Sustainability Rating Systems Research Articles

Assessing social equity considerations within transportation asset management

The impacts of transportation systems on people and communities are substantial but challenging to quantify. It requires significant effort and attention for transportation agencies to improve how social concepts such as equity are effectively incorporated into transportation asset management (TAM) plans and practices. This study, therefore, looked at TAM plans and practices to assess the current application of equity and suggested ways to improve equity incorporation into TAM at the state level. A content analysis was done on the 2019 TAM plans from all U.S. states, D.C., and Puerto Rico, and the results showed that equity-related words were rarely mentioned. This indicated that TAM is one of the sectors where equity is still marginalized, and there is a strong need to improve the incorporation of equity into TAM. The study then identified several equity definitions and measures that fit the context of pavement management and, as a result, TAM. Pavement management was used for demonstration purposes as pavements are a major type of asset managed by all state Departments of Transportation (DOTs). Definitions and measures were identified by reviewing documents from the USDOT and FHWA and three sustainability rating systems widely used in transportation: Envision, Greenroads, and INVEST. In addition to these definitions and measures, this study discussed several available guides and tools that would help agencies bring equity considerations into TAM, specifically at the state level. The results indicated that although some resources provide equity definitions and measures that can be used in TAM, more work is needed to develop them to match the practices and approaches used in this sector.

Determining The Indicators of Sustainability to Be Achieved in New Cities and Urban Communities

Indicators are one of the effective mechanisms for achieving and measuring the targeted progress of urban communities at their different levels towards the desired and planned results for development, and to determine the indicators of sustainability to be achieved in new cities and urban communities. Some sustainability rating systems for residential neighborhoods in different countries will be studied, as well as the Egyptian Rating System (Gprs). And extracting the most important indicators and determinants of sustainability that you use to evaluate buildings and residential neighborhoods, as well as studying some other aspects that help to reach the sustainability indicators that are required to be achieved at the city level, and through this, the most important sustainability indicators will be reached and limited as basic indicators for achieving and measuring sustainability in new cities and urban communities, and it is possible to add or delete Indicators, including according to the nature of the cities (tourist - industrial – coastal-….) .

The Adoption and Adaption of CEEQUAL’s Sustainability Attributes in Assessing the Malaysian Infrastructure Projects: A Review

The rapid growing of urban populations has triggered the deterioration of natural resources and acceleration of climate change. Therefore, the development of sustainable infrastructure is playing an important role in order to minimize these issues. Generally, most of the sustainable rating tools are designed to focus on building projects only but not applicable to infrastructure projects. Specifically in Malaysia, there is limited studies have been done on the application of sustainable rating system to the infrastructure projects and literature also reveals that the Malaysian construction industry players still have little understanding on the sustainable infrastructure assessment. With these limitations, hence, this paper corresponds to fill the gap by exploring the sustainability attributes in assessing the infrastructure projects. In this paper, an extensive literature review was conducted to give an overview of several worldwide practical sustainable infrastructure rating tools and identifies the most important attributes for assessing the infrastructure projects, which is based on comprehensive and conventional reviews of considerable volume of published journals from 1993 until 2023 in the area of sustainable infrastructure rating system. Based on the best reference of CEEQUAL sustainability topic areas, the results of the review clarified that a total of 14 attributes like effects on neighbours, users, and the workforce; relation with the local community and other stakeholders; transport; material use; waste management; use of land; restoration of contaminated land; landscape issue; water environment; water resources; flood risk; historic environment; ecology and biodiversity; besides energy consumption and carbon emissions are identified as the relevant sustainability attributes for assessing the development of infrastructure projects in Malaysia.

