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This thesis develops a paradigm for conceptual design based on the idea that dimensional analysis can improve the evaluation and comparison of concepts of solution during the conceptual design process. The conceptual design approach developed in this research is a combination of tasks which starts with the identification of the customer needs in a formalized manner is followed by the generation of design concepts taking into account the different phases of the physical life cycle and ends by the evaluation and adequacy analysis of the concepts of solution with the formalized needs.<br /><br />The General Design Theory (GDT) is used as the methodological basis of this work. Using the results of GDT, the research introduces a definition of the concept of function which is generic and not dedicated to a solution-based approach. Consequently the concept of function fulfils its intended objective of modelling the design problems at a general level. In addition to the concept of function, this thesis introduces a series of classifications based on generic concepts and rules aimed at generating concepts of solutions progressively. All these concepts are integrated into the developed metamodel framework. The metamodel provides a group of generic concepts associated with laws and mapped with a normalized functional vocabulary. The metamodel framework is an intermediate structure developed in order to provide guidance during the synthesis process and to meet the initial condition in order to transform the classification structure into a metric space. A metric space is a topological space with a unique metric. The transformation of the initial topological space into a metric space can be obtained when a series of conditions are verified. The first condition consists of clustering the concepts of solutions in order to underline the comparable aspects in each of them. This is done by using a set of dedicated rules. In addition three other fundamental conditions should be obtained. The metamodel framework ensures the first condition; an enhanced fundamental system of unit provides the second condition and a paradigm of separation of concept the third one. When all these three conditions are verified, it becomes possible to transform the design problems modelled by four types of generic variables into a series of dimensionless groups. This transformation process is achieved by using the Vashy-Buckingham theorem and the Butterfield's paradigm. The Butterfield's paradigm is used in order to select the minimum set of repeated variables which ensure the non-singularity of the metrization procedure. This transformation process ends with the creation of a machinery dedicated to the qualitative simulation of the concepts of solutions. The thesis ends with the study of practical cases.

Interest in environmental issues has increased enormouslyover the last few decades and environmental problems areperceived to be on the increase. Due to the fact that thenumber of products on the market increases enormously, it isevident that we face a great challenge to overcome the problemconcerning our consumer society. An increasing barrage oflegislation accompanied by the public’s awareness of, andconcern for, the environment forcing the industry to respond.Products and their environmental impact have moved to thecentre stage and it is widely believed that designers have akey role in adapting products to a sustainable society. Threekey issues are identified in this development scenario: (a) theimportance of adapting products to a more sustainable society,(b) the specific situation facing the designer, especially inearly design phases, and (c) balancing environmental impactswith functional preferences. Research in this thesis presents a theoretical framework fordescribing environmental issues and the role of the designer inproduct development, as well as functional characteristics ofproducts in the early phases of design. Based on anengineering-design science foundation, theoretical models andconcepts have been developed describing how both functional andenvironmental preferences can be visualised in design forenvironment and product development. Case studies andinterviews have been performed and integrated into a coherenttheoretical model for identifying and evaluating functional andenvironmental preferences within ecodesign approach andreasoning. The overall concept proposed in this thesis is called theeco functional matrix, based on two parts: functional profileand environmental profile. The functional profile represent thefunctional characteristics and environmental profile theenvironmental characteristics respectively of a product in theearly phases of design. One of the objectives behind theconcept is to highlight the importance of balancing functionalrequirements and environmental impacts, presenting both theadvantages and disadvantages of the product. The basic idea isto account for user and societal preferences as well asenvironmental impact when assessing alternative productconcepts at early design stages. Balancing both the functionalrequirements and the negative environmental impacts of productsis the road to sustainable development. <b>KEYWORDS</b>Design for environment, life-cycle design,eco-design, eco-design methods, product environmentalcharacteristics, product functional characteristics, customerbenefit, value analysis, functional profile, environmentalprofile, eco functional matrix, product properties.

