The role of BIM in tackling obsolescence, climate change, and sustainability

Although the BIM technology is applicable to both new and existing buildings, it is arguably more established in the former than the latter. This is despite the fact that, in the UK alone, 70–80% of what has been built by 2010, is estimated to continue to exist for a number of decades to come: including the years 2020 and 2050 (the two main temporal deadlines in the Climate Change Act, 2008). In addition, this existing building stock is subject to obsolescence (both climate change-induced and non-climate change-associated) which in turn compromises sustainability. Thus, there are three notions that appear to be interwoven, i.e. Obsolescence, Climate Change, and Sustainability: the question is whether BIM can be exploited to address these. There has been only limited research work to explore the possible influence of BIM upon obsolescence, climate change, and sustainability as individual issues,and none reported, to-date, in terms of an approach to their collective consideration. This paper conceptually explores how BIM can be related with all three crucial notions simultaneously as well as discretely. It is argued that such studies can be particularly valuable in the face of escalating pressures in terms of future obsolescence risks, overwhelming evidence of climate change, and escalating sustainability agendas. The paper reviews current work that relates state-of-the-art BIM to the three notions, both separately and collectively, and thereby delineates the potential for BIM to play a role in addressing the three issues simultaneously

Conceptual site model: an intermediary between baseline study and risk assessment

A baseline study is a means of and for acquiring, organising, cleansing, presenting, and analysing all the data and/or information of preliminary investigation for hazard and risk assessment. This output of baseline study can be regarded as a conceptual site model (CSM), which has wide-ranging aspects that the literature to date does not appear to have captured a detailed account of, thereby limiting the full exploitation of CSM capacity in environmental communication between varying stakeholders. This knowledge-gap is focused upon by bringing out some new insights regarding CSM and creating an account of features of CSM for the first time. To start with, this study introduces CSM as an “intermediary” between a baseline study and the follow-on stages of the associated environmental risk assessment, and this is an innovative idea in its own right. Furthermore, light is torched upon CSM in several other new ways to show how CSM can serve as a live and “organic” foundation of an environmental risk assessment. It is depicted how the eight modules of a baseline study – geology, hydrology, hydrogeology, meteorology, geography, topography, anthropology and site management – can inform to develop a CSM. Also, a CSM could be descriptive and/or schematic which could still be computer-aided or non-computer aided. Another implication is that even though CSM contains the word “site” in the phrase, it does not mean that the model includes only the geographical or physical extent of the site, rather it also includes off-site, i.e., site-surroundings. This is where the aforesaid eight modules can cover both on-site and off-site characteristics of a given site being assessed. The innovative account of CSM parameters, advantages and uses would pave the way for further research and ignite debates among a diverse range of researchers, consultants, environmental regulators, decision-makers and other stakeholders

Towards the creation of a decision support system tool for the preliminary risk assessment of brownfield sites

Brownfield sites always raise concern for the health and safety of site workers involved in site renovations and developments and, subsequently, for the residents or occupants of the sites. As a minimum, a preliminary risk assessment is necessary to determine whether a brownfield site is contaminated and, if so, ensuring any redevelopment is safe and suitable for its proposed use. Despite growing interest in the progression of risk assessment tools, there are limited instruments available for brownfield site assessors to consult when conducting investigations at the preliminary risk assessment stage. This study presents a conceptual framework that ultimately aims to create a web-based decision support system (DSS) for the preliminary risk assessment of brownfield sites. This is based on a pollutant linkage model (Source–Pathway–Receptor). The proposed framework aids the identification of health and safety hazards and, in doing so, it addresses the challenges facing those persons dealing with the decision-making on brownfield site developments. Moreover, the framework enables them to determine the most appropriate remediation strategy(ies) to halt pollutant linkages, promote safer developments and minimise the risks to future occupants of brownfield sites and neighbouring lands

Development & application of Conceptual Framework Model (CFM) for environmental risk assessment of contaminated lands

