Thesis (M. S.)--Civil and Environmental Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, 2009. / Committee Chair: Doyoyo Mulalo; Committee Member: Will Kenneth; Committee Member: Yavari Arash. Part of the SMARTech Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Collection.

Thesis (Ph.D.) - University of Queensland, 2005. / Includes bibliography.

Thesis (M. Arch.)--University of Hong Kong, 2004. / Includes special report study entitled: Movable architecture: a study of movable environment in the past, present and future. Also available in print.

A research report submitted to the Faculty of Engineering and Built Environment, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Building. Johannesburg, 2018 / South Africa is currently faced with the challenge of reducing the huge backlog of infrastructure delivery to communities that were previously disadvantaged. Specifically, the Government needs to deliver school infrastructure to accommodate the rapidly growing student population particularly in areas that have experienced high levels of urban migration. It is generally agreed that there is need to step up the quality of planning, costing and project management, to speed up the delivery process of schools in line with the schools calendar. This research report critically assesses the characteristics and application of procurement systems currently being utilised by Gauteng Department of Infrastructure Development (GDID) for the delivery of school buildings. GDID utilises three procurement systems; the traditional, the integrated and the management-oriented procurement systems, providing an opportunity to compare the performance of each system within a single organisational context. A descriptive survey was conducted for school projects with the same prototype design executed within GDID, to identify the external and internal factors that are complimentary or detrimental to the effective implementation of the different procurement systems. Data was collected and the content analysed. The literature research confirms that different procurement systems have an effect on the total project delivery time, assuming all other variables remain constant. The integrated procurement system was found to be the most suitable procurement system for schools service delivery projects, from initiation to close out, for GDID, given the tight time frameworks. However, due regard should be given to extensive communication with all stakeholders to obtain their buy-in and approvals. / E.R. 2019

When buildings are constructed and renovated today, environmental aspects aremost often taken into consideration. There might, however, not always be aclearly expressed health perspective. This study explores the obstacles andopportunities to initiating a clearer health perspective in the construction and realestate branches. A qualitative method was used, consisting of semi-structuredinterviews with ten agents from the construction and real estate branches in theprivate and municipal sectors. The analysis was performed by the use oforganisational theory. The results show that different financial incentives such as“ROT-deductions” are the ones most discussed when it comes to attaining aclearer health perspective into the sustainability work of the branches.Suggestions for improvement in the legislative area were for example aboutspecifying threshold values for certain substances in the indoor environment, andabout improving policy for how chemical products are to be declared. Differentclassification systems for healthy buildings could also be of use, if coordinated tobe better understood. Also the need to discuss ethics, morality and “attitude” inthe branches was brought up. The need to use health economic measures to beable to make comparisons to other societal costs was also emphasized.

Thesis (M.S.)--Michigan State University, Construction Management Program, 2007. / Title from PDF t.p. (viewed on June 12, 2008). Available through UMI ProQuest Digital Dissertations. Includes bibliographical references (p. 284-286).

