Thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree Master of Technology: Construction Management, Department of Construction Management and Quantity Surveying In the Faculty of Engineering, At the Cape Peninsula University of Technology / Sustainable buildings are structures produced to meet the present housing needs of a society without compromising the ability of the future generation to meet their future needs. Based on the findings derived from the reviewed literature, the production process and the operational lifecycle of sustainable buildings promote a healthy well-being for the inhabitants and environmental balance through the effective management of energy, water, land and materials resources at every stage of construction. However, ineffective construction materials procurement strategy was found in literature as a major factor that constrains the production of sustainable buildings; leading to project failures or production cost and time overrun. Thus, the production cost of sustainable buildings is influenced by the total cost of construction materials acquisition, which amounts to about 65% of the total cost of building production. This factor on cost has over the years been a significant barrier to the adoption of sustainable building principles in the construction industry. This prompted the need to establish an effective strategy for construction materials procurement towards the enhancement of sustainable building production in Western Cape, South Africa. The research study adopted a mixed methodological approach, which involved the use of semi-structured qualitative interviews and closed-ended quantitative questionnaires administered to construction stakeholders (contractors and consultants) in the Western Cape Province of South Africa. SPSS version 23 software was used to analyse the quantitative data collected and ‘content analysis’ method was used to analyse the information collected through qualitative interview conducted.

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / To achieve a green building, special attention is required to the project stage once it will give the guidelines for the implementation, operation and maintenance of the building. Designers play a key role in the sustainable principles of the buildings, and the project must be oriented, since its beginning, to reach this goal. This can provide some changes to the entire production chain of the built environment. In Brazil, there is an inertia to the development of sustainable projects. Although there are professionals engaged in environmental movements, sustainable actions are just beginning. Thus, the incorporation of environmental demands to the design process became urgent. Thereby, this research proposes to investigate about the design of sustainable residential projects. The purpose of this research is to perform a study about the difficulties faced in the project process of certificated sustainable residential buildings, specifically with regards to the first category of the Technical Reference of the AQUA certification, which is the object of this study. In this context, this work seeks to identify how designers apply sustainable concepts in the project stage of residential green buildings, in order to implement a simplified methodology to facilitate its inclusion into the first category of the AQUA Process. The end result of this work will be the development of guidelines for the design of sustainable residential projects, based on the criteria from AQUA\'s first category. This will collaborate for a better understanding of this technical reference component and may also assist companies and designers who have not yet completed or started the certification process. Difficulties could be minimized and consequently the certification process of residential sustainable buildings projects will become easier. / Para se obter uma construção sustentável é necessária atenção especial à fase de concepção de projetos, uma vez que esta dará as diretrizes para a execução, operação e manutenção da edificação. Os projetistas desempenham papel fundamental na concepção dos princípios de sustentabilidade dos edifícios e, o projeto deve ser orientado desde o início a esse objetivo, ajudando a modificar toda a cadeia produtiva do ambiente construído. No Brasil, em geral, há uma inércia para a elaboração de projetos sustentáveis, e apesar de existirem profissionais engajados em movimentos ambientalistas, é muito incipiente. Assim, torna-se urgente a incorporação das novas demandas ambientais ao processo de projeto. Dessa forma, nesta pesquisa se propõe investigar a respeito da concepção de projetos habitacionais sustentáveis. A temática central dessa proposta está voltada para a realização de um estudo sobre as dificuldades enfrentadas no processo de projeto de edifícios habitacionais certificados, especificamente com relação à Categoria 1 do Referencial Técnico da Certificação AQUA, objeto de estudo deste trabalho. Neste contexto, busca-se compreender a percepção dos profissionais quanto à aplicação dos requisitos de sustentabilidade no projeto de edifícios habitacionais, a fim de implementar uma metodologia simplificada para viabilizar o enquadramento destes dentro da categoria 1 Relação do edifício com o entorno - do Processo AQUA. O resultado final deste trabalho será a elaboração de diretrizes para a concepção de projetos habitacionais sustentáveis, tomando como base os requisitos propostos na Categoria Relação do edifícios com o seu entorno . O que colaborará para uma melhor compreensão deste componente do referencial técnico, podendo ainda, auxiliar empresas e projetistas que ainda não completaram ou não iniciaram o processo de certificação. Minimizando assim, as dificuldades e, facilitando a certificação de projetos de edifícios habitacionais ao Processo AQUA. / Mestre em Engenharia Civil

