Sustainability Rating Systems Research Articles

Sustainability rating system for highway design:—A key focus for developing sustainable cities and societies in Nigeria

• The use of thirty-six (36) sustainability indicators, and certification award level in assessing highway design is proposed for Nigeria transport development. • The aim is to reduce climate change catastrophe associated with transport project development. • Findings revealed a systematic benefit of using a sustainability assessment rating system to bridge the sustainability literacy gap, between theory and practice in Nigeria. • This research provides the first comprehensive assessment to adopt sustainability assessment in highway design in Nigeria. • The implication of this research in the field of knowledge is to strengthen the idea by drawing insight into the environmental challenges and a need for the adoption of design sustainability implementation. A growing body of evidence suggests that continuous increases in global population and urbanisation wield pressure across biodiversity. Nigeria and a few other Asian nations will account for 35% of the urban increase in the future, and there is a scientific projection that further megacities will emerge. Besides, sustainable cities and societies are those that strive to leave a net-zero carbon footprint through smart urban planning and city management. So, in developing public transport scheme, it is essential to manage and implement sustainability assessment performance. In Nigeria, there is a sustainability literacy gap, due to a lack of measurable sustainability techniques, and this has resulted in social, economic and environmental dissatisfaction towards completed highways and roads in the cities. The roads and highways are considered an essential part of modern daily life and will play a key role in the development of sustainable cities. To bridge the knowledge gap, this study argues to develop a sustainability assessment rating system in evaluating highway and road designs in Nigeria. Thirty-six (36) sustainability indicators relevant in assessing highway design are identified along with the sustainability application framework. The findings contribute to gaining insight into climate change impact, and the benefits it makes in adopting an assessment rating system in highway development to decrease climate change catastrophe.

Integrated approach for sustainability assessment in power plant projects using Building Information Modeling

This research proposes a framework for sustainability assessment for power plant projects. The proposed framework integrates sustainability and Building Information Modeling (BIM) to achieve enhanced results concerning sustainability assessment in the power plants sector. International and regional sustainability rating systems as well as design guidelines are studied to develop a new sustainability assessment system dedicated to power plant projects. A total of 54 criteria, clustered in eight categories, are considered in the rating system. These categories are: 1) Nature and Urban 2) Site, 3) Energy, 4) Water, 5) Materials and Resources, 6) Emissions and Environment, 7) Operation and Management, and 8) Culture and economy. The sustainability levels are ranked in six levels: Non-Sustainable, Improved, Enhanced, Superior, Conserving, Restorative. The Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) is implemented to set the weights of the criteria that are considered in the proposed sustainability system. BIM is utilized to develop a plugin for the proposed rating system to determine the level of sustainability of power plant projects. The developed plugin invests the BIM model attributes to provide the stakeholder with an instantaneous sustainability metric tool that saves time and reduces the possible errors. A case study of a 100 MW power plant is presented to test the effectiveness of the developed approach in the sustainability assessment.

A review of emissions on pavement materials and sustainability rating systems

Since 2000 sustainability has become one of the main criteria for assessing and constructing road infrastructure projects. Several methodologies proposed measurements on the pavement's environmental impacts. One of the most relevant is the life cycle assessment (LCA), which estimates emissions generated by each life-cycle stage. A rating system is a tool for decision-making through an environmental rating of a project obtained by applying the best practices in sustainability that could generate impact reductions. This study makes a literature review of methodologies reported in the last years and evaluates the strengths and weaknesses.

Designing Highway Alignments Considering Construction Cost and Envision Sustainability Rating System Using NSGA-II

Designing Highway Alignments Considering Construction Cost and Envision Sustainability Rating System Using NSGA-II

Environmental Sustainability Rating System for Rigid and Flexible Pavements Including Recycled Materials

Environmental Sustainability Rating System for Rigid and Flexible Pavements Including Recycled Materials

A comparison on the evaluation standards of sustainable campus between China and America

