This research investigates risks arising from the mechanism of green building assessment tools that may impact on the consistency of their outcomes and render them ineffective in reliably fulfilling their goals in the building industry. None of the past efforts at developing assessment tools have focused on the risk aspects of assessment tools. Moreover, slowly the building industry has started placing considerable reliance on them without completely understanding the consequences of potential risks. The origin of risks lies in the realization that assessing sustainability in buildings is complex and full of conflicting concepts and opinions, and that amidst all this, assessment tools are expected to deliver multiple performance objectives and goals. Given that the importance of assessing sustainability in buildings cannot be ignored, it becomes extremely important that assessment tools are understood well and are free from risks. To accomplish this, an array of potential risks are systematically brought together using a risk categorization method, which facilitated a basis to critically analyse the literature in the light of risks. This addressed the acknowledged gap in the literature on risks relating to assessment tools. Four categories are discussed under this categorization. These categories provide a basis for the quantitative investigation, which applies techniques of uncertainty analysis to quantify these risks. In the quantitative investigation, uncertainty in 40 input parameters is propagated through several alternative forms of the mechanism of assessment tools. The input parameters are selected using the assessment data of a case study (Arts Faculty building, University of Sunshine Coast). The design of alternative forms of the mechanism is based on the identified risk categories and is carried out using a vehicle assessment tool (Green Building Tool). The uncertainty propagation is carried out using a risk analysis tool (@Risk). Descriptive statistics is deployed to analyse the results of the uncertainty propagations. Analysis of the results has brought an understanding and insights into various aspects of the mechanism in the context of their predisposition to increase or decrease risks. To ensure that an assessment tool's specific goals are fulfilled, the mechanism needs to be designed carefully so that it is low-risk and appropriate to the intent. By providing in-depth insights into the mechanism, the methodology and outcomes of this research are important for the future development of green building assessment tools.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:ADTP/215391 |
| Date | January 2006 |
| Creators | Chandra, Shailja, Built Environment, Faculty of Built Environment, UNSW |
| Publisher | Awarded by:University of New South Wales. School of Built Environment |
| Source Sets | Australiasian Digital Theses Program |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Rights | Copyright Shailja Chandra, http://unsworks.unsw.edu.au/copyright |
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