Developing materials and energy-related indicators and identifying barriers to their adoption in an adjustable urban road sustainable rating system

Materials and energy consumption contribute significantly to the carbon footprint of roadway construction and operation. Although material and energy-related indicators (MEIs) have been incorporated into existing sustainability rating systems in developed countries, their application to other countries/regions, especially developing countries, might be hindered because of varying local contexts. Given that no rating system is specified for urban roadway projects, this study aims to develop MEIs and their weighting system as a part of an adjustable urban road sustainable rating system (AUR-SRS) and investigate the important barriers to MEI adoption. To this end, the adaptive approach integrating top-down and bottom-up methods was employed. The top-down approach used the comprehensive literature review to derive potential MEIs and barriers. The bottom-up approach referred to expert opinions in a three-country context (i.e., Taiwan, Indonesia, and Vietnam) to finalize the five most suitable MEIs and 26 corresponding requirements. The study then applied the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) and Weighted Sum Model (WSM) methods to assign a weighting system to proposed indicators/ requirements and investigate the three critical barriers. The proposed research framework would serve as a baseline for developing adaptable indicators for other categories and examining barriers to indicator implementation.

The compass: A sustainability rating system to diagnose informal areas in Egypt

This research presents a methodology that was developed to define a set of variables and indicators to assess the sustainability performances of informal areas. It aims at demonstrating a conceptual framework of an invented urban sustainability rating system referred to as the ‘Compass of informal areas development’. It is a graphical policymaking instrument through which urban planners and policymakers can quickly diagnose the sustainability performance of informal areas and formulate strategies to deal with it accordingly. The Compass tool integrates the quality-of-life parameters, such as housing adequacy as well as social and economic welfare, with the place value assets in a cohesive rating interface.The research is conducted using a blended methodology that includes a collective literature review on defining rating systems for assessing the sustainability performance of informal areas. Assessment variables and indicators are explained by engaging a number of stakeholders in participatory interactive planning sessions. Consequently, a ‘compass’ rating tool has been developed, in a graphical interface, and applied in assessing different categories of informal areas in the Greater Cairo Region in Egypt. Several development policies and interference strategies have been formulated through synergistic discussions.The findings of the research have shown that applying the developed compass rating tool to diagnose some informal areas has entailed a comprehensive picture and clear interpretation of the performance of the selected areas. It has concluded that the amalgamation of the quality-of-life variables with the indicators of the place values would lead to delineating the performance of the informal areas in question. This is imperative for setting up prompt formulation for the area’s development strategy. It is worth mentioning here that the rating indicators comprising the Compass need subsequent research to be validated and, therefore, applied to other geographical and social contexts.

Education for Sustainable Development: Mapping the SDGs to University Curricula

Education for sustainable development (ESD) is a growing research field, particularly over the last decade. Measuring the level of ESD that is currently embedded in curricula is useful for planning the further implementation of sustainability-related teaching. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are a useful benchmark for sustainability topics and so this paper follows a methodology in which a keyword scanning tool was created to quantify the level of SDG coverage within a list of learning outcomes for a module. The aim of the research is to further develop this methodology and compare the results from the keyword tool with results from a survey of the academic staff who deliver the modules. SDG-related keyword lists were collected from multiple sources for a meta-analysis, examining the performance of various lists. These lists were then compiled into one list of over 12,000 SDG keywords and a team of reviewers conducted a critical analysis on the relevancy of the context in which the keywords were found when scanned. This process reduced the list to 222 “crucial keywords” and gave the keywords a relevancy label based on the STARS definitions, the sustainability tracking assessment and rating system. Finally, ChatGPT was also investigated as a method of enriching the critically analysed list with contextually relevant synonyms. A survey was carried out within the College of Science and Engineering at the University of Galway. It asked staff to rate the level of SDG coverage within their own modules, in their own opinion. This gave results which could be compared with the keyword scanning tool. The findings show success in improving the accuracy of the SDG keywords. ChatGPT added synonyms to the crucial keywords identified and this list was the most accurate out of all keyword lists used in the study. Using these keywords and the modules that staff rated in the survey, a correlation was found in the SDG trend.

