Browsing by Subject "Sustainable"

Now showing 1 - 10 of 10

Adaptable, kinetic, responsive, and transformable architecture : an alternative approach to sustainable design
(2012-08) Lee, Joshua David; Moore, Steven A., 1945-; Dangel, Ulrich
There has been a long, but disparate discourse among those responsible for our built environment about the inevitability of change on the artifacts we inhabit and those social contracts that influence their making. At a basic level doors and operable windows are an indication of the various flows that move through buildings. Innumerable “passive” and “active” strategies have been devised to allow changes to building floor plans and sections, to control sunlight and wind, to change function, etc. Hundreds, or perhaps thousands, of prototypes have been proposed and developed that change shape or composition in response to various social and environmental pressures. Though not always done with the goals of sustainability in mind, these prototypes often sought to provide increased agency for users, improved energy-efficiency and cost-effectiveness, and other commonly understood goals of sustainability. A number of books, hundreds of articles, and dozens of patents beautifully illustrate many proposed and built examples from which to learn but the descriptive terms employed are greatly varied (i.e., adaptable, animated, collapsible, deployable, enabling, evolutionary, flexible, intelligent, kinetic, manipulable, mutable, open-system, portable, protean, reconfigurable, responsive, revolving, smart, and transformable, etc.) and are therefore difficult to find. By reviewing and synthesizing the existing literature, this study provides a starting point for future research that offers both insight into how these terms have been used over time and a critique of such concerns and the exclusion of the topic within sustainability rating criteria.
Adapting building information modeling (BIM) for affordable & sustainable housing
(2010-05) Dowhower, Justin Firuz; Moore, Steven A., 1945-; Briscoe, Danelle; Levy, Francois
The purpose of this thesis is to determine if Building Information Modeling (BIM) is an effective means for encouraging stakeholder collaboration throughout the building design/construction process and improving upon affordable and sustainable strategies for infill housing development. The research methodology includes literature reviews, interviews, case studies, simulations, and experimentations. Literature reviews include documentation regarding BIM, housing affordability and policy, sustainable design strategies, and integrated design practice. I conducted interviews with local stakeholders who had participated in local affordable/sustainable housing projects. The primary case study was the Alley Flat Initiative (2003-2010) which I had the opportunity to be involved with in various capacities as a participant observer. Simulations were performed using a BIM software tool to ‘redesign’ the first Alley Flat Initiative prototype and compare design workflows. Finally, experimentation was done involving the instruction of BIM software and exploring its use within an academic design studio environment. The findings indicate four significant conclusions. First, the research suggests that inflated soft project costs (overhead, administration, and services) can be reduced if local city governments were to adopt BIM in conjunction with housing review and permitting processes. In addition, the city could use BIM data to quantify building impacts on energy and resources over time. Second, sustainability innovation can be easier to integrate within a BIM workflow due to the high-capacity of the software to exchange information with third-part analysis tools. One particular barrier that must be overcome, however, are financial barriers due to software and staff training costs associated with BIM technology. Third, BIM requires ‘front-loading’ projects with more information earlier in the design process, which encourages greater transparency and more direct collaboration between stakeholders. A fully leveraged BIM workflow may not be feasible beyond local small-scale architects and builders due to the relatively steep learning curve and higher software costs, but a hybrid approach might be possible depending on how residential construction practices and BIM software development evolves in the near future. And fourth, BIM can make project information centralized, accessible, and long-lasting – serving as a communication and learning tool across disciplines and between expert and non-expert participants. The product of this research includes recommendations for all stakeholder groups engaged in leveraging BIM for affordable and sustainable housing development. Additional related topics of inquiry which fell outside the scope of this research are also included for future investigation.
A case study of the city of Austin's Colony Park sustainable community initiative
(2013-12) Koch, Jessi Ray; Wilson, Barbara B. (Barbara Brown); Almy, Dean
This study explores the City of Austin Colony Park Sustainable Community Initiative, a three-year planning project funded through a U.S. Housing and Urban Development Office of Sustainable Communities and Housing Community Challenge Planning Grant. The final outcome of the Colony Park Sustainable Community Initiative will include a master plan for 208 acres of publicly owned land in east Austin, located off of Loyola Lane between the Colony Park and Lakeside neighborhoods. The Colony Park Sustainable Community Initiative considers a study area of five census tracts that surround the 208 acre site. The City of Austin's Neighborhood Housing and Community Development is the lead department on The Colony Park Sustainable Community Initiative, however, all City of Austin departments are stakeholders as well as all residents of the five census tracts that make of the project study area. The study includes a historical context for the relationship between community leaders of the Colony Park-Lakeside area and City of Austin officials and department employees. I explore the complex activities and events that have taken place over the course of the first year and a half of the grant term, and the significance of these events for the future of the project and surrounding community moving forward.