PurposeThis paper aims to make a comparative study on the latest version of green campus evaluation standard between China and America: Green Campus Evaluation Standard (GB/T51356-2019) and the sustainability tracking, assessment and rating system (STARS 2.2). The differences of evaluation methods and contents are analyzed and their respective characteristics and advantages are sorted out, so as to promote the development of sustainable campus evaluation standards.Design/methodology/approachThe research mainly adopts the method of comparative study, which is carried out from three dimensions, namely, the related policies development of campus construction and world university sustainable rankings; the content of evaluation standards (including evaluation methods and evaluation categories and scores); the characteristics and current application of standards.FindingsThere are great differences between the evaluation standards of China and America in organization and participation mode, evaluation method and content. Public engagement, energy and campus engagement are the hot spots. Buildings, energy, food and dining and investment and finance will become the focus of sustainable campus in the future. Specific optimization strategies of key points, evaluation method and content and organization and participation mode of Chinese standard are put forward.Practical implicationsThis paper clarifies the advantages and disadvantages of the current global sustainable campus, and provides the basis for the next stage of construction policy. At the same time, it is helpful for all countries, especially China, to formulate construction guidelines that not only meet their own actual needs but also conform to the trend of global sustainable campus development.Social implicationsThe connotation of sustainable campus is enriched, and the evaluation standards of sustainable campus are improved. The development of sustainable campus is promoted, so as to realize the sustainable development goals.Originality/valueThis research expands the scope of the study to the whole campus, rather than just one aspect of campus buildings. It compares the evaluation standard of green campus in China with STARS in the USA, and no longer compares leadership in energy and environmental design for schools. It discusses the campus building’s energy conservation while paying attention to the campus green consciousness, green management and green planning. Based on the relevant data currently used by STARS in the global evaluation, this paper analyzes the hot spots and shortcomings of the current global sustainable campus construction and puts forward some optimization suggestions for China’s green campus evaluation system.

Building information modelling and building sustainability assessment: a review

PurposeThe construction sector is increasingly engaged to explore the potential application of building information modelling (BIM) for the sustainability of the buildings. BIM can be applied conjugated to certification methods to evaluate the sustainability of the buildings, and it is known as building sustainability assessment (BSA). This article aims to explore applications of BIM in the sustainability analysis of buildings, including five types of BSA.Design/methodology/approachA literature review from 2009 to 2020 considering a combination of search terms related to BIM and BSA complemented the analysis. The bibliometric analysis indicates an increase in the number of publications on this topic of study in the last five years. A peak occurred in 2015 and 2020, with 51 and 66 publications, respectively.FindingsThe results showed that BIM contributes to achieving part of the sustainability requirements from BSA, especially quantitative requirements that are related to material and resources. However, a complete analysis between BIM and BSA is still a challenge since part of BSA's have a lack information in their requirements and BIM softwares present interoperability problems that difficult an integrated analysis to extract information directly from the software to attend BSA's requirements.Originality/valueThe results contribute to analysing the evolution of studies about BIM and to understand the limitation in the applicability with sustainability rating systems. Future directions of research indicate the necessity to improve the use of BIM in the sustainability analysis of the buildings, but with a good perspective regarding the application of BIM in material and resources requirements, and waste management in construction sites.

Perceptions on the processes of sustainable rating systems and their combined application with Lean construction

Sustainable building rating systems are developed to reduce the environmental impact of construction and contribute to sustainable development. However, these prioritize the criteria associated with the operation phase, giving less relevance to the sustainability of the construction stage; even certified buildings are built using conventional methods under inefficient and unsustainable processes. Lean construction (LC) arises to improve the neglected aspects of efficiency, contributing to sustainability in the construction phase. LC and sustainable building rating systems are initiatives that are independently developed without an understanding of how their joint implementation can enhance the achievement of their objectives; experts agree that limited understanding of concepts and concern about cost foil their integration. This research aimed to review the contribution of LC to the scope of the qualification criteria of the rating systems and the perceptions of project developers regarding the certification processes and their synergistic application with LC by conducting qualitative descriptive research via literary review, interviews, and surveys to 206 participants from 38 countries. As a result, there is a general lack of conceptual knowledge and a lack of academic research that shows the benefits of LC for reducing environmental impacts during the construction phase and the scope of qualification criteria. Even in an environment of misinformation, developers perceive an opportunity and a positive feeling about it in their joint application (sentiment analysis in Orange3).

