Sustainable Design Practices Research Articles

Demands, default options and definitions: How artefacts mediate sustainability in public housing projects in Sweden and Cyprus

Sustainable building design practices are influenced by requirements, guidelines, criteria for green procurement and certification, assessment tools such as life cycle assessment, etc. This study investigates how such artefacts support or define aspirations towards sustainability, through case studies of public housing projects in Sweden and Cyprus. The study first illustrates how constraints mediated by artefacts set boundaries to the range of available sustainable design options. On one hand, fulfilling sustainability requirements conveyed in regulations, certifications and directives is a major driver of designers' involvement with sustainable design. On the other hand, cost calculations, procurement laws and development plans exclude certain design options. Moreover, default solutions and standardised design guidelines within the organisation streamline and simplify the design process, indirectly determining what sustainable design options are considered. However, these demands and default options are also bent and adapted on a case-by-case basis. The ways in which sustainable design arises from the interplay between artefacts and actors' agency differed significantly between the Swedish and Cypriot cases. Swedish actors' operational definition of sustainability is strongly codified and enforced through interconnected artefacts. The Miljöbyggnad certification is often a de facto definition of sustainability used by actors to set sustainability criteria and targets. Environmental databases for construction products act as black boxes, implicitly determining what aspects of sustainability are addressed in design decisions. Conversely, Cypriot designers' work with sustainability depends to a larger extent on their motivation, experience and ability to convince their peers.

Co-Creating a Framework to Integrate Sustainable Design into Product Development Practice: Case Study at an Engineering Consultancy Firm

There is a growing recognition of the need to incorporate sustainability considerations early-on in the product development (PD) process (PDP). As part of a case study at an engineering consultancy firm, this paper identifies considerations that influence the integration of sustainable design practices into real-world PD practices. This is informed by the first author becoming embedded in the firm as an intern, and closely observing the PD workflow across various projects, conducting interviews and group discussions with a wide range of practitioners, and iteratively designing and testing various potential interventions. From the literature and observations, we find that designers and engineers often struggle to identify and apply the right sustainable design methods and tools (SDMTs) to tackle the environmental impacts associated with their products. Through a human-centered design process, we co-created a reusable, modular framework of practices that aids the selection of relevant strategies, based on the environmental hotspots, stage of the PD process, and the client’s sustainability priorities. Our prominent findings highlight the importance of: (a) co-creation in enhancing receptivity and retention, (b) the use of LCA iteratively to inform design decisions throughout PD, and (c) sharing case studies of successful application of the framework to promote sustainable design among employees and clients, alongside several other takeaways. The paper further presents insights related to the framework’s real-world application and impacts in the firm, based on results of longitudinal engagement with the firm.

A Methodical Framework for Sustainable Architectural Design: Housing Practice in the Middle East

In developing countries where sustainable housing design receives insufficient theoretical and practical efforts, decisions about appropriate sustainable design strategies are often made in ignorance of situational and contextual issues and isolation from local practices. The study attempts to provide a design framework that comprises various design models for sustainable housing, enabling architects worldwide to broaden their sustainability practices in the architectural field. The study employs the grounded theory method to transform theory into viable housing design models for architects in various regions, particularly the Middle East, who will be able to trace the regional models and select design approaches and strategies in response to local situations. The research is divided into three stages. Guy and Farmer’s six logics are linked with methodical sustainable design approaches through comparative analysis to develop design models that will be chased in sustainable housing practices. The models are introduced in the next phase within a design framework and, finally, verified through Middle Eastern practices. The framework, which has been verified by tracking sustainable housing models in the design practices of Middle Eastern countries, can be used by applying the design models individually or by combining more than one model to create more responsive sustainable design practices in the housing field. The novelty of the study is that the developed framework transforms theoretical models into viable options for designers and scholars around the world, as well as enabling architects and developers in Middle Eastern cities to easily and practically trace regional design models and to select appropriate design approaches and strategies in an integrative manner.

