Thesis (M.Arch.)--University of Detroit Mercy, 2010. / "28 May 2010". Includes bibliographical references (p. 17).

Thesis (M.Arch.)--University of Detroit Mercy, 2010. / "30 April, 2010". Includes bibliographical references (p. 82-83).

Thesis (M.S.)--The University of North Carolina at Greensboro, 2009. / Directed by Kenneth Gruber; submitted to the Dept. of Interior Architecture. Title from PDF t.p. (viewed Apr. 29, 2010). Includes bibliographical references (p. 86-96).

Thesis (M. Arch.)--Montana State University--Bozeman, 2007. / Typescript. Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Christopher Livingston. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 137-142).

Thesis (MTech (Design))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2011 / Sustainable architecture prescribes the conscious consideration and active contemplation of ways of meeting the housing needs of humans while attempting simultaneously to prevent our consumption patterns from exceeding the resources at our disposal. Sustainability in the built environment is infinitely complex as the very nature of modern architecture is based upon the extraction and exploitation of finite natural resources to feed a linear system ultimately ending in the depletion of those resources and the destruction of the ecosystem from which they are excavated. When considering built environments, the most visible and measurable components of any sustainable design is its ecological and economic sustainability. Social sustainability, on the other hand is of an unquantifiable nature, making it a most contentious topic in design and development discourse. This thesis uses a systems approach to sustainable architecture as a lens to focus on the practical applications of structural concepts made possible by the integration of textiles in the built environment and examines possibilities of adapting and incorporating vernacular and low-tech textile-based construction methods into contemporary sustainable architecture. More specifically, it explores the possibilities of using architextiles, or textiles in the building industry, as a vehicle for advancing sustainable development within the emerging economy of South Africa with its unambiguous diversity in all three bottom lines of sustainability; environment (ecology, resources, geography, built environment), society (community, culture, politics) and economy (employment, wealth, finance, industry, infrastructure, consumer behaviour).

Although much research has been conducted on the greening of universities in the international context, not many studies focus on this topic in the South African context. A literature overview also identified that there are insufficient guidelines for green buildings at South African universities. Even though the Green Star rating tool is implemented in South Africa, no set of guidelines for green buildings exits at South African universities. The development of guidelines for green buildings at Nelson Mandela Metropolitan is a challenge which needs to be investigated. From the literature overview, it was possible to develop a framework containing seventeen green building aspects which could assist in developing green building guidelines. For this study, a two stage process was used to obtain information to evaluate green building guidelines critically at South African universities. Green building guidelines, as available at South African universities, were firstly explored by conducting a content analysis of all South African university websites. The information available on South African university websites regarding green buildings was scant and only two universities, namely the University of Cape Town and the University of Pretoria, reported that they had a green building. Stage two in the research process involved the empirical investigation of guidelines for green buildings at Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University. The results of the descriptive statistics showed that most building guidelines were perceived as important, but difficult to implement. The building guideline that was ranked the most important was the design of buildings that required low levels of maintenance or were maintenance free. The building guideline that was ranked the easiest to implement was to save energy in general. Considering the 17 suggested aspects and the five groups identified, a proposed set of green building guidelines was developed. The data gathered in this study is important as it could be utilised by the university to develop and implement the proposed green building guidelines.

A research report submitted to the Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment, University of the Witwatersrand, in fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Masters of Built Environment in Housing Johannesburg May 2018 / The implementation of site and service schemes (S & SS) as a low cost sustainable housing arrangement in Beitbridge may not succeed in a depressed economy entrenched with both formal and informal approaches to project implementation. The delivery of low cost houses though S & SS as a low cost sustainable housing delivery approach has not lived up to its expectations, leaving much be desired except to arouse people’s concerted efforts to project implementation. This is in spite of a partnership which promised to be a potential success in providing serviced sites with infrastructure and services and reduce the housing backlog in Beitbridge. The depressed economy eroded household incomes, reduced government public funding of housing development and reduced municipal capacity to provide infrastructure which corresponds with the increased rate of housing development. Following an insightful in-depth interview methodology and several transect walk to the Dulivhadzimu West S & SS Project site, I argue that implementation of the scheme in terms of administrative, infrastructure provision and financial aspects were weak to enable successful implementation of the conventional approach to the scheme. The implementation inadvertently shifted to informal and unplanned approach to the dismay of the municipality and implementing partner and ended up benefiting the high income people who could afford paying for the services. As such, there were no clear regulatory mechanisms and modalities to enable the targeted low-income people to be beneficiaries of the scheme which was hijacked and benefited the high income people in Beitbridge. As a result, this has resulted in self-help approaches as resulting in self built houses through parallel and incremental development and informal adoption of alternative conventional infrastructure like septic tanks for sanitation facilities. Although the scheme is still in the early stages of project implementation, it clear that the trajectory of the implementation has changed and that the low income people, as the target population, might have been missed. / MT 2018

Today’s greatest global challenges include managing the environmental crisis and promoting sustainable development. Within architecture, the measures and approaches taken to address these challenges vary. While some promote self-sufficiency, others promote technological advances, creating tensions between technological and social solutions. This study, inspired by actor-network theory (ANT) investigates how global, technological measures of sustainability interact with specific local and social conditions. The aim is to further our understanding of the challenges of creating a built environment that responds not only to global measures of sustainable development but also to our local and social relation to place. A focus on technology is a commonplace feature of sustainable architecture and provides a window into understanding how universal sustainability principles relate to specific contexts. This thesis contributes to socio-technical studies of sustainable architecture by comparing and contrasting local conditions and the application of sustainable technologies related to energy efficiency, self-sufficiency and climate resilience. A theoretical framework was developed and applied to a case study, the ‘Climate House’, a recent sustainable building project in southern Thailand with a strong emphasis on technology. The case study methodology consists of a desk-based study of documents and semi-structured interviews combined with site visits and observations. Social constructivist theory and ANT are used to understand the selected case. The findings illustrate different and sometimes competing logics that negotiate the local and global dynamics of sustainable architecture.  The case study brings to light the difficulties of implementing sustainable technologies in local contexts without relating to the particular conditions of place and people. Overall, the study finds that conventional sustainable architecture is based on technologies that are universal and placeless. Future studies could therefore explore what exactly sustainable technologies aim to sustain – development or life on earth.

No description available.

No description available.