A National Model for Strategic Planning of Infrastructure Systems

Infrastructure systems are at the core of the sustainability challenge. Currently life cycle assessment (LCA) is widely used for assessing environmental sustainability of infrastructure systems. However, infrastructure systems have specific traits that are incompatible with the requirements of LCA. In particular, infrastructure systems do not have definite ‘life cycle’ as a basis of LCA. In addition, environmental performance of infrastructure systems depends on the dynamic changes in the level of service and performance of infrastructure normally not captured in existing LCA approaches. The objective of the research presented in this paper attempts to address the limitations of existing LCA approaches by creating a service and performance adjusted LCA (SPA-LCA) methodology, one which is specifically tailored for the requirements of environmental assessment of infrastructure systems. Among other improvements, the created methodology introduces a dynamic conception of life cycle inventory analysis and a service-based environmental accounting for the impact assessment phase of LCA. A simulation-based computational model is created to enable implementation of the SPA-LCA methodology. The SPA-LCA method and the created computational model are tested in a case study related to assessing the environmental impacts of a pavement network. Results include assessing impacts of different budget and demand scenarios on the environmental performance of the case study network. The results indicate capabilities of SPA-LCA methodology in addressing the limitations of existing LCA approaches for assessing environmental impacts of infrastructure systems.

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the energy, economic and environmental performance of commercial water heating systems in Hong Kong special administrative region (SAR), China. Design/methodology/approach – The research team contacted 50 facilities managers in Hong Kong, and 16 of them agreed to participate in this territorial-wide survey. The overall efficiency of different water heating systems was determined through measurements of inlet water temperatures, outlet steam/water properties, the amount of steam/water produced and the amount of energy consumed. The cost effectiveness and the amount of greenhouse gases produced per megajoule (MJ) output were also determined. Findings – Results show that electric water heating systems had the highest mean overall efficiency, followed by gas- and oil-fired systems. However, the difference between the mean overall efficiency of the three types of water heating systems was not statistically significant, as the systems had been inspected and maintained regularly. Oil-fired systems were found to be the most cost-effective when taking fuel prices into consideration. Environmental analysis showed that gas-fired systems produced the least amount of greenhouse gases per MJ output. Originality/value – Water heating is one of the major uses of energy in buildings. Hence, the efficiency of a water heating system can have a significant effect on the overall performance of a building. This paper not only provides insight on the energy performance but it also evaluates the economic and environmental performance of water heating systems.

From energy targets setting to energy-aware operations control and back: An advanced methodology for energy efficient manufacturing

This paper presents a framework for characterizing, analyzing, and computing the performance of urban infrastructure systems. The framework is based on a systems approach and consists of performance indicators classified into three hierarchical levels: indicators, dimensions, and categories. A fuzzy synthetic evaluation technique has been developed to synthesize performance indicators into an index that ranges between 0 and 100. The performance of an individual infrastructure system, in the form of an index, is generated by aggregating the performance indicators in the first three hierarchical levels. The overall performance of the urban infrastructure systems is then obtained by combining the indexes of individual infrastructure systems. The relative importance of the performance indicators during the synthesis process is determined using the analytic hierarchy process technique. The framework demonstrates and measures the performance of the civil infrastructure systems in Kathmandu, Nepal. This framework can be applied to performance analysis of any infrastructure system in an urban area. It enables decision makers to identify the weak and strong components of urban infrastructure systems and to formulate appropriate strategies for infrastructure planning on the basis of performance and investment costs.

This paper deals with the energy consumption and the evaluation of the performance of air supply systems for a ventilated room involving high- and low-level supplies. The energy performance assessment is based on the airflow rate, which is related to the fan power consumption by achieving the same environmental quality performance for each case. Four different ventilation systems are considered: wall displacement ventilation, confluent jets ventilation, impinging jet ventilation and a high level mixing ventilation system. The ventilation performance of these systems will be examined by means of achieving the same Air Distribution Index (ADI) for different cases.The widely used high-level supplies require much more fan power than those for low-level supplies for achieving the same value of ADI. In addition, the supply velocity, hence the supply dynamic pressure, for a high-level supply is much larger than for low-level supplies. This further increases the power consumption for high-level supply systems.The paper considers these factors and attempts to provide some guidelines on the difference in the energy consumption associated with high and low level air supply systems. This will be useful information for designers and to the authors' knowledge there is a lack of information available in the literature on this area of room air distribution.The energy performance of the above-mentioned ventilation systems has been evaluated on the basis of the fan power consumed which is related to the airflow rate required to provide equivalent indoor environment. The Air Distribution Index (ADI) is used to evaluate the indoor environment produced in the room by the ventilation strategy being used. The results reveal that mixing ventilation requires the highest fan power and the confluent jets ventilation needs the lowest fan power in order to achieve nearly the same value of ADI.

