Buildings generate millions of tons of greenhouse gases, toxic air emissions, water pollutants and solid wastes that contribute to negative environmental impacts. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is a methodology for assessing the environmental performance of products over their life time. However, many building products are discarded much before the end of their service life, especially as a result of refurbishment and renovation projects. The need for such projects is increasing because most buildings are not designed to accommodate changes in their functions and needs of their occupants. This is particular to commercial buildings, especially hospitality facilities, which are unique with regard to operational schemes and the type of services offered that are highly resource-intensive. In this investigation, statistical data related to refurbishment and renovation projects in Turkey were analysed to determine the percentage of refurbishment projects for hotels. Bills of quantities for refurbishment projects of three five-star hotels in Ankara were obtained and evaluated with regard to the volume and type of material discarded as a result of the renovation works. ATHENA, an LCA software, was used to evaluate these projects according to the six environmental impact indicators: primary energy consumption, solid waste, air pollution index, water pollution index, global warming potential and weighted resource use. A system was formulated for evaluating materials according to each indicator by calculating their &ldquo / eco-scores&rdquo / the total score is considered to be the yard-stick for comparing environmental appropriateness of these materials. Finally, recommendations on the choice of materials were made, with an aim to reducing material waste and harmful emissions.

Submerge into the world of Sustainable design with this researchproject that offers a thorough analysis of the latest techniques and examplesof environmental friendly products, learn how a decision support model isable to assist in making important design choices and discover how simple itcan be to follow a design framework to find solutions to design problems inthe most unexpected places, while at the same time creating lean “fat free”environmental products.The latest examples of environmental products include the first concept zeroemissionocean transport vessel, the Wallenius Wilhelmsen E/S Orcelle, abalanced combination of esthetics, sustainability and function in the SonyEricsson’s Green Heart packaging, and finally a great example of materialengineering Billerud’s FibreForm which is an innovative and environmentallyfriendly material that can replace plastic.Biomimicry which is a new discipline that studies “nature’s way” and thenimitates this designs and processes to solve design problems when integratedin a design framework that considers; function form and lifecycle is able toguide designers to create products that achieve environmental, social andeconomical sustainability that can raise quality of life and that enablehumanity to increase innovations without sacrificing our future.

Master of Architecture / Department of Architecture / Gary J. Coates / Buildings account for a large part of total U.S. energy consumption and generate far more greenhouse gas emissions than any other sector of the economy. The purpose of this thesis is to demonstrate how buildings can be designed in a way that helps to mitigate global environmental problems, while resolving local urban design, architecture and social issues. This purpose was achieved by designing a zero-energy garage apartment for a site located along an alley in Manhattan, Kansas. The methodology for the design was to: identify a client; define project goals and design criteria; determine solar and geothermal renewable energy system requirements; design the garage apartment by employing energy efficient strategies relating to bioregional design and passive solar design; identify eco-friendly materials obtainable within a 500-mile radius of the site; and identify energy-efficient construction methods. The energy performance of the garage apartment was constantly monitored using eQUEST and Energy-10 simulation softwares. Operational definitions: Garage apartment- a building behind the main building[superscript]1, which is part of the same plot as the main building. It is also called a 'backhouse', 'granny flat' or a 'rear house'. Zero-energy house- for this thesis, a grid connected self-standing zero-energy house, which results in zero utility bills throughout the year.

Women's most common menstrual product is sanitary pads. Most disposable sanitary pads are constructed of up to 90% non-biodegradable plastics and bleached wood pulp. Throughout the sanitary pad's life cycle, there is a risk of exposure to toxic emissions harmful to humans and ecosystems. In contrast, disposable sanitary pads' health and environmental consequences have received little attention due to cultural stigma associated with menstruation and a lack of information regarding the chemical components used in sanitary pads. A case study has been performed at the Hempur company in Stockholm, Sweden, to evaluate potential environmental impacts of a sanitary disposal pad made almost entirely of unbleached bamboo pulp and polylactic plastic (PLA). The study's objectives were accomplished using a comparative life cycle assessment methodology to identify potential trade-offs between Hempur disposable sanitary pads and a conventional disposable sanitary pad consisting of non-biodegradable polymers and bleached wood pulp. Thus, understanding the study's results allows the implementation of recommendations to improve the environmental performance of Hempur sanitary pads. The study results indicate that Hempur plant-based sanitary pads, even though shipped to Sweden from China, have lower adverse environmental impacts —on average 40% less than conventional sanitary pads created using traditional materials and manufacturing sites in European countries. More than 80% of the overall impacts of the conventional sanitary pad were attributed to bleached wood pulp and low-density polyethylene. The upstream operations of Hempur sanitary pads were identified as the least environmentally friendly phase of the product due to the use of unbleached wood pulp and polylactic plastic, which together account for between 40% and 80% of all impact categories, most notably water scarcity and abiotic element depletion. Other factors and assumptions identified during the sensitivity analysis suggested the potential for reducing the environmental footprint of Hempur sanitary pads. By transitioning from coal to hydropower to generate electricity for bamboo pulp manufacturing, Hempur's upstream operations will dramatically improve their environmental performance, resulting in a reduction in global warming and acidification. Finally, this study suggests that other alternatives for PLA and use bamboo in the core part of Hempur sanitary pad should be considered and assessed. In this study, however, parts of the life cycle inventory process were omitted due to a lack of data on the materials and process method, which may affect the precision of the results.