Resilient Built Environment: Critical Review of the Strategies Released by the Sustainability Rating Systems in Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic

Since the COVID-19 outbreak, buildings have been viewed as a facilitator of disease spread, where the three main transmission routes (contact, droplets, aerosols) are more likely to happen. However, with proper policies and measures, buildings can be better prepared for re-occupancy and beyond. This study reviews the strategies developed by several Sustainability Rating Systems (SRS, namely WELL, Fitwel and LEED) to respond to any infectious disease and ensure that building occupants protect and maintain their health. The best practices, that are similar between each SRS, highlight that the overall sustainability of the spaces increases if they are resilient. Results indicate that SRS promote a weak sustainability approach since they accept that economic development can reduce natural capitals. SRS are also characterized by an aggregated level of assessment of different criteria that does not allow to map different choices. However, the decomposition of the concept of sustainability in its three bottom lines (i.e., environmental, social and economic) shows that preventive strategies are likely to be systematically adopted as the state-of-the-art. Finally, even if the latest research points out the airborne transmission as the major infection route, the SRS lack analytical measures to address issues such as social distancing.

Towards sustainability evaluation of urban landscapes using big data: a case study of Israel’s architecture, engineering and construction industry

ABSTRACT Sustainability Rating Systems are standard methods for achieving sustainable development of buildings and urban landscapes. However, they suffer from low adoption and implementation rates, mainly due to labour-intensive evaluation processes. This study explores how recent advancements in big data, combined with the availability of new urban environment datasets, could advance sustainability rating systems in landscape development. We compared between existing computational technology (supply) and industry performance evaluation needs (demand) using a systematic review and survey of Israel’s professional communities as a case study. Of the existing indicators, Israeli professionals prioritised measuring socio-ecological indicators of landscapes in development projects, mainly at the urban level. Our review revealed that this level also holds available big data sustainability evaluation methods and technologies. Specifically, directed data for measuring ecology and volunteered and automated data for measuring social indicators. Such supply-demand links could significantly advance evaluation methods towards achieving a broader application of sustainable urban development.

Determination of Ideal Criteria for Development of Sustainable Building rating system in Iran's Cold and Dry Climate (Dena).

Determination of Ideal Criteria for Development of Sustainable Building rating system in Iran's Cold and Dry Climate (Dena).

Integration of Building Information Modeling (BIM) and LEED for A Green Building Rating

Green building design and construction is a global demand to save this earth. Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) is the world's most widely implemented sustainable building rating system. Building Information Modeling (BIM) technology assist to keep multi-disciplinary information into a single model, and it provides an ability to perform this research. The aim is to assess the pre-certification of a proposed residential building project in integration with BIM and LEED and find out the impact of cost for a green building project. A Prototype 3D model was developed by BIM technology for the LEED certification process. A total of 704 simulations was conducted by using Green Building Studio (GBS) tools. All simulation results were calculated based on nine categories of the LEED rating system. The results of this study indicate that the lifecycle cost can be reduced significantly for a high-performance green building despite of having a high initial investment cost.
 Journal of Engineering Science 12(2), 2021, 47-57

Signaling sustainability: impact that learning how to report has on enrollment, endowment and emissions of North American higher education institutions

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to develop an integrated model assessing the frequency and timing between reports on the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) Sustainability Tracking, Assessment and Rating System (STARS) reporting the framework by higher education institutions (HEIs) and the relationship between the STARS score and reputation (enrollment), finances (endowment) and performance (emissions).Design/methodology/approachThe development of the theoretical model is based on learning, signaling and legitimacy theories. This study collects data from the AASHE STARS to indicate the rating level of 202 HEIs, control variables, enrollment, endowments and emissions. The hypotheses were tested using generalized linear models.FindingsFindings suggest that as HEIs report on their sustainability activity, they learn to report better but that there is also an “un-learning” aspect if the HEI skips reporting in a period. The results support the main hypothesis that there is a relationship between reporting and engagement with the HEIs in the form of enrollment and endowments. Finally, the findings provide evidence that the HEIs’ reporting is associated with a reduction in emissions.Practical implicationsThe findings suggest that HEIs should develop a reporting strategy on a standardized framework such as AASHE STARs and they ought to codify the approach to learn from prior reporting. Students and alumni are increasingly seeking to engage the HEI in the sustainability process and the report is a mechanism for signaling activities.Social implicationsThe findings suggest that AASHE STARS scores may be used by HEIs as a signaling mechanism to stakeholders of their commitment to sustainability. The signal is a mechanism to reduce information asymmetry between the HEI and stakeholders who may want more information on the institution’s attempts toward sustainability but lack access to information. Further, HEI partners have a mechanism to assess the overall level of commitment of the HEI toward sustainability and can, therefore, engage accordingly.Originality/valueThere has been significant work on signaling theory and sustainability. However, the relationship between STARs reporting as a signal that legitimates the HEI, learning how to report well and HEI performance has received less attention. The current study demonstrates that the STARS framework as a reporting mechanism signals the HEIs’ level of commitment to sustainability thereby legitimating it resulting in improved performance.