Barriers to the practice of sustainable interior architecture and design for interior renovations: A Parsimonious-Cybernetic Fuzzy AHP approach

While the notion of sustainability has long been a major concern in the built environment, the practice of sustainable interior architecture and design still falls short. This study aimed to identify and analyse barriers to the practice of sustainable interior architecture and design. To this end, after identifying 30 potential obstacles through a review of literature, a two-round Enhanced Fuzzy Delphi Method involving 13 qualified experts was employed resulting in the exclusion of 10, and the addition of one new barrier. To prioritise the remaining, a novel Parsimonious Cybernetic Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process was introduced, significantly reducing the number of pairwise comparisons and eliminating the need for a complicated AHP questionnaire. Results showed the highest prioritised barriers are: (1) lack of sufficient sustainability modules in the education of interior architects/designers, (2) designers' lack of experience and technical understanding, (3) lack of codes, regulations and specific legal frameworks designed for different types of projects, (4) lack of interest from the client, and (5) designers’ lack of training. The findings of this study provide valuable insights for professional interior architects/designers, educators, statutory authorities, governments, and policymakers. Considering the dearth of existing literature on this topic, the present study fills this gap by providing a comprehensive list of barriers to sustainable interior architecture and design, establishes the groundwork for future research to build upon, and introduces a novel P-CFAHP that has not been employed before.

The status of sustainable concrete codes in the United States

As the focus on embodied carbon within the built environment has grown in the U.S., local jurisdictional codes have increasingly proposed and implemented code language that requires the use of concrete mixtures that have reduced environmental impacts. This paper provides details about the various ways that localized sustainable concrete provisions have been proposed and implemented in the U.S., including limits on cement content and Global Warming Potential (GWP). These laws and code revisions vary in their measurement of low-carbon concrete and their exemptions and incentives. While the current version of the ACI Building Code, ACI 318-19, does allow for the consideration of sustainability in concrete design, specifics about how the relative sustainability of concrete mixtures and systems are to be measured and compared are not included. This paper addresses how the changing landscape of local jurisdictional codes is driving the development of future ACI 318 provisions to play a part in providing more consistency in the application of sustainable design practices in the United States.

Engaging design for ecological citizenship: Informing approaches to human–nature interactions

The COVID-19 pandemic forefronted public urban and suburban nature interactions. ‘Human–nature interactions’ produce positive health impacts, knowledge production, risk perception, sustainable behaviour, engagement in conservation and more. Governmental and charitable reporting documents ‘nature deficit disorder’. The Design Economy report (2021) highlights that social, environmental and economic design must engage communities. Ergo, building community empowerment, is paramount to catalyse and embed sustainable design practices. The authors define a contemporary design space, unpick strategies and present ‘approaches to human–nature interactions’ insights. The My Naturewatch (NW) project features an accessible DIY camera trap, fostering beneficial nature engagements regardless of location, technological and/or wildlife expertise. NW is central within the outlined design space. The article reports on NW deployment(s) and catalysing organizations and communities. Three studies include: (1) The Wildlife Trusts #30dayswild, digital campaign, (2) The Durrell Trust, placed-based activity and (3) Nova New Opportunities, working with re-located communities. The authors acknowledge communities are sacrosanct and a substantial sustainable design asset for regeneration. The work leverages contemporary ‘phy-digital’ engagements, highlighting practices of social, environmental and public design spaces. The findings insights benefit cultural institutions, practitioners, conservation projects and more.

Numerical Simulation of Ventilation Potential in Traditional Omani House: Bait Al Khandaq as an example

The use of cooling systems has increased because of drastic changes introduced after the oil revolution in the local architecture by using modern building designs and practices that may not suit Oman's climate. The traditional architecture in this country is characterized by its passive cooling design features, which the Locals fine-tuned through trial and error. These sustainable passive design practices developed over the ages have the ability to provide healthy and comfortable spaces for their occupants while preserving the environment and natural resources. These strategies are still evident in many traditional settlements and buildings in Oman. The present research evaluates the effect of natural ventilation in achieving thermal comfort in traditional Omani houses. For this purpose, a traditional house in a hot-arid climate zone with vernacular architecture typology was chosen as a case study. Computational Fluid Dynamic (CFD) was used to model the house and analyse the airflow and temperature levels in its spaces. The results show the efficiency of such a design to enhance natural ventilation and thermal comfort in similar geo-climatic regions.

AB044. Healthy ageing and socio-physical environments: re-designing high-rise housing estates in compact Hong Kong

Background: The paper aligns with WHO’s call for concerted global actions to achieve healthy aging. It aims to provide sustainable physical and social environments to enable healthy ageing by investigating and enhancing the contribution of mixed age high-rise housing estates of compact cities like Hong Kong and by recommending more socially sustainable estate planning, design and management principles and practices.