High-Performance Glazing for Enhancing Sustainable Environment in Arid Region’s Healthcare Projects

The integration of sustainability rating systems in healthcare projects and healthcare building envelope specifications is a growing concern in the construction industry, especially in the arid region. The external facade of healthcare buildings is one of the most significant contributors to the energy cost and comfort level of healthcare buildings in such a region. This study undertook a comprehensive comparison analysis of an adaptive model of high-performance glazing (HPG) specifications for patient rooms in a case study inside Saudi Arabia based on multi-criteria, including the LEED Healthcare rating system. The study used a technical comparative analysis for three onsite glazing models with HAB software v6.0 based on specifications of specialist manufacturer organizations for glazing window performance, climatic conditions, and the region’s culture. Significant results in the case study project were achieved in energy saving and sustainability ranking in the healthcare rating system, providing new specification guidelines for HPG applications in healthcare buildings located in an arid region, and cultural environment considerations.

Evaluating BIPV Façades in a Building Envelope in Hot Districts for Enhancing Sustainable Ranking: A Saudi Arabian Perspective

Enhancing contractual construction project documents with sustainability and green building requirements reflects growing concerns for the majority of organizations in hot zone districts. The aim is to provide a healthy, best functional performance, safe environment with occupant comfort, and an efficient building performance as an environmental-friendly building. This research study develops a holistic evaluation system for the façade composite of contractual documents. The aim of the current study was to enhance building energy performance under the sustainability rating system focusing on adapting active envelope energy applications. The research used technical evaluation with energy simulation based PVsyst V7.1.0 software and contractual status evaluation for an ongoing unique case study project in Saudi Arabia. Feasibility analysis was carried out for a sustainable active envelope using the adopted specifications of the Building Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV) façade item instead of the contractual passive item in the Giftedness and Creativity Center project. The project was registered in the sustainability rating system called Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED). The results showed that using BIPV facades as an active renewable energy source enhances building energy performance over the project life cycle. Additionally, it generates 68% of energy demand as a nearly-zero energy project. Several other advantages include lower cost than tender cost without any contractual conflicts, energy savings per year, project upgrade to the platinum certificate, added value to the public investment, CO2 emission reduction, and barrels of oil saved.

Vertical Greenery Systems in Commercial Complexes: Development of an Evaluation Guideline

Building vertical greenery has become an effective measure to solve the contradiction between the shortage of urban greenery and the increasing demand for greenery. However, the lack of direct economic benefits dampens motivation for its development. As a vital development mode for high-density cities worldwide, commercial complexes are the most appropriate buildings to support greenery because of economic agglomeration and resource integration. An important reason for whether or not commercial complex greenery is constructed is the need for an evaluation system. To bridge this research gap, we propose a holistic evaluation guideline for commercial complex greenery. First, a list of related sustainable rating systems from the academic literature and official websites was compiled and reviewed to identify and compare their referential features. Second, the limitations of these evaluation systems in assessing the greenery of commercial complexes were explored using a case study. Third, the features of commercial complex greenery were introduced through field research and interviews. Finally, a holistic evaluation guideline for vertical greenery systems in commercial complexes was proposed, including logical thinking for the evaluation system of the dimension–indicator–quantitative method, the creation of innovative evaluation indicators, the establishment of a database, the assignment of weights to different dimensions and indicators, and the construction of an evaluation mechanism for the whole life cycle. This research demonstrates the significance of an evaluation process for commercial complex greenery systems, proposes a refined guideline for its development, and rationally grasps the development direction from a macro perspective.

Sustainable communities rating system within the context of Iraqi cities characteristics

Rating systems for evaluating the sustainability of communities are an essential tool that is increasingly applied throughout the developed world to set criteria indicators to optimize the physical, social, economic, and environmental potential within such communities. Rating systems vary based on existing disparities among societies and their unique building and physical planning practices. Iraqi cities lacked the adaptation of a formal methodology or sustainability rating system to correctly measure the built environment’s sustainability indicators. This research attempts to review the most substantial rating systems to measure the sustainability of communities worldwide to form a point of departure. In conclusion, the Article attempts to delineate relevant parameters to develop a local model to evaluate the suitability levels of communities in urban centres per regional environmental characteristics.