Les performances énergétiques des constructions durables sont nettement inférieures à celles attendues et la question de l’impact du comportement des usagers devient primordiale. Différentes solutions sont déployées afin d’atteindre les performances prévues : elles s’étendent de l’information des usagers à l’aide de manuels, jusqu’à l’influence des comportements, en passant par l’automatisation des bâtiments réduisant ainsi la capacité d’action des usagers. La question est alors de savoir s’il est possible de concevoir des bâtiments toujours plus performants du point de vue énergétique sans venir altérer la relation usager/habitat et sans contraindre davantage les usagersNous proposons d’intégrer la notion d’affordance dans les constructions durables en posant l’hypothèse qu’elle pourrait permettre d’induire des comportements en adéquation avec les exigences de performances des constructions durables, en évitant au maximum l’introduction de procédures plus ou moins artificielles et en créant une compréhension, la plus immédiate possible, des usages des espaces fonctionnels et des équipements.Une première phase d’étude a été menée dans le but d’analyser l’activité des usagers au sein de leur habitat et traduire cette analyse en outils exploitables par les concepteurs. Un ensemble de personas a ainsi été défini. Parallèlement, une caractérisation de l’interaction usager/habitat a été réalisée par l’identification des critères venant l’influencer. Grâce à la pondération de ces facteurs d’impact, un modèle de calcul du niveau d’affordance de l’interaction entre les usagers et leur logement a pu être proposé. / The energetic performance of sustainable buildings is significantly lower than expected and therefore the impact of user behaviour becomes a crucial element. Different solutions are implemented to achieve predicted performance; these range from information i.e. user guides, to the influence of user behaviour through building automation reducing the users’ control. The possibility of designing more efficient buildings without altering the relationship between the user and the building, and without constraining the users is then to be investigated.We propose to integrate the notion of affordance in sustainable buildings under the assumption that this could be useful in inducing behaviour aligned with the performance requirements of sustainable buildings, while minimising the introduction of procedures more or less artificial and creating an immediate understanding of the use of a functional space and its equipment.A first experimental phase was conducted to analyse users' activities within their housing and translate this into tools for designers. A set of personas has been set. Meanwhile, a characterisation of the user/building interaction was carried out by identifying the criteria influencing it. With the weighting of these impact factors, a calculation model for the affordance level of this interaction was proposed.

Building design can have a major impact on sustainability through material efficiency and construction waste minimisation (CWM). The construction industry consumes over 420 million tonnes of material resources every year and generates 120 million tonnes of waste containing approximately 13 million tonnes of unused materials. The current and on-going field of CWM research is focused on separate project stages with an overwhelming endeavour to manage on-site waste. Although design stages are vital to achieve progress towards CWM, currently, there are insufficient tools for CWM. In recent years, Building Information Modelling (BIM) has been adopted to improve sustainable building design, such as energy efficiency and carbon reduction. Very little has been achieved in this field of research to evaluate the use of BIM to aid CWM during design. However, recent literature emphasises a need to carry out further research in this context. This research aims to investigate the use of BIM as a platform to help with CWM during design stages by developing and validating a BIM-aided CWM (BaW) Framework. A mixed research method, known as triangulation, was adopted as the research design method. Research data was collected through a set of data collection methods, i.e. selfadministered postal questionnaire (N=100 distributed, n=50 completed), and semistructured follow-up interviews (n=11) with architects from the top 100 UK architectural companies. Descriptive statistics and constant comparative methods were used for data analysis. The BaW Framework was developed based on the findings of literature review, questionnaire survey and interviews. The BaW Framework validation process included a validation questionnaire (N=6) and validation interviews (N=6) with architects. Key research findings revealed that: BIM has the potential to aid CWM during design; Concept and Design Development stages have major potential in helping waste reduction through BIM; BIM-enhanced practices (i.e. clash detection, detailing, visualisation and simulation, and improved communication and collaboration) have impacts on waste reduction; BIM has the most potential to address waste causes (e.g. ineffective coordination and communication, and design changes); and the BaW Framework has the potential to enable improvements towards waste minimisation throughout all design stages. Participating architects recommended that the adoption of the BaW Framework could enrich both CWM and BIM practices, and most importantly, would enhance waste reduction performance in design. The content should be suitable for project stakeholders, architects in particular, when dealing with construction waste and BIM during design.