Miljömedvetenheten hos hyresgäster, såväl som hos andra intressenter inom fastighetsbranschen, har ökat markant de senaste åren. Allt fler företag och intresseorganisationer tänker allt mer på vad just de kan göra för att minska de negativa effekterna på miljön och inte minst vilka affärsmöjligheter det finns att hitta. På den internationella fastighetsmarknaden har "green buildings" kommit att bli ett välkänt begrepp, men vad menas egentligen med "green buildings" och vad är orsakerna till den låga utvecklingen på den svenska fastighetsmarknaden? Arbetet syftar till att studera den mer utvecklade internationella marknaden och med kunskap därifrån definiera begreppet "green buildings" samt resonera om vilka faktorer och framförallt vilka intressenter det är som styr utvecklingen. Arbetet syftar även till att från mer utvecklade marknader dra lärdomar av olika intressenter, och framförallt från ett fastighetsägarperspektiv, i syfte att vara vägledande för AP Fastigheter som en av Sveriges största fastighetsägare. Studien är genomförd 2008 med avslutande reflektioner gjorda under 2014. / The environmental awareness among tenants, as well as with other stakeholders in the real estate industry, has increased significantly in recent years. More and more companies and interest groups think more and more about what they can do to reduce the negative effects on the environment and not least what business opportunities there are to find. On the international real estate market Green Buildings have become a familiar concept, but what is meant by Green Buildings and what are the reasons for the low performance of the Swedish real estate market? The thesis aims to study the more developed international market and with the knowledge from there define the concept of Green Buildings. The thesis also discusses the factors and above all which stakeholders drive the market for Green Buildings on the international market. The work is also aimed at from the more developed markets learn lessons from various stakeholders, and especially from a property owner perspective, in order to guide one of Sweden’s largest commercial real estate company AP Real Estate how to be an industry leader in Sweden. The study was conducted in 2008 with concluding reflections made during 2014.

This study assesses the growing field of green building for its potential impact on the field of historic preservation. It is designed to provide a starting point for building owners and professionals in the industry seeking to gain LEED-EB certification on a historic structure. The potential impact of each LEED-EB credit to adversely affect historic fabric is evaluated for preservation, rehabilitation and reconstruction projects as defined by the Secretary of the Interior. Strategies for gaining certification for historic structures are discussed. Recommendations for further growth between the fields of historic preservation and green building are given. Early projects that combine historic preservation and green building are briefly discussed. / Department of Architecture

Based upon multi-locale research with people building environmentally-friendly off-grid homes called Earthships, this ethnography explores the nature of such activity.  It critically considers this architecture in terms of building, concentrating on the processes by which the builders are able to dwell.  Drawing upon fieldwork in a radically empirical manner it furthers anthropological discussions of human-environment relations, exchange and technology, creativity, and the local and the global.  The theorisation weaves a phenomenological analysis of dwelling around a neo-Marxist critique of work and consumerism in Earthship communities in Scotland and New Mexico and in wider Western society.  Earthships, it is argued, present an attempt to revitalize the architecture of the West and to avoid the alienation so often exacerbated by it.  The thesis suggests that builders attempt to do this by engaging in practical-critical activity, fuelled by a belief in the value of being able to do it yourself and by a philosophy which places people within a dynamic world of interdependent elements.  Earthship dwelling, it is suggested, is a spatially- and temporally-aware social project which both generates and requires monism or an engagement of the whole person.  Earthship building is a radical, connective art, carried out by people brought together by their critique of wider society and a belief in their ability to forge a better future.  As the builders make manifest their designs, this thesis notes that a low-tech and underproductive approach is chosen as well as there being prominent use of natural systems as models.  Earthships present an experimental and open-ended way of dwelling within the limits of a shared world.  Acknowledging these limits, builders strive to reuse materials and exploit only renewable energies.

This paper combines two research publications working toward the development of an integrated framework for commercial sustainable building design. Current methodologies utilize a traditional architectural top-down approach to sustainable building design practices that consumes financial and temporal resources early in the design process. By identifying the array mechanical subsystems required to meet modern building standards such as net-zero energy and water, and recognizing the importance of these interactions, designers can mitigate this resource consumption. The first paper presents an anthropological case study of the schematic design process of the Oregon Sustainability Center, a net-zero building slated for construction in Portland, Oregon. This research outlines the complexity of mechanical subsystems required to achieve net-zero standards and how project stakeholders affect the design process. The second paper further explores this concept by analyzing building subsystems in the context of a traditional complex system (airplane, automobile, etc.), and uses optimization techniques to understand significant system interactions. A computer model is created that optimizes lighting availability for a commercial workspace incorporating cost, building standards, and user environment. By considering post construction building usage, each subsystem can be designed for maximum user productivity, reducing costs associated with sustainable design practices. / Graduation date: 2012