The growing sustainable design movement in the United States focuses almost exclusively on the construction of new buildings, largely ignoring the existing and historic building stock that constitutes the majority of our built environment. Historic preservation, a discipline that deals exclusively with the existing building stock and puts an emphasis on long-term management of the built environment, would seem to be an ideal partner for the sustainable design movement as it begins to address existing buildings. The practice and goals of the two fields, however, are currently perceived to be in opposition to one another by the building community and the general public. This thesis argues that sustainable design and historic preservation represent two unique and distinctive building subcultures – distinct subsets of the larger building culture of which they are a part, and that the opposition between the two disciplines stems from not only their historically distinct discourses, but also from cultural and ideological conflicts between the two fields. Different languages, code typologies, cultural identities, and conflicting attitudes toward the use of technology in contemporary building practice all stand as barriers to a significant partnership between the two disciplines. This thesis explores the cultures of sustainable design and of historic preservation in order to provide a view for practitioners in both fields into the culture of the other, and ultimately proposes a path towards developing shared cultural understandings by placing a new emphasis in both fields on social sustainability. / text

Green buildings are increasingly in demand yet current green building practices often do not consider hazard mitigation. High-performance buildings that can withstand hazards, protect residents, and do not need to be rebuilt following a disaster are truly sustainable buildings. This report focuses on current hazard mitigation and disaster resilience standards for wildfires and earthquakes through an in-depth analysis of case studies and best practices for these hazards. The U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) framework is the ideal vehicle to incorporate hazard mitigation methods into official green building certification. Language for a new LEED Hazard Mitigation and Resilience credit area is established using guidelines for hazard mitigation for wildfires and earthquakes. / text

Green roof design has proceeded without integration of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF). A literature survey was therefore conducted in order to determine which aspects of green roof functioning might be enhanced by AMF, and subsequently levels of AMF and endophyte colonization were determined for seven plant species used in green roofs. Plants were sampled from an experimental green roof and from the field. A commercial growing medium was also tested for AMF inoculum potential. Colonization was poor in both field and rooftop samples of the commercially popular succulent, Sedum acre, but significantly higher in Solidago bicolor, a proposed green roof species. The commercial growing medium was found to contain extremely low levels of viable AMF propagules. Although the apparent lack of mycorrhizal dependency of S. acre helps to explain its popularity as a green roof plant, its overuse precludes the important ecosystem services potentially provided by AMF symbioses.

The current human-created division between the natural and built environments has exacerbated environmental problems because nature has been designed as and, consequently, is seen as an Other to be utilized and manipulated at will. Exploring this disconnected relationship between humans and nature, as well as its origin and its effect on building occupants and the environment, is thus a necessary part of this project. The primary concern, however, centers on how we can establish a relationship with the natural environment through interior design to help foster ecological design practices and positive environmental behaviors that move beyond sustainability, resulting in a positive human-nature relation while supporting a coevolutionary perspective. Specifically, this investigation utilizes biophilic design as a solution to the division. The product is an adaptively reused structure that houses a mixed-use, multi-unit residential development, which explores the creation of human-nature connections through direct, indirect, and symbolic means.

Gävle kommun har som mål att öka cyklandet i Gävle. År 2025 ska andelen resor kortare än fyra kilometer vara 60%, i senaste undersökningen från år 2012 låg den andelen på 24% (Atterbrand et al, 2012). Enligt samma undersökning konstaterades det att Gävle kommun inte är på väg att uppnå sina mål då andelen kortare resor som genomförs med cykel har stått på samma siffra sedan 2006 (Indebetou et al, 2012). Examensarbetet syftar till att ta fram ett koncept som uppmuntrar fler människor till att välja cykeln framför andra färdmedel. Problemformuleringen handlar om hur intresset för att cykla i stadsmiljö kan ökas. Arbetet har begränsats till att fokusera på en lokal nivå, men tanken är att resultatet ska kunna användas för att skapa liknande produkter till alla stadsmiljöer.Metoder som har använts för att komma fram till slutresultatet är intervjuer med privatpersoner och nyckelpersoner inom Gävle kommun, litteraturstudier, funktionsanalys och marknadsundersökning. Till undersökningen har matrial från Gävle kommun använts, men även vetenskapliga artiklar och intervjuer. Här används fakta för att styrka anledningar till varför personer bör välja att cykla framför andra färdmedel samt vad Gävle har för potential som cykelstad. I genomförandet visas flera skissförslag som tagits fram med inspiration från undersökningen. Här presenteras även olika behov som konstaterats utifrån intervjuer med privatpersoner, som används för att välja ett skissförslag att arbeta vidare med. Därefter följer arbetet utvecklingen till det slutliga resultatet som blev en app till smartphones. Utseende och funktioner för appen som framtagits uppkom efter marknadsundersökningar där två appar till smartphones undersöktes, och även en funktion till cyklister som Gävle kommun erbjuder via deras hemsida för att erbjuda en anpassad vägvisning för just cyklister. De appar som undersöktes är RunKeeper och Google Maps. RunKeeper är en motiverande app för att öka intresset för motion. Google Maps är en app som genom GPS ger vägvisning för bilister, cyklister och gångtrafikanter. Marknadsundersökningen gav underlag för den slutgiltiga appen som döpts till Cyclum. Cyculm ger tips om ställen att cykla till, visar cykelbanor i staden och kan erbjuda cyklisten vägvisning mellan två punkter som användaren själv anger. Genom att använda Cyclum kan cyklisten samla in statistik kring sitt cykelanvändande, ett sätt att motivera till att cykla mer. / Gävle municipality has a goal to increase cycling in Gävle. In the year 2025, the proportion of journeys less than four kilometers should be at 60%, a survey from 2012 showed that the proportion were only 24% (Atterbrand et al, 2012). According to the same survey, it was found that the municipality of Gävle will not achieve their goals about the proportion of short trips undertaken by bicycle since the number has not increased since 2006 (Indebetou et al, 2012). The essay aims to develop a concept that will encourage more people to choose the bicycle over other means of transport. The main goal is to find out how the interest in cycling in urban environments can be increased. The work has been limited to focusing to a local level, but the idea is that the results can be used to create similar products to all urban environments. Methods that have been used to get to the final result are interviews with individuals and with people working for the municipality of Gävle. The work also include a study of different scientific articles, an analysis to decide functions of the resulting concept and market research to determent what would be necessary to the results. For the research, official material from municipality of Gävle is used, as well as scientific articles and interviews. The facts are used to confirm reasons why people should choose to bike over other modes of transport as well as to show that Gävle has potential as a cycling city. The facts that are mentioned in the research are later on used to make different design proposals. Based on the interviews made, three bigger needs are presented as a way to select a design proposal to develop further. The result is presented at the end in the form of an app to smartphones. The appearance and features for the app that has been produced occurred after making a market research where two apps for smartphones were investigated, and also a feature to cyclists who the municipality of Gävle offers via their website to offer a custom wayfinding just for cyclists. The apps that were investigated is called RunKeeper and Google Maps. RunKeeper is a motivational app to increase interest in the exercise. Google Maps is an app that uses GPS to give directions for motorists, cyclists and pedestrians. The market investigation provided the basis for the final app dubbed Cyclum. Cyculm give tips on places to bike to show bike lanes in the city and can offer the cyclist wayfinding between two points that the user specifies. By using Cyclum cyclist can collect statistics about their bicycle use, a way to motivate to bike more.