This Diploma thesis deals with possibilities of utilizing earth as a building material for con-struction of detached houses using the rammed earth technology. Research in domestic and foreign literature led to description of the historical development of building from earth, overview of historical technologies and historical development of the technology of rammed earth. Subsequently, the thesis deals with nowadays very relevant problematics of sustainable construction, which is closely related to the use of natural materials, such as earth. Furthermore, the thesis describes the technology of rammed earth with examples of already realized buildings, both in the Czech Republic and other countries. The last part of the research describes selected methods of testing the physical-mechanical properties of rammed earth used abroad. The first section of experimental part deals with the design of earth mixtures for three specific sites (Dolany, Valchov and Dolní Těrlicko), using a computer model in Excel. The rest of experimental part contains the design of methodology for the production of test specimens for the pressure testing, and selected tests are performed for better knowledge of the physical-mechanical properties of the designed earth mixtures. The last part of the thesis discusses the problematics of legislative process of permitting rammed earth buildings and practical construction recommendations.

En la actualidad y desde hace algunos años, se viene tomando más conciencia por el cuidado del medio ambiente, esto debido a los efectos adversos que generan sobre la humanidad y por sobre todo debido a que representa a su vez una oportunidad de mejora y con ello una oportunidad de negocio también. Es así como existen diversas iniciativas, normativas públicas y privadas, que promueven la disminución del impacto ambiental en diferentes rubros que van desde lomas simple como reutilizar papel en una oficina, hasta inclusive realizar elaboradas construcciones o edificios sostenibles. En ese sentido, en el sector Construcción en nuestro país existen diversas normativas estatales que ayudan al control ambiental desde la concepción de un proyecto, y sobre todo en la etapa de construcción, pero no se enfocan en el cuidado ambiental a futuro, es decir durante la operación, debido entonces a estas ausencias estatales, existen también iniciativas privadas como las Certificaciones que promueven la Construcción de edificios Sostenibles (EDGE, LEEG, BREAM, entre otras). Estas Certificaciones no solo promueven el uso de materiales y equipos que, en primera instancia sean de bajo impacto ambiental, sino que también durante su operación permitan un uso moderado del consumo de agua y energía, lo cual si bien es cierto puede elevar el costo de construcción, a su vez es claro que permite reducir los costos operativos; justamente el objetivo del presente trabajo de investigación es analizar el costo - beneficio de una edificación sostenible en la ciudad del Cusco, específicamente usando parámetros de la Certificación EDGE respecto a una edificación de concepción tradicional. Parte importante para fomentar el desarrollo de proyectos sostenible radica en iniciativas locales, las cuales y mediante Ordenanzas Municipales promueven la Construcción de Edificios sostenibles, claro está que logren obtener una certificación, otorgando bonificaciones de altura a los promotores inmobiliarios, de tal forma se tenga un mayor área vendible, este es el caso de ordenanza Municipal N° 025-2019-MPC de la Municipalidad Provincial de Cusco, donde se ubica nuestro caso de Estudio Edificio multifamiliar Amauta III. / Nowadays and for some years, more awareness has been taken about caring for the environment, this due to the adverse effects that generated on humanity and above all because it represents in turn an opportunity for improvement and also with it a business opportunity too. There are various initiatives and regulations even public and privates that promote the reduction of environmental impact, some of them can be as simple as reusing paper in an-office, some others can be to even making elaborate constructions or sustainable buildings. In this sense, in the construction sector in our country there are various laws and regulations that help environmental control from the conception of a project, and especially in the construction process, but almost all of them are not focused on future environmental care, that is, during The operation, then due to these state absences, there are also private initiatives such as Certifications that promote the Construction of Sustainable buildings such us EDGE, LEEG, BREAM, among others These Certifications not only promote the use of materials and equipment that, in the first instance, have low environmental impact, but also during their operation stage allow a moderate use of water and energy consumption, which, although it is true, can raise the cost of construction, in turn, it is clear that it allows reducing operating costs; precisely the objective of this research work is analyze the cost - benefit of a sustainable building in the city of Cusco, specifically using parameters of the EDGE Certification with respect to a building of traditional conception. An important part to promote the development of sustainable buildings lies in local initiatives, which and through Municipal Ordinances promote the Construction of Sustainable Buildings, of course they manage to obtain a certification, granting height bonuses to real estate developers, in such a way that they have a largest salable area, this is the case of Municipal Order No. 025-2019-MPC of the Provincial Municipality of Cusco, where our case of Study Amauta III multifamily building is located. / Tesis