Culture shock : tales from the 21st century intentional community movement
(2012-05) Bathurst, Stephanie Marie; Minutaglio, Bill; Darling, Dennis Carlyle
In the wake of the Great Recession of 2008, the ‘new normal’ left many Americans deflated after losing their financial savings and general confidence in the political system. There is a growing movement saying the traditional path to the American Dream is no longer satisfying. From coast to coast families are moving from sleepy towns to so-called ‘intentional communities’ in search of alternatives. They are building new lives in spiritual enclaves, nudist havens, eco-wonderlands and other unorthodox societies while seeking like-minded souls and a better way of making a living. Although they don’t often reflect the traditional lifestyle of most citizens, they do represent the widespread frustration with the status quo. The United States has long been a safe haven for these nonconformists and continues to attract those seeking escape from the mainstream each year. Intentional communities throughout Texas and the U.S. are flourishing despite harsh economic times elsewhere. This report documents daily life in three intentional communities during 2011 and 2012, all focused on achieving their individual goals of environmental protection, building community bonds, and achieving spiritual enlightenment.
Functional properties of cottonseed serum as a coagulant for sustainable water treatment
(2022-05-09) DePaolis, Mekayla Estella Rasel; Kumar, Manish, Ph. D.
Coagulation is a widely used water treatment process that requires the addition of a substance in order to destabilize suspended particles to allow for aggregation, and ultimately sedimentation. Currently chemical coagulants like aluminum or iron salts are the most common additives but they have fallen under scrutiny due to environmental and health concerns. The use of chemical coagulants requires extensive infrastructure and training to ensure they are employed correctly, and disposal of the resulting non-biodegradable sludge is expensive. Bio coagulants represent a simple and sustainable alternative that can also be used as an in-home water treatment technology. Cottonseed (G. hirsutum) meal has been studied due to its high genetic similarity to identified bio coagulants, and because it is a non-food plant byproduct. This work examines the functionality of cottonseed meal serum as a coagulant, as well as its potential mechanisms of coagulation.
Molecular engineering and structural design of electrochemically active organic and organometallic materials for energy storage devices
(2018-08-10) Ding, Yu, Ph. D.; Yu, Guihua (Assistant professor); Goodenough, John B; Manthiram, Arumugam; Dong, Guangbin
In modern society energy and environmental issues are regarded as two grand challenges for human beings. Researchers are trying to utilize sustainable energy more efficiently without squandering resources or polluting the environment. However, the widespread application of conventional energy storage devices is limited by the uncompetitive performance, as well as the high cost and environmental concerns associated with the use of metal-based inorganic redox species. In consideration of advantageous features such as potentially low cost, vast molecular diversity, and highly tailorable properties, organic and organometallic molecules emerge as promising alternative electroactive species. In this dissertation, two families of materials, metallocene-based organometallics and quinone-based organic compounds are investigated comprehensively to build the high-performance redox flow batteries (RFB) for large-scale energy storage. Despite that metallocenes are also based on the redox reaction of metal centers, the cyclopentadienyl ring permits great flexibility to tune the electrochemical and physical properties through molecular engineering. Thanks to the fast reaction kinetics, the ferrocene-based membrane-free liquid battery delivers a superior power capability. Moreover, the vast family of metallocenes provides an opportunity to build an all-metallocene-based RFB. The prototype device exploits ferrocene and cobaltocene as the redox-active cathode and anode, respectively. In light of the Hammett equation, the output voltage can be finely tuned by introduction of methyl groups on the ligand rings of cobaltocene. We further investigated fundamental electrochemistry of quinones to enable heavy-metal-free, low-cost, environmental friendly energy storage devices. A bio-inspired, heavy-metal-free liquid battery has been built by directly using hydroquinone solution as catholyte and graphite as anode. The electrochemistry of hydroquinone is fundamentally studied in a broad pH range. By leveraging the knowledge of solubility enhancement techniques in pharmaceutical research, the solubility of hydroquinone in water is improved in the presence of urea as hydrotropic agent. Compared with arduous chemical functionalizations to improve the solubility of organic redox species, the hydrotropic solubilization method represents a sustainable and cost-effective approach to the design of grid-scale energy storage systems. Last but not least, the application of quinone family for energy systems is extended to non-aqueous electrolytes. By rational screening of different solvents and functionalization of electrochemically active molecules, the redox potential, solubility and molecular mobility of the redox species can be tuned systematically. Theoretical modeling is conducted to examine Li-binding characteristics, electronic properties, and structural stabilities of organic redox species that govern electrochemical performance of those novel energy systems. By integrating the function-oriented organic synthesis, detailed chemical characterizations, and advanced molecular dynamics simulations, we aim to provide a useful platform to design the next-generation of sustainable energy storage systems for grid-scale applications
Settler colonialism, knowledge articulation, and the politics of development in the TIPNIS indigenous territory and national park in Amazonian Bolivia
(2015-12) Beveridge, James Michael; Speed, Shannon, 1964-; TallBear, Kimberly
This thesis examines how the dispute over the Bolivian government’s plan to construct a highway through the TIPNIS indigenous territory and national park in Amazonian Bolivia crystallizes the divergent visions and politics at play in realizing development projects in the TIPNIS. While progressive indigenous and environmental rights were inscribed in the 2009 Bolivian constitution, I argue that the government’s plan to impose the TIPNIS highway is a settler colonial project to dispossess the TIPNIS communities of their lands. This is facilitated by a national government—civilian colonist complicity that undermines the TIPNIS sovereignty and brings the TIPNIS territory under increasing governance and regulation under a post-frontier governance regime. I furthermore employ a framework I call knowledge articulation to examine the struggles of different actors to resist and/or implement varying development visions, which sometimes overlap and at other times compete with each other, in the TIPNIS. All of these projects demonstrate that the Bolivian decolonial path is fundamentally an amalgam: articulated knowledges, hybrid economies, and development outcomes that are resisted, contested, and negotiated configurations of various actors’ uneven authority, expertise and power.