Comparing Architects’ Perceptions of the Usefulness of Digital Design Environments with their Aspirations for Sustainable Design in Australia

This paper uses a combined method – survey and semi-structured interviews – to evaluate the perceived effectiveness of digital design environments for supporting architects’ sustainable design practices. In most contemporary firms, architects’ sustainable design aspirations are reliant on the use digital design tools and associated computational platforms. Past research, however, suggests that a level of uncertainty exists about whether these tools and platforms are sufficient for this purpose. To investigate this issue in an Australian context, architects were invited to take part in an online survey to identify general trends and perceptions, leading to a series of semi-structured interviews, to analyse the issues in detail. The survey results (n = 70) suggest that despite considering sustainable design an important objective in their design practice, participants believe that digital design tools require further development and improvement. Detailed interviews (n = 15) then identified specific factors affecting the usefulness of digital design tools. These results enhance our understanding of Australian architects’ experiences using digital design tools. It also contributes to improving the tools that support sustainable design practices throughout the architectural, engineering and construction industry.

Sustainable practice: The future mode of temporality in fashion

Fashion is indicative of time and, serving as the interpretive and representational forms of a society, is measured against the cyclical rhythms of trend diffusion and style adoption. This article examines the function of time within the framework of historical research, reviewing the construction and translation of contemporary fashion. The temporality of material objects is further probed by an analysis of the sociocultural development of current sustainable practices to grasp the affective nature of time and its relationship to the fashion system. With an overview of emerging sustainable design practices, the relationship between time and meaning creation is critically examined, analysed and discussed. The social production of design and its utilization of the body-as-space are presented in relation to the social construction of time, explicated as part of a subjective, embodied experience. This article presents a new modality of time in how it is articulated, imitated, reproduced and reinterpreted through material culture and future sustainable practices.

A Comprehensive Review of Deterrents to the Practice of Sustainable Interior Architecture and Design

The interior environment as the place where people spend nearly 95% of their time in, has recently received considerable attention within the domain of the built environment. The concept of Sustainable Interior Architecture and Design (SIAD) and its significance have been recognized given its potential for energy conservation, and its impacts on occupants’ satisfaction, comfort, as well as their physical and psychological wellbeing. Although the adoption of SIAD is crucial in achieving the sustainable development goals, its practice is still hindered by numerous deterrents. A number of studies have reported on these deterrents; however, there is no comprehensive review of the literature on this topic. Thus, as a first step toward addressing the present gap, this article provides a two decade (2000–2021) systematic review of the relevant literature that investigates a total of 51 publications. Furthermore, a scientometric analysis was conducted, and the co-citation and co-occurrence of journals and keywords were analyzed to illustrate the scientific landscape. A comprehensive summary table is provided consisting of 61 deterrents to the practice of SIAD that are categorized into five main categories: (1) economic; (2) attitude, knowledge, and awareness; (3) market, information, and technology; (4) education and training; as well as (5) government and professional bodies. Finally, the findings are deliberated upon and directions for future research are discussed.

Emotionally Sustainable Design Toolbox: A Card-Based Design Tool for Designing Products with an Extended Life Based on the User’s Emotional Needs

Emotionally sustainable design helps users to develop an emotional attachment to a product and motivates them to continue using it, thus extending the product lifecycle, minimizing the need for new products and achieving product sustainability. However, the existing relevant design principles are still very scattered, and they could not effectively guide the emotionally sustainable design practice in a systematic way. We proposed an emotionally sustainable design (ESD) toolbox for product design based on the literature review and expert argumentation. The toolbox consists of seven themes and 20 principles under the three levels of emotional design. The usability of the ESD toolbox was then validated through design practice for the teapot product. The result shows that the ESD toolbox improved the efficiency of the sustainable design process and was helpful to the product’s sustainability.

Developing Design Criteria for Sustainable Urban Parks

This study investigates how urban parks can contribute to helping cities become more sustainable through developing a set of criteria for the sustainable design of urban parks. Today, there is no example around the world where all the proposed sustainable design criteria are applied together in a specific urban park. In this context, this study aims to make a novel contribution by systematically reviewing the literature on the sustainable design of urban parks. In the light of research findings, this study contributes to the implementation of a comprehensive sustainable park design practice in our cities in the future. These design criteria may further serve as performance indicators to offer information and know-how to local authorities, practitioners, communities, and other actors in this field to help them assess their success levels and progress over time.