<p>Interest in environmental issues has increased enormouslyover the last few decades and environmental problems areperceived to be on the increase. Due to the fact that thenumber of products on the market increases enormously, it isevident that we face a great challenge to overcome the problemconcerning our consumer society. An increasing barrage oflegislation accompanied by the public’s awareness of, andconcern for, the environment forcing the industry to respond.Products and their environmental impact have moved to thecentre stage and it is widely believed that designers have akey role in adapting products to a sustainable society. Threekey issues are identified in this development scenario: (a) theimportance of adapting products to a more sustainable society,(b) the specific situation facing the designer, especially inearly design phases, and (c) balancing environmental impactswith functional preferences.</p><p>Research in this thesis presents a theoretical framework fordescribing environmental issues and the role of the designer inproduct development, as well as functional characteristics ofproducts in the early phases of design. Based on anengineering-design science foundation, theoretical models andconcepts have been developed describing how both functional andenvironmental preferences can be visualised in design forenvironment and product development. Case studies andinterviews have been performed and integrated into a coherenttheoretical model for identifying and evaluating functional andenvironmental preferences within ecodesign approach andreasoning.</p><p>The overall concept proposed in this thesis is called theeco functional matrix, based on two parts: functional profileand environmental profile. The functional profile represent thefunctional characteristics and environmental profile theenvironmental characteristics respectively of a product in theearly phases of design. One of the objectives behind theconcept is to highlight the importance of balancing functionalrequirements and environmental impacts, presenting both theadvantages and disadvantages of the product. The basic idea isto account for user and societal preferences as well asenvironmental impact when assessing alternative productconcepts at early design stages. Balancing both the functionalrequirements and the negative environmental impacts of productsis the road to sustainable development.</p><p><b>KEYWORDS</b>Design for environment, life-cycle design,eco-design, eco-design methods, product environmentalcharacteristics, product functional characteristics, customerbenefit, value analysis, functional profile, environmentalprofile, eco functional matrix, product properties.</p>

The Linear Economy cannot any longer be sustained by the eco-system: virgin resources are limited and destined to terminate soon if the contemporary production and consumption model will be maintained. For this reason, in the last few years Circular Economy has become an increasingly discussed topic worldwide. Through the adoption of strategies that close-the-loop of the traditional linear production system, Circular Economy aims to find solutions that can create a balance between economy, society and environment. This study aims to provide a holistic overview on the main theories and strategies that can ease a business transition to a Circular Economy model, to analyse challenges and opportunities connected to this conversion and to present a concrete tool developed for this purpose. The Life Cycle Design theory is here discussed and contextualised within the furniture industry reality since this study has been executed in collaboration with IKEA, the company case study of this thesis. An academic and professional literature review have been performed in order to gather information about theory and practice related to the implementation of strategies needed by a Circular Economy: product disassembly, recovery, reuse, refurbish, recycle and remanufacturing. The professional literature reviewed point out that the implementation of a circular model can lead to economic advantages and growth’s opportunities for manufacturers in various economic sectors. The implementation of Circular Economy in the furniture industry seems to be in its early stages and it mainly focus, with few exception, on recycling rather than on the more effective reuse, refurbish or remanufacturing operations. This study points out the two main issues that the furniture manufacturers need to solve in order to enable the implementation of more effective circular strategies: product disassembly and recovery. Furthermore, the need of an innovative and holistic approach is discussed with particular emphasis on the importance of a systemic thinking that enable organisation to create their own identity and objectives in relation to the Circular Economy model. The importance of a system that connects and coordinate the sustainable efforts and aims for new products and services is therefore highlighted, suggested and deeply considered in the development of the tool proposed. To conclude, a comparison between two IKEA products (the sofas Söderhamn and Knopparp) was performed to identify the role of the products’ design and development in relation with the implementation of a Circular Economy model. The products were briefly technically analysed and then a comparison between a linear and a circular end-of-life cycle scenario has been represented.

In an age where the sharing economy has proliferated as a preferred means of travel in the tourism industry, and the accommodation sharing platform Airbnb has risen to the forefront, there is much criticism and discussion about the need for such nascent platforms to operate in alignment with sustainable development. Currently, economic benefits for the host and guest lie at the core of Airbnb’s sustainability appeal, while few concrete steps have been taken to advance environmental and social values. Many have proposed a green rating system and sustainability-oriented search filters as a means to propagate these values and catalyze a necessary paradigm shift within the sharing economy. Through the lens of green architecture and construction, this study analyzes the extent and manner in which sustainability features and amenities are promoted by hosts on Airbnb in the high-desert mountain town of Taos, New Mexico. This case study approach selects and intriguing destination that is not only characterized by a long history of earthen building traditions by the Tiwa people, but was also the birthplace of the world-renowned, off-the-grid Earthship concept. An analysis of all active Airbnb listings was compared with a more targeted analysis of off-the-grid listings to reveal that hosts more often than not frame their sustainability features and amenities in terms of visitor comfort, convenience, and enjoyment. For instance, the valorization of earthen adobe building for its authenticity and cultural appeal in lieu of its energy efficient and natural qualities. This indicated a high level of unexploited potential, wherein hosts could enhance their listing’s sustainability appeal and educational value through reframing these features to potential guests, and off-the-grid listings could benefit from implementing and promoting sustainable practices and emphasizing the local culture. Most importantly, after quantitively analyzing the features that arose, this study assembled the content basis for a theoretical green rating system and sustainability search filters that could be applied to Taos as a localized system, or merely provide insight to other destinations and the Airbnb platform as a whole.