Sustainability Rating Systems for Historic Buildings: A Systematic Review

Historic buildings are an integral part of the built environment that have historical, cultural, social, and economic value. Sustainable conservation/rehabilitation/renovation of historic buildings that will perform well for decades is therefore critical. Numerous sustainability-rating systems (e.g., LEED, BREEAM, DGNB, etc.) have been developed to deal with broader sustainability objectives in the design of new buildings, which are not adequate/sufficient in intervention in historic buildings. This paper aims to study and explore rating systems for historic buildings. It is hypothesized that using rating systems can help historic buildings achieve more sustainable outcomes. The paper begins by presenting comprehensive background information on existing sustainability-rating systems worldwide, followed by a systematic review of the literature on rating systems for historic buildings. The PRISMA flowchart (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) was used, searching Science Direct and Google Scholar databases. The study reveals most current studies focus on environmental aspects, such as improving the energy efficiency of historic buildings, which results in lowering economic costs and increasing occupant satisfaction with the indoor environment. We argue that all three traditional dimensions of sustainability should be balanced when developing or adapting the next generation of rating systems to assess/address the sustainability of historic buildings.

Optimizing sustainability of infrastructure projects through the integration of building information modeling and envision rating system at the design stage

With infrastructure services demand rising, a significant contributor to sustainable development goals, infrastructure systems have to evolve and adapt effectively, efficiently, and sustainably. The broad set of decision variables coupled with the trade-off among the economic, social, and environmental aspects complicate sustainability assessment and optimization during the design stage. Thus, this paper presents a Building Information Modeling (BIM)-based automated framework for real-time evaluation and optimization of sustainability in infrastructure projects. The proposed framework benefits from infrastructure sustainability rating systems that provide a systemic and balanced set of indicators for careful consideration of sustainability. On the other hand, to automate the process, BIM, with its 3D shared environment, is used as an integrated platform for dynamic sustainability analysis. The proposed framework integrates both novelties in real-time during the early design stages, which helps designers to select the most sustainable alternative. A prototype and a hypothetical case study are conducted to validate the framework's applicability through Infraworks 360 as the operating BIM platform and Envision as the baseline rating system. The results confirm that adopting the suggested method simplifies the inclusion of sustainability into design decisions while facilitating documentation of compliance with credit assessment for both project teams and verification agencies.

Developing an effective front-end planning framework for sustainable infrastructure projects

Front-End Planning (FEP) is a crucial part of project management that ensures successful project delivery and improved project performance of construction projects. With the increasing demand for sustainable development, particularly for infrastructure projects, diligent FEP is required for such projects to ensure achieving sustainability goals while improving project outcomes. This paper investigates the use of an infrastructure sustainability rating system, i.e., the Envision™ rating system in FEP of sustainable infrastructure projects by developing pragmatic frameworks that combine Envision™ credits, and a widely used FEP tool for infrastructure projects, Project Definition Rating Index (PDRI). This research conducted a manual comparison between 59 Envision™ credits and 46 PDRI elements to develop Envision-PDRI frameworks for small and large infrastructure projects. The study validated the frameworks by surveying 109 construction stakeholders. The frameworks conclude that linking the Envision™ credits with FEP can support stakeholders to improve the decision-making process of infrastructure projects.

A Pedagogical Paradigm to Support Infrastructure Projects through Coupling Front-End Planning Techniques with Sustainability Practices

ABSTRACT Effective project management of sustainable infrastructure projects is critical for successful project delivery and improved project performance of construction projects. Coupling and integrating Front-End Planning (FEP) techniques and sustainability rating systems such as the EnvisionTM rating system in the curricula can equip our construction workforces with advanced skills in planning and managing such projects. Therefore, this study investigates the existing synergies between FEP and EnvisionTM and establishes the necessity of incorporating these concepts into the Construction Management (CM) curricula. The research methodology included (1) surveying infrastructure experts to investigate the nexus between EnvisionTM credits and FEP; (2) investigating the use of pre-project planning tools in the industry; and (3) implementing a Problem Based Learning (PBL) activity to enhance construction students’ knowledge of FEP and sustainability. The results highlighted that sustainability practices greatly align with FEP. Moreover, the knowledge improvement through the PBL activity demonstrates that such an active learning method can be a strong candidate for effective pedagogical design to teach these concepts. The novelty of this study encompasses highlighting the necessity to link and incorporate EnvisionTM with FEP in construction curricula to support CM students to become adept in both planning and delivering sustainable infrastructure projects.

