Architecture, Building and Planning - Research Publications
Permanent URI for this collection
Search Results
1 - 10 of 14
-
ItemTowards a design framework for the structural systems of tall buildings that considers embodied greenhouse gas emissions(CRC Press, 2019-07-29)During the 1960s, the Bangladeshi-American structural engineer and architect Fazlur Rahman Khan proposed an influential design framework for the structural systems of tall buildings titled premium-for-height. Khan argued that the challenge of a structural engineer is to design structural systems that minimise the increase in structural material weight per gross floor area with increasing building height. However, in meeting the challenges of climate change and urbanisation, minimising the embodied environmental flows of tall buildings must also be a priority in structural design frameworks. This paper proposes to expand the premium-for-height framework for tall buildings by considering the embodied greenhouse gas emissions of structural systems using a hybrid life cycle inventory analysis method. Advanced structural analysis and a comprehensive consideration of building parameters are also proposed. To demonstrate the use and potential of the framework, embodied greenhouse gas emissions of six case study tall buildings are analysed. The results arediscussed and recommendations are made to improve the reliability of the more comprehensive framework.
-
ItemA comprehensive database of environmental flow coefficients for construction materials: closing the loop in environmental design(The Architectural Science Association, 2019)Life cycle assessment is increasingly used to quantify and reduce the environmental effects of buildings. Embodied environmental effects, resulting from material production and replacement as well as construction, are typically quantified using coefficients from readily available databases. However, most existing databases of embodied environmental coefficients for construction materials suffer from limitations, such as inconsistency in the life cycle inventory method used or system boundary incompleteness. This paper introduces a new database of hybrid environmental flow coefficients for construction materials, covering flows of energy, water and greenhouse gas emissions for over 100 common construction materials. The hybrid approach used combines bottom-up industrial process data and top-down macroeconomic input-output data, making it more comprehensive than process analysis and more accurate and specific than input-output analysis alone. A case study building is used to demonstrate the importance of using hybrid coefficients for improving environmental performance. This study shows that the use of process coefficients can lead to a significant underestimation of the total environmental effects associated with the construction of a building, by up to 64%. This has considerable implications for decision-making relating to building design, including the focus of improvement efforts. This database of coefficients will enable building professionals to more effectively analyse and improve the environmental performance of buildings. This will also help inform the focus of environmental policy and improve the implementation of life cycle thinking in environmental design.
-
ItemBeyond the “premium-for-height” framework for designing the structural systems of tall buildings(The Architectural Science Association and RMIT University, 2018)
-
ItemEstablishing a comprehensive database of construction material environmental flow coefficients for Australia(The Architectural Science Association and RMIT University, 2018)
-
ItemA comprehensive model for quantifying the environmental and financial performance of cities(The Architectural Science Association and RMIT University, 2018)
-
ItemTowards a comprehensive hybrid life cycle inventory for Chilean building materials(The Architectural Science Association and RMIT University, 2018)
-
ItemEngineered timber for apartment buildings in Melbourne, Australia: A construction cost comparison with traditional concrete systems.(The Architectural Science Association and RMIT University, 2018)
-
ItemGreen Building Projects: Process Innovation Leading to Project Innovation(Association of Researchers in Construction Management, 2017)Green Building (GB) project delivery is complex since these projects have many different requirements compared to conventional construction. There is not yet an agreement on which delivery approach is more effective in delivering more innovative and environmentally conscious GB projects. This paper investigates the GB project delivery approaches from an innovation perspective by reviewing the various empirical findings from previous research. Using 13 relevant studies identified through a systematic search, the relationship between innovation in delivery process and project innovation is identified. Depending on the extent of innovative features incorporated, each Project Delivery Method (PDM) is found to have the capacity to produce successful results. Incremental process innovation through the use of traditional PDMs is typically associated with a low level of project innovation and environmental performance while radical process innovation using integrated delivery method is found to be associated with a high level of project innovation and environmental performance in GB projects. Delivery process that encourages team work can be valuable as this promotes team integration and collaboration thereby leading to innovative solutions.
-
ItemPutting Regenerative Development into Action: Understanding the Decision Making Process of a 680 Hectare Regenerative Project(Construction Industry Council, Hong Kong Green Building Council Limited, 2017)The built environment is responsible for significant environmental impacts. It is therefore a central research area to balance ecological and built systems and allow them both to thrive. While the majority of previous and existing attempts have targeted minimising environmental impacts, regenerative development goes beyond reduction and aims to restore and support environmental, social and economic flows. Yet, very few projects to date have been able to demonstrate a regenerative outcome. This is because few consulting firms currently offer regenerative design thinking, which is in turn linked to a lack of understanding of processes that support decision making in regenerative development projects. This paper uses a 680 hectares regenerative development project in Gippsland, South East Australia as a case study to investigate how implementing a regenerative development approach from the onset affects the decision-making process. A series of workshops were facilitated by the authors with the local community, indigenous elders, design experts, academics, scientists, government and industry partners and other stakeholders. An online survey consisting of 10 questions was sent to the 40 actors involved and 28 responses were collected (N = 28 and a response rate of 70%). This study provides a contribution to the understanding of both the processes that can support the implementation of innovative regenerative concepts in the built environment and their benefits. It covers aspects ranging from the personal motivation of participants, to the performance of the workshops in facilitating a regenerative design. The knowledge gained from this study will inform the future use of regenerative development and associated facilitation tools.
-
ItemNet regenerative regional development: implementation in the master planning stage of a 680 hectares case study(The Architectural Science Association and The University of Adelaide, 2016)A positive vision for the future of humanity can be the basis for a needed change, a vision of opportunity, abundance and the potential for thriving. Regenerative development can provide a pathway towards this vision. Case studies are beginning to show that when applied, the concepts underpinning regenerative development can accelerate a transition to more equitable, sustainable, post fossil carbon societies. Net Regenerative Regional Development (NRRD) is development that supports the health and vitality of a region through mutually beneficial relationships between all the stakeholders and flows of the system. Though in its infancy in application, NRRD is based on the accumulation of millennia of human knowledge and provides us an opportunity to positively change the often negative future predicted. The potential of NRRD is being investigated using a large project called Seacombe West in Gippsland, Victoria and its masterplanning process. The masterplanning process is being informed by regenerative development theory and the facilitation process by the Living Environments in Natural, Social and Economic Systems (LENSES) framework. This study shows that planning NRRD through the use of LENSES supported the emergence of more holistic and systemic guidelines which informed a masterplan that has greater regenerative potential.