Tesis por compendio / [ES] La infraestructura de transporte es clave para el desarrollo humano, impulsando la industria y la evolución social al mejorar la interacción y conectividad. La construcción de infraestructuras actúa como catalizador de transformaciones socioeconómicas, fomentando economías locales y facilitando el movimiento de recursos y fuerza laboral. La creciente conciencia sobre los efectos negativos de las prácticas insostenibles en la construcción exige un cambio hacia métodos más responsables. Tradicionalmente, la viabilidad económica ha sido prioritaria en la ingeniería estructural, pero ahora se da mayor énfasis a los impactos del ciclo de vida. Aunque esto representa un avance hacia los objetivos de desarrollo sostenible, no abarca completamente la complejidad de la sostenibilidad. Esta tesis presenta el proceso para fundamentar un marco de diseño que integre la sostenibilidad del ciclo de vida en infraestructuras de transporte. Se sugiere un enfoque modular prefabricado para estructuras viales como una opción más atractiva frente a los métodos tradicionales in-situ. El diseño estructural, así como los procesos ambientales y sociales, se sintetizan en un modelo matemático avanzado. Esto permite la optimización mono-objetivo y multiobjetivo junto a algoritmos multicriterio. La aplicación de métodos de optimización exacta es inviable por la diversidad de variables, por lo que se recurre a metaheurísticas híbridas para minimizar el costo estructural en un enfoque mono-objetivo. Las metaheurísticas de recocido simulado y aceptación por umbrales con cadenas extensas ofrecen resultados de calidad, aunque requieren gran esfuerzo computacional. La versión híbrida del recocido simulado con un operador de mutación, común en algoritmos poblacionales, logra soluciones comparables con menor esfuerzo. La hibridación potencia las capacidades exploratorias de estos algoritmos. El análisis del ciclo de vida de configuraciones óptimas muestra claras ventajas ambientales del enfoque modular prefabricado frente a la construcción in situ. Sin embargo, las implicaciones sociales son más complejas, resaltando la importancia de incluir los impactos del ciclo de vida como objetivos en la optimización. Esto también subraya la necesidad de técnicas multicriterio para evaluar y clasificar alternativas, asegurando una consideración equilibrada de los impactos ambientales y sociales. Esta investigación desarrolla operadores de cruce, mutación y reparación para discretizar el problema de optimización. Estos dotan a algoritmos genéticos y evolutivos de la capacidad de manejar la complejidad de la optimización multiobjetivo. El operador de reparación estadístico es especialmente eficaz cuando se combina con los algoritmos NSGA-II, NSGA-III y RVEA. A pesar de sus diferencias, la técnica de toma de decisiones FUCA genera clasificaciones idénticas a la ponderación aditiva simple, al igual que TOPSIS, PROMETHEE y VIKOR. Un proceso basado en la teoría de la entropía proporciona a estas técnicas un enfoque metódico para la ponderación de criterios. La integración de algoritmos de optimización multiobjetivo con técnicas de decisión multicriterio en un marco basado en modelos matemáticos culmina en una clasificación de diseños óptimos no dominados, que equilibran las dimensiones económica, ambiental y social de la sostenibilidad. / [CA] La infraestructura de transport és clau per al desenrotllament humà, impulsant la indústria i l'evolució social en millorar la interacció i connectivitat. La construcció d'infraestructures actua com a catalitzador de transformacions socioeconòmiques, fomentant economies locals i facilitant el moviment de recursos i força laboral. La creixent consciència sobre els efectes negatius de les pràctiques insostenibles en la construcció exigix un canvi cap a mètodes més responsables. Tradicionalment, la viabilitat econòmica ha sigut prioritària en l'enginyeria estructural, però ara es dona major èmfasi als impactes del cicle de vida. Encara que això representa un avanç cap als objectius de desenrotllament sostenible, no abasta completament la complexitat de la sostenibilitat. Esta tesi presenta el procés per a fonamentar un marc de disseny que integre la sostenibilitat del cicle de vida en infraestructures de transport. Se suggerix un enfocament modular prefabricat per a estructures viàries com una opció més atractiva enfront dels mètodes tradicionals *in-*situ. El disseny estructural, així com els processos ambientals i socials, se sintetitzen en un model matemàtic avançat. Això permet l'optimització bonic-objectiu i multiobjectiu al costat d'algorismes multicriteri. L'aplicació de mètodes d'optimització exacta és inviable per la diversitat de variables, per la qual cosa es recorre a *metaheurísticas híbrides per a minimitzar el cost estructural en un enfocament bonic-objectiu. Les *metaheurísticas de recuita simulada i acceptació per llindars amb cadenes extenses oferixen resultats de qualitat, encara que requerixen gran esforç computacional. La versió híbrida de la recuita simulada amb un operador de mutació, comuna en algorismes poblacionals, aconseguix solucions comparables amb menor esforç. La hibridació potencia les capacitats exploratòries d'estos algorismes. L'anàlisi del cicle de vida de configuracions òptimes mostra clares avantatges ambientals de l'enfocament modular prefabricat enfront de la construcció in situ. No obstant això, les implicacions socials són més complexes, ressaltant