What are the motivations for and obstacles to disclosing voluntary sustainability information by U.S. universities in STARS reports?

This study investigates voluntary sustainability reporting by U.S. universities. Using a structural equation modeling approach and Poisson regression, this analysis explores the relevant motivations for and obstacles in disclosing sustainability information through the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System. The preparation of sustainability reports on a voluntarily basis involves significant financial costs for universities that typically grapple with tight budgets. However, universities may want to inform their stakeholders about relevant developments at the university. The results show that the fulfillment of societal expectations is one of the most relevant motivations, whereas a lack of reporting-related organizational structures represents the most important obstacle.

THE PROBLEM OF COMPARING FINANCIAL REPORTING INDICATORS IN INTERNATIONAL RATING SYSTEMS FOR ENTERPRISES

The article considers the problem of comparing financial indicators of international companies in the ratings formed by well-known analytical institutions. In practice, the methodology for evaluating and selecting data depends on market expectations and takes into account the requirements of the general public rather than industry professionals, so the question arises as for choosing the optimal system for evaluating the performance of multinational enterprises from different countries due to various managerial approaches, tax and accounting standards. The article aims to review the most common indicators and ratios used in international financial comparisons, and to prove (on the example of a global rating approach) that only the complex business analysis, even at a prior level, should be used for the reliable estimation of a company’s stability in the market. The study uses a database of key financial indicators of 2,000 companies included in the Forbes rating, such as sales, profit, asset and market value. Based on these indicators, the financial ratios were calculated and the characteristics of groups of enterprises were given by the methods of descriptive statistics. Net profit is emphasised as a key performance indicator, and it has been proven that the companies with the highest asset value do not have excessive financial ratios. The latest Forbes ranking covers companies from 61 countries, the leaders in headquartering the companies are the United States, China and Japan. It has been found that most companies have assets of up to $500 billion, while the market value of assets (calculated on the value of placed securities) is on average twice as low. The ranking also includes unprofitable enterprises (about 15% of the total), which indicates the lack of effective mechanisms for assessing the effectiveness of management of multinational enterprises and possible errors in investment decisions, as the focus is more on working capital and market coverage (sales) than the ability of management to develop strategic decisions. In the most stable companies, the ratio of net profit to sales does not exceed 20%, which proves the assumption of the advantage of moderate development and financial management. There is almost no correlation between profit/sales and asset value, while it is the strongest between asset value and market value of the company, and profit and market value. The companies with the largest assets have lower absolute and relative financial indicators than the average in the total sample of 2000 enterprises (with some exceptions). The practical significance of the article is the creation of a new sustainable international rating system of enterprises

Defining Sustainability in Higher Education Institutions

People interact with each other based on shared meaning. In the absence of shared meaning, organizations fail to identify and achieve goals. Focus is generally placed on how to engage, fund, and achieve sustainability across HEIs, and the conceptual problem of what sustainability means is often overlooked. This exploratory analysis examines how Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in the United States define sustainability. Definitions of sustainability were collected from 131 Sustainability Tracking, Assessment, and Rating System (STARS) reports submitted between March 2017 and March 2020. Through thematic coding, four definition themes emerged: 3-dimensional, intergenerational, environmental, and ethical. The 3-dimensional and intergenerational themes were the most common, with 11 different combinations of themes identified among the definitions. The majority of definitions described sustainability as an anthropocentric concept rather than an ecocentric concept. How sustainability is defined and communicated is important for the coordinated progress toward global sustainability goals. Further, the implications of various definitions should be acknowledged when identifying strategies to advance sustainable practices in higher education.

