model is developed, which for the first time, formulates the CO2 emissions that are compounded in the energy system as a function of the systematic failures to match the supply and demand of exergy. This model is namely the Rational Exergy Management Model or REMM. II) REMM is then applied to analyze the pathways in which it is possible to lead the built environment into addressing structural overshoots in its exergy supply to curb CO2 emissions. The cases that embody these pathways are also analyzed over a base case, including cases for sustainable heating and cooling. III) New tools are designed to augment decision-making and exemplify a paradigm shift in the more rational usage of exergy to curb CO2 emissions. These include a scenario-based analysis tool, new options for CO2 wedges, and a multi-fold solution space for CO2 mitigation strategies based on REMM. IV) The concept of a net-zero exergy building (NZEXB) is developed and related to REMM strategies as the building block of an exergy-aware energy system. The target of a NZEXB is further supported by key design principles, which address shortcomings in state-of-the-art net-zero design. V) A premier building that deployed the key design principles to integrate building technology in an innovative, exergy-aware design and received LEED Platinum is analyzed on the basis of the NZEXB target. The results validate that this building boosts net self-sufficiency and curbs compound CO2 emissions, which are then presented in a proposed scheme to benchmark and/or label future NZEXBs. VI) Based on the scalability of the best-practices of the NZEXB ready building, the means to realize a smarter energy system that has exergy-aware relations in each aspect of the value chain to curb CO2 emissions are discussed. This includes a target for such a network at the community level, namely a net-zero exergy community (NZEXC). As a whole, the results of the thesis indicate that the strategic approach as provided by REMM and the NZEXB target of the research work has the potential to steer the speed and direction of societal action to curb CO2 emissions. The thesis concludes with a roadmap that represents a cyclical series of actions that may be scaled-up at various levels of the built environment in a transition to be in better balance with the Planet. / QC 20111014

A l'ère actuelle de la décentralisation des ressources et des compétences, le recours aux technologies est devenu de plus en plus fréquent donnant naissance à la collaboration électronique désignée aussi par eCollaboration. Malgré tous les avantages qu'elle apporte, l'implication des technologies dans le processus de la collaboration est loin de résoudre tous ses problèmes. Les travaux de recherche tournant autour de l'évaluation de l'eCollaboration se focalisent sur la détection, l'explication et la résolution de ces problèmes. Dans la littérature, nous avons noté que les travaux d'évaluation accordent un intérêt particulier et non justifié à la composante technologique de l'eCollaboration aux dépens de sa composante humaine. Cette constatation a motivé notre travail de thèse qui a pour objectif de proposer une approche générique d'évaluation des scénarios d'eCollaboration qui prend en compte leurs composantes technologiques et humaines. Face à la délicatesse du contexte de l'eCollaboration et afin d'atteindre l'objectif fixé, notre contribution a suivi une démarche constituée de trois étapes. La première étape a consisté en une analyse basée sur les scénarios qui, suite à l'élaboration de plusieurs abstractions, nous a permis de proposer un modèle conceptuel de l'eCollaboration, un schéma des interactions mises en œuvre et une classification des scénarios d'eCollaboration. La deuxième étape s'est intéressée au développement d'un simulateur de scénarios d'eCollaboration en se basant sur les résultats produits par l'étape précédente. Ce travail nous a permis d'identifier un critère générique de succès de l'eCollaboration à travers la génération de différentes instances de scénarios d'eCollaboration se déroulant dans des conditions variées et l'observation de différents types d'anomalies qui y apparaissent. La troisième étape a porté sur la proposition d'une approche générique d'évaluation basée sur le critère de succès dégagé précédemment et composée de deux niveaux : le premier consiste en une détection des anomalies et le deuxième se focalise sur l'explication de celles-ci en se basant sur une méthode d'analyse de la fiabilité humaine qui considère que toute anomalie détectée est provoquée par une inadéquation des conditions de déroulement qui englobent des causes aussi bien technologiques que humaines. / In the actual area of resource and skills decentralization, the use of technologies has become increasingly common under the name of electronic collaboration or eCollaboration. In spite of its interest, the involvement of technologies in the collaboration process has not solved all its problems. The research works on eCollaboration evaluation are focused on the detection, explanation and resolution of these problems.In the literature, we noted that evaluation works accord a special and unjustified attention to technological component of eCollaboration scenarios at the expense of their human component. This finding has motivated our thesis, aiming to propose a generic evaluation approach of eCollaboration scenarios that considers technological and human eCollaboration components. Given the delicacy of eCollaboration environments and to attain the objective of this work, our contribution follows a three step based process. The first step consists in a scenario based analysis that allowed, after carrying out several abstractions, to suggest a conceptual eCollaboration model, a scheme of the implemented interactions and a classification of eCollaboration scenarios. The second step is focused on the development of an eCollaboration simulator based on results of the previous step. This work allowed us to identify a generic criterion for eCollaboration success by generating different instances of eCollaboration scenarios progressing in varied conditions and observing different types of anomalies occuring on them. The third step was interested in the proposition of a generic evaluation approach based on the success criterion previously detected and composed by two levels : the first is interested in anomaly detection and the second is focused on the explanation of it, using a human reliability analysis method which considers that any detected anomaly is due to inappropriate progress conditions including both technological and human causes.

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