Under de senaste åren har det blivit alltmer aktuellt att bygga hållbart. Detta beror på den betydande klimatpåverkan som byggbranschen har och det önskemål som finns att minska påverkan för att sakta ner klimatförändringarna. Såväl kommuner som byggföretag arbetar idag aktivt med att minska sina klimatavtryck och driva utvecklingen framåt inom hållbart byggande. År 2015 så infördes en ny lag i PBL:s åttonde kapitel som förbjuder kommuner att ställa krav på byggnaders tekniska egenskaper under planerings- och markanvisningsprocessen. Trots detta har kommuner fortsatt ställa krav på tekniska egenskaper vilket hindrar det hållbara byggandet. Avsikten med studien har varit att undersöka kommuner och byggföretags åsikter kring de kommunala särkraven och hur det påverkar deras visioner om att det ska byggas mer hållbart. Studien undersöker därutöver vad som behöver förändras för att det ska byggas mer hållbart. Metoden som har använts för att besvara frågeställningarna har varit en kombination av tre olika metoder. Studien inleddes med en juridisk kvalitativ metod där relevanta lagtexter, utredningar och förarbeten studerades. Därefter en litteraturstudie för att kolla på tidigare examensarbeten och sist användes en kvalitativ intervjustudie där tio relevanta personer i branschen har intervjuats, fyra personer på byggföretagens sida och fem personer på kommunens sida. Intervjuerna skedde i form av semistrukturerade intervjuer. Den juridiska metoden, litteraturstudien och intervjuerna har tillsammans lett till slutsatserna att kommunerna som intervjuat är medvetna om att de inte får ställa några specifika krav, men har valt att ställa så kallade “önskemål” vid markanvisningar i stället, den slutsats man kan dra av det är att kommunerna i vissa fall ställer indirekta krav genom önskemål vilket påverkar kommunerna negativt. Det går även att konstatera att kommunerna är måna om att det som bygger i deras kommun ska bygga väldigt hållbart. Samtliga intervjuade personer inom branschen anser att det måste ske en form av förändring i branschen när det kommer till kommunens inblandning i ambitionerna om att bygga hållbart, och det behöver ske en skärpning och hårdare reglering nationellt genom BBR så kommunerna inte känner sig tvingade att ställa dessa krav eller “önskemål”. / In recent years, it has become increasingly relevant to build sustainably. This is due to the significant climate impact that the construction industry has and the desire to reduce this impact in order to slow down climate change. Both municipalities and construction companies are actively working today to reduce their climate footprint and drive development forward in sustainable construction. In 2015, a new law was introduced in PBL's eighth chapter, which prohibits municipalities from setting requirements on the technical characteristics of buildings during the planning and land designation process. Despite this, municipalities have continued to make demands on technical properties, which hinders sustainable construction. The purpose of the study has been to examine the opinions of municipalities and construction companies regarding the municipal special requirements and how it affects their visions of building more sustainably. The study also examines what needs to change in order for it to be built more sustainably. The method that has been used to answer the questions has been a combination of three different methods. The study began with a legal qualitative method where relevant legal texts, investigations and preparatory work were studied. Then a literature study was used to look on previous thesis and finally a qualitative interview study was used where ten relevant people in the industry have been interviewed, five on the side of the construction companies and five on the side of the municipality. The interviews took place in the form of semi-structured interviews. The legal method, literature study and the interviews have together led to the conclusions that the municipalities interviewed are aware that they are not allowed to set any specific requirements, but have chosen to set so-called "requests" for land allocations instead, the conclusion that can be drawn from this is that the municipalities in some cases make indirect demands through requests, which affects the municipalities negatively, we can also state that the municipalities are keen that what is built in their municipality must be built very sustainably. All the people interviewed in the industry believe that there must be some form of change in the industry when it comes to the municipality's involvement in the ambitions to build sustainably, and there needs to be tightening and tougher regulation nationally through BBR so that the municipalities do not feel forced to set these requirements or "desires".