RESILIENCE COVERAGE OF GLOBAL SUSTAINABILITY ASSESSMENT FRAMEWORKS: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW

ABSTRACTSustainable development has been a popular concept since 1987 and the issuance of the Brundtland report. A diverse number of sustainability assessment frameworks are available to examine the environmental performance of buildings and communities. With the current pace of climate change and the increasing threat of stronger, more frequent natural hazards, however, there are doubts that sustainability alone is an effective response. Sustainability assessment frameworks in recent years have been criticized for not incorporating hazard resilience. To better understand the current level of emphasis put on resilience to natural hazards in green building rating systems, this study aims to assess the level of resilience integration in existing sustainability assessment frameworks. The results demonstrate an overall lack of resilience coverage in the frameworks with only four frameworks, CASBEE, LEED, Green Globes, and DGNB having resilience coverage of 27.5%, 15%, 2.6%, and 1.1% respectively. This confirms a need for more systematic integration of resilience indicators into sustainability rating systems to create combined frameworks for sustainability and resilience.

The Relationship between Ethics and Aesthetics in Sustainable Architecture of the Baltic Sea Region

Architecture, as a mean of art and as a factor that physically shapes the environment, undoubtedly serves as a form of expression of ethical attitudes. It combines ethical values and responsibility for solving environmental problems with aesthetic qualities of the built environment. The holistic approach is gaining ground in the paradigm of sustainability, where architectural concepts such as biophilic, biomimetic, resilient, restorative, and others reinforce the idea of coexistence between humans and nature. In the 21st century, sustainability has become a global phenomenon; therefore, contemporary architecture is expected to reflect the idea of sustainability in its expression. This study explores the relationship between ethics and aesthetics in sustainable architecture in practice. Furthermore, this study attempts to illustrate how the architectural expression of certified sustainable buildings in the Baltic Sea region reflects the trends of sustainability within an ethical paradigm. The research question of this study is as follows: what are the prevailing aesthetic trends and are environmental ethical values expressed in the sustainable architecture of the Baltic Sea region? The study of examples of sustainable architecture was carried out by analyzing the three main databases of certified sustainable buildings—Deutsche Gesellschaft für Nachhaltiges Bauen (DGNB), Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) and Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM). The study found eight predominant groups of aesthetic expressions of sustainable buildings and the absence of a distinctive architectural expression that could be considered as sustainability aesthetics. It can be hypothesized that the lack of aesthetic distinctiveness of certified sustainable buildings could be related to the absence of cultural, aesthetically oriented criteria in building sustainability rating systems.

Evaluating the Site of Avrocity as a High-Rise Residential Project in Duhok City According to LEED Sustainable Rating Criteria

Duhok city faced many challenges in the last decades because of urban and population growth especially in the residential sector because there is shortage in providing housing units annually. High-rise residential projects are one of the common solutions to overcome the deficit. Yet, these kinds of residential projects have many issues since it is a new method of development within the city. From here the main aim of this study come to light which is to improve the quality of high-rise residential projects site in accordance to sustainable rating system and establish effective regulations framework with the help of internationally accepted criteria. The reason for upgrading the regulations is that the sites of these projects do not offer healthy built environment to their residents. The lack of nearby social and technical infrastructures caused more distances to be covered by vehicles resulting environmental pollution which could cause global warming. To investigate and evaluate the high-rise residential projects site according to Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) sustainable rating tool, a residential project site has been chosen, which is; Avrocity project. The information had been analyzed qualitatively. The obtained results demonstrated that, the lack of updated regulations in Duhok city lead to improper planning and deficiency of services within residential projects site.