la importància d'incloure els impactes del cicle de vida com a objectius en l'optimització. Això també subratlla la necessitat de tècniques multicriteri per a avaluar i classificar alternatives, assegurant una consideració equilibrada dels impactes ambientals i socials. Esta investigació desenrotlla operadors d'encreuament, mutació i reparació per a *discretizar el problema d'optimització. Estos doten a algorismes genètics i evolutius de la capacitat de manejar la complexitat de l'optimització multiobjectiu. L'operador de reparació estadístic és especialment eficaç quan es combina amb els algorismes *NSGA-II, *NSGA-III i *RVEA. Malgrat les seues diferències, la tècnica de presa de decisions *FUCA genera classificacions idèntiques a la ponderació additiva simple, igual que *TOPSIS, *PROMETHEE i *VIKOR. Un procés basat en la teoria de l'entropia proporciona a estes tècniques un enfocament metòdic per a la ponderació de criteris. La integració d'algorismes d'optimització multiobjectiu amb tècniques de decisió multicriteri en un marc basat en models matemàtics culmina en una classificació de dissenys òptims no dominats, que equilibren les dimensions econòmica, ambiental i social de la sostenibilitat. / [EN] Transportation infrastructure is essential for human development, driving industry growth and societal evolution through enhanced interaction and connectivity. Transportation infrastructure construction acts as a catalyst for socio-economic transformations, stimulating local economies and streamlining the flow of workforce and resources. Growing recognition of the detrimental effects of unsustainable practices in construction engineering necessitates a shift towards more responsible methodologies. Historically, economic viability has dominated the priorities of structural engineering, but there is now an increasing emphasis on evaluating the life cycle impacts of projects. While this shift marks progress towards aligning structural design with sustainability goals, it does not fully capture the intricate and multifaceted nature of life cycle sustainability. This doctoral thesis systematically unfolds the process of conceiving and substantiating a design framework that incorporates life cycle sustainability into the construction of transportation infrastructure. A precast modular approach is proposed for road frame projects as an attractive alternative to conventional cast-in-place methods. The structural design process and life cycle environmental and social impacts of the structure are encapsulated within a sophisticated mathematical model, facilitating the application of both single and multi-objective optimization alongside decision-making algorithms. Exact optimization methods are not a viable resort due to the extensive array of optimization variables and the mixed integer nature of the problem. Thus, the research deploys trajectory-based local search and hybrid metaheuristics for the single-objective cost-minimization of the structure. Simulated annealing and threshold accepting metaheuristics adjusted with longer chain lengths achieve high-quality results but demand substantial computational resources. A hybrid version of simulated annealing, incorporating a mutation operator typically found in population-based algorithms, reaches comparable solutions with less computational effort. The hybridization of metaheuristics is identified as an effective strategy to enhance the exploratory capacities of these algorithms. The life cycle assessment of diverse cost-optimized road frame layouts reveals distinct environmental advantages of the precast modular approach compared to the conventional cast-in-place method. However, the social implications present a more intricate relationship, emphasizing the importance of including life cycle impacts as objective functions in the optimization process. Additionally, this underscores the necessity to involve multi-criteria decision-making techniques to effectively score and rank alternatives, ensuring a balanced consideration of environmental and social impacts in the decision-making framework. This research employs innovative crossover, polynomial mutation, and repair operators to effectively discretize the optimization problem, equipping novel genetic and evolutionary algorithms with the capabilities to tackle the mixed integer nature of the multi-objective optimization problem. The statistical-based repair operator algorithm is notably successful when incorporated with the non-dominated sorting genetic algorithms II and III and the reference vector-guided evolutionary algorithm. Despite their operational variances, the fair un choix adequàt decision-making technique yields the same rankings as the simple additive weighting method. This alignment also extends to the technique for order of preference by similarity to ideal solution, preference ranking for organization method for enrichment evaluation and multi-criteria optimization and compromise solution algorithms. An entropy theory-based strategy endows these multi-criteria decision-making techniques with a methodical and unbiased approach to criteria weighting. Integrating multi-objective optimization algorithms with multi-crite / Ruiz Vélez, A. (2024). Optimal Design of Socially and Environmentally Efficient Reinforced Concrete Precast Modular Road Frames under Constrained Budgets [Tesis doctoral]. Universitat Politècnica de València. https://doi.org/10.4995/Thesis/10251/213837 / Compendio