Circularity within the construction sector: organisational models based on re-manufacturing

Unlike other industrial sectors that already apply re-manufacturing, the construction sector is slow to experiment with these sustainable practices. Hence, this paper introduces key results of the Re-NetTA project, conducted at Politecnico di Milano and funded by Fondazione Cariplo (2018-0991), which intends to outline the conditions necessary to activate circular processes in the field of tertiary construction. In order to extend the life of construction products, the paper proposes three circular models based on re-manufacturing. Developed with stakeholders and experts in an inter-sectoral and multidisciplinary approach, the proposed models represent a contribution towards sustainable design and organisational practices of construction products.

Versatility in sustainable building design (SBD) practices: an empirical study

PurposeThrough an empirical study, this research proposes a multi-dimensional assessment method for Sustainable Building Design (SBD). This approach is adopted to investigate and evaluate the current practices of SBD and to provide a basis for refining such processes while reducing existing shortfalls. In doing so, a holistic sustainable framework for rating the sustainable performance of buildings is proposed.Design/methodology/approachTo achieve the aforementioned purpose, this research (1) investigates the most current trends in SBD including the use of Building Information Modelling (BIM); (2) examines the practical issues of SBD; (3) proposes a multi-dimensional assessment method; and (4) compares 18 separate case studies in the three countries of Australia, United Kingdom and USA, as part of the SBD implementation. To compare these case studies, an additional SBD tool, Green Building Rating and Certification System (GBELS) was carefully selected and applied. Five core values of SBD were identified based on functionality, accessibility and productivity, which align with the GBELS outcomes.FindingsThis research found that, for the 18 examined buildings, the main issues in SBD in the three countries concerned environmental and ecological issues. These included the impacts of buildings on the environment, as well as issues concerning the buildings' life cycle analysis and assessment. It was also determined that energy usage, pollution reduction and climate change concerns were important inclusions in establishing these buildings, particularly in the USA.Originality/valueTo support the research aim, this paper explores the most innovative trends in SBD assessments including their Structural Health Monitoring (SHM), grade (stars) classification, Relative Weight (RW) and particularly GBELS. GBELS was selected for this research, since it is relatively new and there is little available literature discussing its adaptation. Accordingly, this research further evaluates the application of GBELS as a part of versatility in SBD multi-dimensional assessment method. As the basis of these tests, a total of 18 separate case studies are closely evaluated.

Biomimicry in French Urban Projects: Trends and Perspectives from the Practice.

Biomimicry is a design framework with growing interests in sustainable architectural and urban design practice. Nevertheless, there is a significant lack of studies and knowledge regarding its practical application. In 2020, a French workgroup called Biomim’City Lab published a document identifying and describing 16 urban projects designed by French teams integrating biomimicry at various levels. Our research is an opportunistic study analyzing this data, aiming to identify trends and challenges in the French market. We analyzed the projects using a mixed-method approach, through quantitative typological analysis and qualitative narrative analysis. This sample of French projects indicates a trend of increasing interest in biomimicry on built space projects in France. Biomimicry was primarily applied at the façade/roof/soil systems, mostly using macroscopic models as ecosystems, plants, and animals. Designers declared to aim diverse objectives with the biomimetic approach; still, thermal comfort is the most recurrent in the sample. We also identified that challenges remain to foster the field application, as the lack of awareness of the urban fabric stakeholders on the topic and the gaps between research and design practice.

The Ulm School of Design Discourse: A Foundation for Sustainable Design

This article discusses the relevance of the HfG Ulm discourse to the notions of Sustainable Design. The Ulmer programme included values such as social equity, resource optimisation and respect for the planet and the environment, which are main pillars for Sustainable Design practices. Links between the HfG’s ideas of the ’60s and contemporary sustainable design values could be examined by comparing historical and recent discourses. The text presents topics that the compared discussions share such as environmental concern, social sustainability (social needs, distribution), systems perspective, resilience, diversity, planned obsolescence, behaviour and culture, and the perspective of design as a constructive activity. The HfG experience could be used today, given a proper translation from historical approaches applied to the state of current affairs. The comprehension of the Ulmer discourse can contribute to building the future design knowledge, possibly creating frameworks that will allow better sustainability practices.