Integrating 3D modeling, sustainability and cost estimating at the conceptual design stage of bridges

Integrated 3D modeling adaptation to infrastructure has been slow due to technical challenges, such as the lack of interoperability between software. To fill this gap, a versatile model with 3D modeling capabilities was developed to assist in designing sustainable bridges at the conceptual design stage. The model incorporates a rule-based expert system and four modules, namely, 3D CAD modeling, bridge sustainability rating system (BrSRS), bridge environmental performance strategy mapping (BrEPSM), and conceptual cost estimation. The 3D CAD module was developed using the Graphics.DrawLine method. The BrSRS and BrEPSM modules were developed by amalgamation of the identified pertinent sustainable and footprint indicators. The model aims to provide bridge type recommendations, allow customization of a sustainable bridge, illustrate forecasted footprint levels, present the conceptual design in AutoCAD’s 3-dimensional (3D) mode, facilitate a recalculation process when the bridge’s dimensions are altered, and generate a conceptual cost estimate.

Sustainable Construction, LEED as a Green Rating System and the Importance of Moving to NZEB

In this study, in order to evaluate the possibility of achieving the Net Zero Energy Building (NZEB) goal, the history of sustainable construction, and available green-rating systems with specific focus on Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED) rating system were explained. LEED rating system was selected as the most prevalent rating system in the industry to evaluate and analyze its efficiencies/drawbacks specifically in regards to the energy efficiency. The goal of this study is to answer an important question of the reasons to focus on NZEB concept when LEED rating has come up with a detailed certification process, which is somehow beneficial in regards to energy reduction. NZEB concept is defined as an evolution of very energy-efficient approach and it requires that the buildings have zero energy balance on an annual basis. This paper explains this questions in detail and it consists of three parts: in the first part sustainable building rating system including LEED certification is explained. The second part explains the deficiencies of LEED rating system in regards to the energy performance of buildings and the last part explains the NZEB concept and the movement towards the NZEB target.

Are distance higher education institutions sustainable enough? – A comparison between two distance learning universities

Purpose Universities are continually transforming its structure and governance in response to the new social, environmental and economic challenges. Particularly, there has recently been a growing academic interest for measuring sustainable practices of higher education institutions (HEI) aiming to monitor and reduce their carbon emissions, as well as transform them into more sustainable organizations. More recent studies began to focus also on the sustainable performance of distance education Universities. So it became crucial to evaluate their sustainability practices through sustainability assessment tools with the aim of improving their sustainability performance and boosting their role as agents of academic, social and economic change. The purpose of this study is to assess and compare holistically sustainability implementation in two similar distance learning universities and to evaluate their advantages and disadvantages. Design/methodology/approach One of the most rigorous and internationally used sustainability assessment tools was used – the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment and Rating System, to evaluate and compare sustainability implementation in two distance universities, one from Spain and another from Portugal: the Madrid Open University and Universidade Aberta. Indicators of both universities were compared and ways of improvement in both universities were widely discussed. Findings The results of this research show that there is a similar pattern in both universities. Both have low performance in campus operations and low levels of community participation but good performance in sustainability courses and programmes offer. The results of both institutions were compared and allowed a learning process for improvement. Originality/value This research hopes to contribute to the continuous research about the usefulness of sustainability assessment tools in particular when applied to distance universities at the time that offers new paths to carry out improved sustainable practices in crucial areas of interest such as research, administration, education and resource-saving. This research also highlights the value of distance learning universities and their ability to be more sustainable after the advent of COVID-19.

Post Energy Audit of Two Mosques as a Case Study of Intermittent Occupancy Buildings: Toward more Sustainable Mosques

Mosques are buildings with a unique occupancy schedule and special energy and water consumption scheme. Generally, this type of buildings lacks the application of energy efficiency solutions and sustainable guidelines during the conception, construction and the operation phase. Interestingly, these iconic edifices can play a key role in raising awareness for sustainability and promoting cleaner energy technologies. The first aim of this work is to present energy audit results, recommended energy savings solutions for two historical mosques in Marrakech (Morocco). A detailed discussion of the adopted solutions is presented and an economic assessment was performed. Then, a two-year energy savings evaluation was conducted for the two mosques. Conclusions about the adequacy of the proposed solutions is presented. The second part is dedicated to outline some guidelines and sustainable criteria to consider for establishing an international sustainable mosques label. The creation of a such sustainable label will encourage spreading sustainable best practices in mosques and other types of buildings. It will also help to compare sustainable performances of different mosques around the world by establishing an adapted sustainable rating system.