Hållbar utveckling är ett omtalat ämne i dagens fastighetsbransch. Med flera färdplaner och globala mål som främjar en långsiktig hållbar utveckling har det framkommit system för hur man ska miljöanpassa byggnader. Miljöbyggnad och Svanenmärkning är två system som utvecklats i Sverige. För att följa ett hållbart strategiskt arbetet följer flera fastighetsbolag uppmaningen om ett netto noll utsläpp av växthusgaser 2045 i fastighetsbranschen. Detta föranleder ett ökat initiativ av att bygga hållbart och miljöanpassa redan befintliga byggnader.   Syftet med uppsatsen är att utföra en studie på hur de svenska miljöcertifieringssystemen, Miljöbyggnad och Svanen, förhåller sig till ett hållbarhetsarbete samt hur dessa certifikat värderas i fastighetsvärderingsprocessen. Studien kommer i förhållande till certifieringarna granska värderingsprocessen för att undersöka om certifikatet har ett ekonomiskt värde och analysera sambandet mellan miljöcertifiering och marknadsvärdet.  Resultatet av denna undersökning antyder att bostäder som är miljöcertifierade inte påvisar ett tydligt ekonomisk värde i relation till marknadsvärdet. Dock konstateras det att avgiften som erläggs på dessa bostadsrätter är betydligt lägre än de konventionella bostadsrätterna. Ett resultat av detta visar att miljö- och hållbarhets attributerna som existerar i dessa bostäder resulterar till en lägre avgift i jämförelse med de icke-miljöcertifierade bostadsrätterna. Småhusen påvisar ingen ökning av marknadsvärdet om en Svanenmärkning finns. Slutsatsen som tagits i detta arbete är att värderingen kring både bostadsrätter samt småhus vare sig dessa är miljöcertifierade eller ej ger en svår bedömning om det finns en tydligt korrelation mellan miljöcertifieringen och marknadsvärdet. / Sustainable development is an ongoing topic in today's real estate industry. With several roadmaps and global goals that promote a long-term sustainable development, systems for how to adapt buildings to the environment have emerged. Environmental Building and Nordic Swan Ecolabel are two systems developed in Sweden. In order to follow sustainable strategic work, several real estate companies follow the goal for a net zero emission of greenhouse gases by 2045 in the real estate industry. This leads to an increased initiative of sustainable development and adapting existing buildings to the environment. The purpose of the thesis is to carry out a study of how the Swedish environmental certification systems, Environmental Building and Nordic Swan Ecolabel, relate to sustainability work and how these certificates are valued in the property valuation process. In relation to the certifications, the study will investigate the valuation process to examine whether the certificate has an economic value and analyze the connection between environmental certification and market value. Results of this survey suggest that homes that are environmentally certified do not show a clear economic value in relation to the market value. However, it is noted that the fee paid on these condominiums is significantly lower than the conventional condominiums. A result of this shows that the environmental and sustainability attributes that exist in these homes result in a lower fee in comparison with the non-environmentally certified condominiums. The single-family homes do not show an increase in market value for houses with a Nordic Swan Ecolabel.  The conclusion drawn in this study is that the valuation of both a condominium and a single-family home, whether these homes are environmentally certified or not, is difficult to assess whether there is a clear correlation between the certification and the market value.