Both the April 6, 2009 L’Aquila (Italy) earthquake, and the 2010–2011 Canterbury (New Zealand) earthquake sequence provided unprecedented opportunity to enhance the understanding on earthquake performance of infrastructure systems, and to analyse still-opened issues affecting the post-earthquake assessment and management of infrastructure. This paper provides a succinct and holistic overview on the physical and functional performances of the gas, water, waste water, road and electric networks (this one to a limited extent for the L’Aquila case-study), following the moment magnitude (Mw) 6.3 L’Aquila earthquake, and two main events of the Canterbury earthquake sequence, namely: the Mw 7.1 September 4, 2010 Darfield and the Mw 6.2 February 22, 2011 Christchurch earthquakes. A structured format, based on internationally recognised taxonomies and damage descriptors, is introduced to present the assets and to report on the earthquake-induced physical impacts for both above-ground and underground components. Functional impacts, interdependency issues and resilience attributes observed during the emergency management and recovery phases for the same infrastructure systems are furthermore discussed in the paper. It is envisaged that the data and overview on the seismic performance and management of infrastructure systems presented in the paper can be used to test the effectiveness of existing models and to inform the development of new models for seismic risk assessment and resilience analysis. Also, the structured framework presented within this paper can form the basis for defining specific and standardised survey tools for post-earthquake assessment of infrastructure systems.

Thermal, daylight, and energy potential of building-integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) systems: A comprehensive review of effects and developments

Integrated infrastructure planning between cities is a strategic approach that aligns critical systems such as transportation networks, waste management, water supply, and digital connectivity across municipal boundaries. This study examines the coordinated efforts of Addis Ababa and Sheger to create synergy between their infrastructure systems, focusing on three core areas: transport and road networks, sewerage and drainage systems, and solid waste management. Effective inter-city collaboration fosters economic growth, environmental sustainability, and social equity by improving connectivity, resource sharing, and resilience. Conversely, fragmented planning often results in urban sprawl, traffic congestion, poor public service delivery, environmental degradation, and systemic inefficiencies. Using a mixed-methods approach, the study employed convenience sampling to collect data through questionnaires, surveys, interviews, and focus group discussions. It processed and interpreted the data using analytical tools such as Microsoft Excel, ArcGIS, and SPSS. The findings highlight opportunities to enhance the efficiency and sustainability of shared infrastructure systems while addressing pressing challenges, such as institutional silos, limited financial resources, and inadequate stakeholder engagement. The study underscored the importance of aligning infrastructure planning with regional development goals, emphasizing coordinated strategies that reduce redundancies and foster sustainable urban environments. Key recommendations include establishing joint planning bodies, enhancing data-sharing mechanisms, and fostering public-private partnerships to optimize resource use. By addressing these challenges, Addis Ababa and Sheger can achieve interconnected, sustainable, and resilient infrastructure systems that serve the broader metropolitan region effectively. This study contributes to the discourse on regional infrastructure planning by providing actionable insights into how cities can collaboratively address shared challenges while supporting sustainable development objectives. The findings have significant implications for policymakers, urban planners, and stakeholders committed to advancing cohesive urban environments that benefit communities across metropolitan regions.

Active chilled beam systems have gained attentions due to their excellent thermal and energy performance, leading to a variety of research in modeling and experimentation. However, few experimental studies have examined the detailed energy and thermal performance of active chilled beam systems with different combinations of supply air and water conditions. This study tested the cooling performance of six representative active chilled beam systems in a full-scale laboratory to analyze the air-side and water-side cooling capacity and associated impact factors. Particularly, the research explored the influences of supply airflow rate and the cooling coil water supply temperature on the energy performance of active chilled beams. The study further validated the impacts of air supply nozzle sizes of active chilled beams on cooling performance.