The impact of sustainability rating systems on health and safety in building projects

Sustainable construction has gained increasing popularity within the building sector with many sustainability rating systems (SRSs) available worldwide. However, most research has been focused on the environmental benefits of pursuing SRSs, with little attention paid to the health and safety (H&S) impact on construction workers. This study thus aims to investigate the impact of adopting SRSs on the H&S of construction workers in building projects. A systematic literature review was conducted, including 39 articles, to investigate the possible association between sustainability and H&S hazards. It resulted in 30 events and eight types of associated hazards, which are mostly related to the adoption of the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (Leed) and Hong Kong Building Environmental Assessment Method SRSs. The adoption of SRSs is likely to increase the exposure of workers to known H&S hazards with no new hazards introduced. In particular, ‘falling from height’ and ‘manual handling injuries’ caused by solar installation and retrieving recyclable waste, respectively, are the most representative sustainability-related hazards. While the evidence detected is mainly related to Leed, further research is needed to investigate whether findings are valid for other SRSs, such as the Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method in the UK or Green Star in Australia, to address H&S concerns associated with sustainable building projects.

Identification of the Main Environmental Impact Categories Over the Life Cycle of Hot Mix Asphalt: An Application to Green Public Procurement

Increased environmental awareness has led road agencies to consider the implementation of green public procurement (GPP). Besides sustainability rating systems, environmental indicators can also be implemented in GPP to help road agencies make informed decisions about the environmental impact of the pavement works they procure. A vast literature review revealed that it is still unclear which impact categories are responsible for the majority of the total environmental impact of asphalt mixtures. The objective of this study was to identify the impact categories with the greatest contribution to the total environmental impact of hot mix asphalt so that they can be implemented in the form of environmental indicators in GPP. The scope included conventional and polymer-modified binder and three mix design alternatives: only virgin aggregate, reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP), and RAP with rejuvenators. The cradle-to-cradle life cycle assessment (LCA) performed showed that global warming (GW), fine particulate matter formation, fossil resource scarcity, and human non-carcinogenic toxicity were responsible for at least 90% of the total impact according to the ReCiPe 2016 hierarchic assessment method. Therefore, a simplified LCA focusing on these four impact categories seems sufficient for the purpose of comparing the environmental performance of alternatives in GPP. It was also found that GW alone accounted for approximately 50% of the total impact, which seems to make GW a good surrogate for the total impact among the asphalt mixtures evaluated. Future work should investigate whether the conclusions from this study still hold up when using secondary materials, lower temperature mixing technologies, or in-situ recycling.

Measuring the impact of organizational characteristics on the sustainability performance of US institutions of higher education

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to determine how organizational characteristics at higher education institutions (HEI) influence their sustainability performance as measured by the advancement of sustainability in higher education’s sustainability tracking, assessment and rating system (STARS).Design/methodology/approachThis analysis identified 11 independent variables to measure the impact of four general organizational characteristics – structure, commitment, culture and planning – on sustainability performance. Through an examination of relevant literature, especially that specific to HEI, 13 hypotheses were formulated to test the impact of these organizational characteristics on sustainability performance and to explore the relationships between these characteristics. Using self-reported STARS data from US HEI, a variety of statistical methods, including ordinary least squares regression, ANOVA, Chi-square test and bi-variate correlation, were used.FindingsThe analysis suggests that HEI with both a sustainability office and a sustainability committee, more staff in a sustainability office, a more comprehensive sustainability plan and earlier and more frequent STARS submissions had higher STARS scores. Furthermore, doctoral-granting HEI had higher STARS scores and were more likely to have the organizational characteristics of higher-performing HEI.Originality/valueAlthough other studies have used STARS data to examine organizational characteristics, this study includes more organizational characteristics, and it explores both their relationship to sustainability performance and their relationship with each other.