This master thesis investigates stakeholder perspectives on the adoption of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for sustainable construction of buildings. Study includes stakeholder views, preferences, and obstacles regarding adoption of sustainable construction initiatives by utilising a qualitative research approach. Key stakeholder viewpoints on the applicability, usefulness, and relevance are provided through qualitative interviews. Furthermore, stakeholder perspectives towards sustainability and process for development of KPIs are evaluated using qualitative surveys. The study utilises a case study methodology, focusing on a case company that is engaged in the construction of sustainable buildings, and employs a constructivist research design technique to comprehend the individual viewpoints and insights of stakeholders. To obtain in-depth insights, qualitative data gathering techniques like surveys and interviews are employed. A SWOT analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) is also included to determine internal and external variables impacting the adoption of KPIs and to systematically assess stakeholder viewpoints. The research findings shows that various stakeholders hold distinct opinions about the development of sustainable buildings. Although most stakeholders agree that KPIs are crucial for assessing sustainable development, there are significant differences in perspectives about sustainable initiatives in terms of the cost, lack of knowledge, and organizations involvement in decision-making. On the basis of the findings, recommendations are made to the case company to improve stakeholder involvement and collaboration in the development of KPIs for sustainable building construction. These include using standardised frameworks and rules for the creation of KPIs, incorporating stakeholder perspective into data gathering and analysis, and adopting collaborative approaches that engage stakeholders across the KPI life span.  The research contributes to the current discussion on sustainable construction approaches by addressing stakeholder perspectives and reservations, as well as influencing future efforts to develop and carry out effective KPIs in line with the goals and values of the company.

A presente pesquisa contribui para a realização de edifícios com um maior desempenho socioambiental e em equilíbrio com as questões culturais e econômicas atuantes no contexto dos empreendimentos. Foram estudados três casos que utilizaram o referencial do Processo AQUA (método de avaliação de empreendimentos sustentáveis, de origem francesa). O escopo da pesquisa está limitado às etapas do empreendimento que vão da concepção do projeto ao término da construção. Os objetivos propostos são identificar e analisar como o processo de gestão de empreendimentos se altera para a realização de edifícios com um melhor desempenho socioambiental, e os impactos dos requisitos propostos pelo referencial do Processo AQUA na elaboração das soluções técnicas e de outras estratégias, presentes nos projetos dos edifícios estudados. Adota como método de pesquisa o estudo de caso, baseado em entrevistas e análise documental. Os resultados e conclusões apontam que deve haver a participação de todas as partes interessadas, dando especial atenção à necessidade da formação da equipe de projetos logo nas primeiras fases da realização do empreendimento; também indicam que novas competências passam a fazer parte do processo e devem ser integradas à equipe, em momentos adequados, e que as soluções técnicas se desenvolvem de forma contínua e mais acelerada nos empreendimentos de edifícios de alto desempenho socioambiental, pois estes apresentam novas proposições de projeto que demandam desenvolvimento tecnológico dos projetistas, dos fabricantes de materiais e das empresas construtoras. / This research contributes to carrying out buildings with a higher environmental performance and in harmony with economic and cultural issues that take place in the projects context. It studied three cases, which employed the reference guide of the AQUA Process (a sustainable buildings assessment method of French origin). The scope of the research is limited from the concept design phase to the end of the construction phase. The objectives are to identify and analyze how the process of project management changes in order to improve the environmental performance of the buildings, and the impacts of the AQUA Process requirements on the development of technical solutions and other strategies, in the buildings studied here. As a research methodology it makes use of the case study, based on interviews and documentary analysis. The findings and conclusions indicate the need for the participation of all stakeholders, giving special attention to the necessity of shaping the project\'s team in the very first stages of the activity; they also reveal that new skills become part of the process and should be integrated into the team, at appropriate times, and that technical solutions are developed continuously and faster in high-performance building projects due to the new proposals they present, which demand technology development of designers, material manufacturers and construction companies.