Effect of insulation on the energy and exergy performances in Diffusion Absorption Refrigeration (DAR) systems

With the EU Energy Performance in Buildings Directive imminent in 2006, attention is focusing on how to reduce carbon emissions from buildings in practice. This research was undertaken to try to establish some ‘real’ buildingbased figures for the energy performance of air-conditioning systems in UK office buildings. One of the major questions to be answered is whether chilled beam and ceiling systems really are more efficient than traditional air-conditioning systems when used in the real world.1,2 This paper presents findings of a two-year field monitoring study investigating the energy performance of airconditioning (AC) systems in UK office buildings. The findings shown in this paper include: 1) the cooling power demand for the various air-conditioning systems monitored; 2) comparison of national energy consumption and carbon emissions bench-marks to the monitored systems; 3) comparison of the energy consumption and carbon emissions of reverse-cycle AC systems with traditional heating-only systems. The results show that chilled ceiling systems typically consume significantly less energy than the other generic AC types in the heating and cooling of office buildings. However, all the generic AC system types studied appeared capable of meeting current ‘good practice’ standards for energy use in the UK. Practical application: The work provides an insight into the energy performance achieved by real AC systems as operated in UK Offices. When the EC Energy Performance in Buildings Directive becomes law in January 2006 the practically achievable energy and emissions performance of building services will fall more sharply into focus for designers. It is hoped that this paper will provide information useful to both designers and operators of AC systems in the UK as they attempt to reduce the impact of AC systems on the environment.

Prepared on behalf of the Task Group 1 on Life-Cycle Performance of Structural Systems Under Uncertainty of the Technical Council on Life-Cycle Performance, Safety, Reliability and Risk of Structural Systems of the Structural Engineering Institute of the American Society of Civil EngineersStructural engineering is facing a profound change toward a life-cycle oriented design philosophy in order to address the continuously increasing societal, political, economic, and environmental demand for sustainable structural and infrastructural facilities that minimize risks arising from aging, deterioration, and natural and human-made hazards. Life-Cycle Design, Assessment, and Maintenance of Structures and Infrastructure Systems is a state-of-the-art comprehensive report outlining the current status and research needs in life-cycle of civil structure and infrastructure systems. This book examinesPhysical, chemical, and mechanical processes involved in the degradation mechanisms of concrete and steel structures located in severe environments; Methods and strategies for life-cycle design and assessment of deteriorating structural systems under uncertainty; Life-cycle management concepts for structures and infrastructure networks under uncertainty and the application of such concepts in management process; and Principles and implications associated with the scheduling and application of maintenance policies for deteriorating structures and infrastructure networks. This book serves as a valuable resource to engineers, managers, and government agencies concerned with life-cycle design and maintenance of civil structures and infrastructure systems.

Spatial heterogeneity for environmental performance and resilient behavior in energy and transportation systems

Delivering on the Sustainable Development Goals through long-term infrastructure planning

The article reviews the strategies of cross-sectoral investments in infrastructure in the energy, water supply, sewage and solid waste sectors in order to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), as one of the important conditions for achieving the SDGs at the state level. If we take into account the growing demand for infrastructure services in these four sectors, it can be concluded that the implementation of the SDGs enables the achievement of 19 goals directly related to infrastructure. The concept of sustainable development goals (SDGs) is considered in view of the development of infrastructure in the world. The study showed that building an infrastructure development strategy should be based from the very beginning on an understanding of sustainability, conservation of natural resources, provision of ecosystem services, maximization of local benefits in terms of infrastructure services or job creation. On a global scale, almost all countries have committed to complying with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and due to insufficient planning, inadequate consultations and a low level of transparency, there are delays in the implementation of infrastructure projects, overspends, etc. Building an infrastructure development strategy should be based on an understanding of sustainability from the very beginning, in other words, building infrastructure at the local or regional level should be aligned with the SDGs. The main attention is paid to the issue of defining the definition of "sustainable infrastructure", which is built on ensuring economic, financial, social, environmental (including climate change resistance) and institutional sustainability throughout the entire life cycle of the project, taking into account the requirements of the Sustainable Development Goals. Institutionally sustainable infrastructure is aligned with national and international commitments, including the Paris Agreement, and is based on transparent and consistent management systems throughout the project cycle. Sustainable infrastructure must develop technical and engineering capabilities, as well as systems for data collection, monitoring and evaluation to generate empirical evidence and quantify impacts or benefits. The subject of the study is the conceptual, theoretical, methodological and applied approaches for developing strategies of cross-sectoral investments in infrastructure in the energy, water supply, sewage and solid waste sectors in order to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Methodology. General scientific methods were used in the research process. The method of comparison was used for generalizing the approaches of different researchers on the main dominants of development strategies of cross-sectoral investments in infrastructure. Analysis was used to determine the quantitative and qualitative criteria of the different approaches to sustainability, sustainability assessment and environmental, social and governance (ESG) standards.