Sustainable Product Design Education: Current Practice

Current production and consumption patterns are unsustainable, causing irreversible damage to the environment and human health and well-being. Designers play a vital role in resolving this problem—their decisions affect product manufacturing, distribution, use, and disposal—and hence they must be aware of the positive and negative impacts of their design decisions. Sustainable product design education is key to developing the knowledge, skills, and responsibility required for future generations of product designers and their educators to make informed and responsible decisions within their practice, and also enhance the social and environmental performance of their creations and effectively communicate the value of such decisions within a commercial context. In this article, we present insights and challenges in contemporary sustainable product design education in higher education. We document the experiences of six academics involved in teaching and researching sustainable product design in the United Kingdom, Australia, Denmark, the Netherlands, and the United States. We hope to provide a useful reference for academics seeking to adopt sustainable product design practices in their existing programs, develop new sustainable product design education programs, or reflect on their own existing product design practice.

Sustainable Post-Occupancy Evaluation Survey (SPOES): An Approach to Human Factors in Minnesota State-funded Buildings

An interdisciplinary team from the Interior Design (ID) and the Center for Sustainable Building Research (CSBR), University of Minnesota developed a tool to inform sustainable design practices in state-funded buildings. The internet-based questionnaire called Sustainable Post Occupancy Evaluation (SPOES) provides both quantitative and qualitative analysis of building occupants’ satisfaction, health, and wellbeing via 12 indoor environmental quality (IEQ) categories. Since 2009, SPOES has provided business and building owners, architects, interior designers, facility managers of 60 state-funded workplace, classroom and residence hall buildings IEQ scores of occupants’ satisfaction to help them better engage building occupants and bring employee health and wellbeing to the forefront of their practices. This presentation will cover the SPOES questionnaire and report formats, results from workplace, classroom, residence hall buildings, and implications for evaluating the impacts of building designs on occupants’ health and wellbeing.

Preface

With immense pleasure, I introduce the proceedings of the 1st Online National Conference on Sustainable Materials and Practices for Infrastructure Development (SMPID-2020) which was organized by Department of Civil Engineering, Government College of Engineering, Kalahandi, Bhawanipatna, Odisha, India in collaboration with Government College of Engineering, Jalgaon, Maharashtra, India on 17th & 18th September, 2020.SMPID-2020 focused on emerging research and developments in infrastructure with emphasis on eco-friendly materials and practices. The infrastructures, which are being constructed today, will shape our lives tomorrow. The complex and diverse nature of the impacts due to climate change / weather extremes on civil infrastructures can be seen in our roadways, railways, bridges, flyovers, harbours, buildings etc. Extreme summer temperatures, flash floods, and rising numbers of freeze-thaw cycles pose challenges for civil infrastructure and can endanger public safety. Thus, civil infrastructures require constant attention, maintenance, and upgradation. Use of sustainable resources and design practices in various infrastructural sectors is the key to respond the impending crisis. Structural, geotechnical, environmental aspects along with transportation networks and water resources management are critical areas to be considered. SMPID-2020 provided a forum for the dissemination of latest technical information, publication of the high-quality research results and debate on the new trends in the area of infrastructure with lower ecological footprint.The conference program witnessed keynote lectures and oral presentations delivered by renowned scholars working in the areas of civil and its associative field from all over India. To enrich the quality of program, High quality and cutting edge research papers have been selected among the received and presented work. Keeping the COVID-19 pandemic situation in mind, the conference was swiftly held in online platform with the help of Cisco Webex Web conferencing and Videoconferencing platform by taking all the safety measures.Our conference committee and the authors were committed to support and made the conference successful. All accepted papers were subject to peer-review by conference committee and invited reviewers. The papers were selected based on their quality and their relevance to the conference. Off course, Plagiarism platforms were employed for monitoring the authenticity and quality of the presented research articles.I would like to express special thanks to all the members of the conference committee. I would also like to thank the reviewers for sharing their valuable time and advice which helped in improving the quality of the papers selected for presentation and publication in the proceedings. Finally, I want to thank all the authors and other conference participants for their unconditional support of SMPID-2020. Prof. (Dr.) Dulu Patnaik Patron, SMPID-2020Principal,Government College of Engineering, Kalahandi,Bhawanipatna, Odisha, India