Sustainability is not a contemporary concept, rather it was a guiding principle all cultures lived by to maintain balance with the natural world and more importantly survive. Evidently architecture was a tangible expression of a way of life as indigenous people developed place specific vernacular that adapted to various climates, exploited local raw materials and created comfortable living conditions that were responsive as much to the inner environment of culture and social interaction as they were to the external environmental forces. Natus ??? Cultus ??? Civis explores the significance of place in developing a contemporary sustainable architecture and the potential for a new and authentic regional expression rooted in a relationship between the knowledge, technologies and traditions of Native and Euro-Canadian people. These two distinct models of vernacular reveal considerable differences in the worldviews of the people they represent but together they offer a rich source of sustainable strategies and dynamic responses to the diverse environmental conditions of Canada. Situated within a context plagued by imposed and often problematic Eurocentric models and furthermore isolated on Christian Island in Georgian Bay, Ontario, the Beausoleil First Nation community has fallen victim to unemployment, substance abuse, distressing high school completion rates and a disappearing cultural identity. The residents recognize the need for a community plan and are committed to nurturing and protecting resources in a sustainable manner in addition to creating opportunities for economic growth and cultural nourishment. As such the thesis culminates in a holistic community plan and the design of a learning centre, to be developed in collaboration with the Beausoleil First Nation, which aspires to empower the community economically and culturally. Rooted in the discussion of sustainability, region and tectonics, the learning centre will be designed by referencing local vernacular traditions, exploring new technologies and encompassing the contextual landscape, history, culture and climatic conditions of the site.

The current human-created division between the natural and built environments has exacerbated environmental problems because nature has been designed as and, consequently, is seen as an Other to be utilized and manipulated at will. Exploring this disconnected relationship between humans and nature, as well as its origin and its effect on building occupants and the environment, is thus a necessary part of this project. The primary concern, however, centers on how we can establish a relationship with the natural environment through interior design to help foster ecological design practices and positive environmental behaviors that move beyond sustainability, resulting in a positive human-nature relation while supporting a coevolutionary perspective. Specifically, this investigation utilizes biophilic design as a solution to the division. The product is an adaptively reused structure that houses a mixed-use, multi-unit residential development, which explores the creation of human-nature connections through direct, indirect, and symbolic means.

This exploratory research examined the degree of adoption and impact of the concepts of Building Information Model (BIM), Integrated Project Delivery (IPD), Integrated Design Process (IDP) and Building Energy Simulation (BES) on the design processes of advanced architectural firms when executing sustainable design. Six offices identified by the press for a strong commitment to sustainable design and influence in the design of high performance buildings were selected as cases. In semi-standardized interviews, these firms presented their perceptions of the influence of BIM, BES, and IPD/IDP. The results show that a generalization of sustainable design processes is possible. A design process for sustainability (DEPROSU) model was created by collecting best practices from data gathered from the interviews and the critical literature review. Secondary contributions show that BIM, IDP/IPD and BES have a synergistic effect in sustainable design methods, and that the human resource profile from these firms has evolved towards multi-skilled professionals knowledgeable in BES, BIM, parametric design, sustainability and construction processes. This research provides evidence of commonalities found in the design processes of the selected firms. These commonalities, which have been represented in the DEPROSU model, can potentially be validated as protocols or standards for sustainable design, providing architectural design practices with concrete patterns for improvement and or validation of their design methods.

Thesis (M.S.)--Oregon State University, 2009. / Printout. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 83-89). Also available on the World Wide Web.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--York University, 2003. Graduate Programme in Environmental Studies. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 341-370). Also available on the Internet. MODE OF ACCESS via web browser by entering the following URL: http://gateway.proquest.com/openurl?url_ver=Z39.88-2004 & res_dat=xri:pqdiss & rft_val_fmt=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:dissertation & rft_dat=xri:pqdiss:NR00376.