Sustainable aesthetics: perspectives from ecotourism design & Floating Bamboo Ecolodge in Halong Bay, Vietnam
(2014-05) Pham, Tue Duc; Garrison, Michael
Among all contemporary world's discourses that influence environmental design profession, sustainability appears to be a dominant and compelling narrative. The developing trajectory of sustainability in architecture seems to suggest an antinomy paradigm, a contradiction or inconsistency between two apparently reasonable principles or laws i.e. sustainability and aesthetics. As a result, emerging sustainable design requires an accompanying set of aesthetics which serve as design guidance and evaluation tool. Literature review of philosophy and designing profession realize three kinds of alternative aesthetics i.e. environmental, ecological, and performative aesthetics. The thesis argues that this alternative set of sustainable aesthetics provides a theoretical basis for the practical design of a built environment for eco-tourism. The thesis focuses on analyzing the implication of those aesthetics to sustainability in regards to design of ecolodges. Eco-tourism is one of the emerging pragmatic options of sustainable development and to consume ecotourism is to consume aesthetic experience. By reviewing and analyzing the case studies of ecolodge, this thesis provides the design features and strategies which are argued to integrate beauty and sustainability. The thesis also applies the findings to demonstrate the usefulness of aesthetic approach to sustainable design in one specific design proposal, Floating Bamboo Ecolodge in Halong Bay, Vietnam.
Sustainable growth and affordable form : strategies for Austin’s future housing development
(2016-05) Howard, Kevin Michael; Wegmann, Jake; Almy, Dean
Today, Austin faces a housing affordability crisis driven by rapid population growth and increasing economic disparity. With a significant housing shortage, particularly in affordable units, Austin must build both in existing neighborhoods and in new communities on the periphery to balance its housing market. This report evaluates a series of recent housing projects in Austin in search of a sustainable model for residential development that balances equity, ecology, and economy. This analysis finds that no existing model provides affordable housing with good access to transit and urban amenities that can be marketed and reproduced at the scale necessary to balance Austin’s housing market. This report then analyzes the formal qualities that make housing development efficient and affordable for developers, taxpayers, and residents. An analysis of density and building construction technology explores the convoluted relationship of density and per-unit land and construction costs. Then, a case study evaluates and compares a series of street grid designs drawn from cases as varied as Tokyo and outskirts of Austin. Each grid is evaluated based on indicators of efficiency and walkability. This report identifies that there is likely an optimal density for maximizing per-unit affordability, which varies by land cost. This report also finds that, disregarding net density, automobile scaled infrastructure grids with large blocks and wide rights-of-way are found to perform well for development efficiency, but poorly for walkability. Alternatively, pedestrian scaled infrastructure grids with small blocks were found to be equally efficient provided that they were designed with narrow rights-of-ways for local streets. While highlighting lessons particular to Austin, this paper provides insights on housing affordability issues shared by many other cities, adding to the discussion of how to most sustainably deliver affordable housing in America’s growing cities.
The path to a sustainable built environment : meta-analysis and ethnography of planning, design, and development processes
(2017-12) Perkes, Christopher Kent; Lieberknecht, Katherine E.; Wegmann, Jacob
How do development processes impact sustainability on a citywide scale? This thesis initiates a significant conversation regarding city planning, design, and development processes through four development case studies: two in Houston, Texas, and two in Portland, Oregon. Houston and Portland maintain seemingly diametrically opposed land development processes, and as such define the outer boundaries of the spectrum. By studying the outliers, other urban areas should be able to place themselves on this spectrum, eventually deciding which lessons are applicable to their specific context. Further, I have explicitly chosen one controversial and one noncontroversial case study for each city to research an underlying hypothesis: does constructive conflict result in more sustainable development? Methods included studying development models and interviewing actors who participated in the development process in the case studies. Throughout the research, consistent themes emerged, even in seemingly opposite approaches to land development. First, there was overwhelming consensus among actors in the development process that developers hold considerable influence on the sustainability of the built environment, and are canonically the empowered decisionmakers in the process. Second, there is no ideal or one-size-fits-all development process for all cities, but there are consistent steps and contextual best practices which should be included. These steps largely revolve around broad-based community support and creation of accountability. Third and perhaps most importantly, the research suggests that constructive conflict does tend to create more sustainable development. Fourth and last, the benefit the development provides to the surrounding community should be prioritized. By analyzing planning, design, and development processes which are often muddied and unclear, I hope to have swept some dirt off of the path to a sustainable built environment.