Methods and techniques for environmental impact assessment (EIA) and development of land use management options are described. The methods and techniques have specific application in Defence estate management, and general application in other areas of land use assessment and management. The EIA methodology includes techniques for land cover and soil classification, land capability and suitability assessment. The biophysical classifications and assessment techniques are based on the application of various para and non- parametric approaches. The study area for the application of the EIA methods and techniques was the Singleton Training Area (STA) in the Hunter Valley of central New South Wales. Defence estates are required to provide a wide range of terrain and other environmental conditions to support the development of combat related tactics. The maintenance of these areas for sustainable use is fundamental in achieving both military and land use management objectives. The EIA of the STA provided a means of testing the efficiency of the methods and techniques developed in this thesis. The baseline resource inventory data used in the EIA includes land cover and vegetation maps derived from satellite digital data and soils maps derived from both conventional methods and airborne gammaradiation data. This information, together with the military land use requirements provided the basis for land capability and suitability assessment, and development of land use management options.

The environmental assessment system Miljöbyggnad is a Swedish system initiated by Bygga-Bo-Dialogen to assess buildings with regards to three main areas; “Energy”, “Indoor climate” and “Materials”. A building can obtain three different classifications depending on how well it manages to meet the demands. GOLD is the highest classification and is followed by SILVER and BRONZE. The majority of the measures needed to comply with the demands are done during the design phase. During the production phase a considerable amount of work is required to make sure to document the built in products and make sure they do not contain any dangerous substances. The thesis is based on the experiences retrieved by working with Miljöbyggnad in Skanska’s project Sickla Udde skola which is aiming for the highest classification GOLD. Interviews have been conducted with employees of Skanska working with the system in order to take part of their experiences. The thesis identifies difficulties linked to working with the main area “Materials” during the production phase. It also describes the available product data bases used to simplify the work with the system. Furthermore the thesis gives suggestions on how to work with Miljöbyggnad during the production phase.

Motivé par l’évolution de la production architecturale durable dans les pays d’Amérique latine, et plus particulièrement en Colombie, mon projet de recherche porte sur l’adaptation de l’architecture à ce nouveau contexte. L’approche architecturale traditionnelle à la prise en compte de l’énergie et du climat est l’architecture bioclimatique : reproduite à partir de connaissances et techniques ancestrales remontant à la conception de l’abri, cette dernière étudie les phénomènes physiques associés au confort thermique afin de les reproduire dans une nouvelle architecture. De nouvelles méthodes d’évaluation environnementale se sont développées dans les dernières décennies pour améliorer l’intégration environnementale des bâtiments. Ces méthodes privilégient la normalisation des solutions et utilisent des systèmes de certification pour reconnaître la performance environnementale et énergétique des bâtiments. Le résultat visé est la conformité aux standards internationaux de durabilité. Ce mémoire porte sur l’analyse comparative de l’architecture bioclimatique et de la certification environnementale à partir de la structure des sujets abordés par LEED, une des méthodes les plus connues d’une telle certification. Cette comparaison permet de constater que les deux approches sont motivées par les mêmes préoccupations environnementales mais que leurs méthodes d’intégration de ces préoccupations diffèrent, en particulier quant à la prise en compte des facteurs locaux et globaux. / Motivated by the development of sustainable architectural production in the countries of Latin America, particularly in Colombia, my research focuses on the adaptation of architecture to this new context. The traditional approach to the integration of energy and climate is bioclimatic architecture. This way is based on the reproduction of knowledge through the use of ancestral techniques that were acquired over time, and which evolved from shelter design. The bioclimatic architecture studies the physical phenomena in relation to thermal comfort to reproduce in a new architectural style. New environmental assessment methods have been developed in recent decades to improve environmental integration in buildings. These methods give priority to standardization of solutions and use certification systems to recognize the environmental and energy performance of buildings. The expected results are in compliance with international sustainability standards. This thesis focuses on the comparative analysis of bioclimatic architecture and environmental certification using the structure and the topics addressed by LEED, one of the best-known methods of such certification. This comparison shows that the two approaches are motivated by the same environmental concerns but their methods of integration of these concerns differ, particularly with regard to the consideration of local and global factors.