Dumping sites are the most common types of contaminated lands as they pollute the environment. Environmental management of contaminated sites cannot be delivered effectively and efficiently without robust holistic & integrated risk assessment. Previous studies reveal the absence of a risk assessment model that holistically integrates all essential factors progressively and categorically. The study aimed to develop a holistic & integrated Conceptual Framework Model (CFM) for environmental risk assessment and to apply developed CFM on real-world existing Mahmood Booti Open Dumping Site (MBODS). CFM developed in this study had three main tiers i.e., baseline study, hazard identification & exposure assessment, and risk estimation. For the application of CFM, baseline data were collected and assessed. Water, leachate & soil samples were collected within 1000 m across the site and analyzed for physio-chemical parameters and heavy metals to estimate risk. Results of applied CFM depicted that Physico-chemical analysis of leachate, water, and soil revealed significant pollution levels. Heavy metal analysis exhibited that Ni, Pb, Mn, and Cr levels exceeded the allowable limits of the “World Health Organization” in leachate, water, and soil samples. It also revealed the existence of metals at the source (dumping site itself), pathway, and receptor of the dumping site. Eir value for Ni, Pb and Cd from the study area manifested a serious probable risk to ecological integrities. Results for PERI from dumpsite demonstrated a serious ecological risk. It can be concluded that although Mahmood Booti dumping site has been at post-closure stage, it is a momentous source of hazardous toxic contaminants to the nearby inhabitants. The work presented in this paper may reproduce repeatedly to create site-specific risk assessment models of other contaminated lands in a cost-effective, consistent and cohesive manner. Application of CFM at Mahmood Booti Dumping site described detailed risk assessment which helps further in risk management

WET nexus between the three sectors – ‘waste to energy for transport’

Waste, Energy and Transport are three of the main sectors of the human society. The three sectors have substantially been studied in their individual right and there is a plethora of literature available on them individually and also collectively in varying combinations. For instance, Waste to Energy is a well-established field, and so is the energy usage by the transport sector. However, there is an extreme knowledge gap in connection to energy being generated by incinerating waste in order to propel the means of the transport be it in air/aviation, terrestrial/automobile and locomotives or water/marine vessels. The paper focuses on this knowledge gap, thereby, aiming to create theoretical models of this concept. Therefore, the core nature of this study is conceptual. Relevant secondary data is drawn from the existing literature in the form of numbers and graphs to quantitatively establish the state of each of the three sectors before being joined together into a new nexus called Waste to Energy for Transport and abbreviated as WET Nexus. An account of challenges as well as benefits is outlined regarding the possibility of replacing the consumption of fossil fuel by waste-to-energy i.e. a kind of ‘on-board’ waste incineration to propel maritime vessels and also supply energy to ‘on-board’ built environments. Thus, killing two birds (transport and waste) with one stone (energy). The paper also touches upon innovative insights and future research potentials in terms of how maritime transport being driven by energy-from-waste instead of fossil fuels, can improve environmental sustainability; help climate emergency agendas and; also contribute to the Climate Action, which is one of the seventeen SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals) introduced by the UN (United Nations)

A holistic approach to Concentration Assessment of hazards in the risk assessment of landfill leachate

Risk assessment is a new research area. The risk assessment research area deals with a wide range of issues other than landfills. Examples of these issues are Radiation, Food Industry, Ecology, Epidemiology, etc. The authors have found that there are generic elements in risk assessment and these elements are independent of the subject areas mentioned above. An important example of these generic elements is the Concentration Assessment of hazards and is equally important from the perspective of landfill risk assessment. Furthermore, in the literature review of landfill risk assessment approaches, no evidence has been discovered of a holistic risk assessment methodology for landfill gas, leachate, or degraded landfill waste. A range of knowledge deficiencies has been found in the literature reviewed to date. One of these deficiencies in knowledge is the lack of a holistic procedure for carrying out Concentration Assessment. From the perspective of landfill leachate, this paper discusses the extent to which the Concentration Assessment of hazards is absent in landfill risk assessment approaches described in the literature reviewed to date, and the elements that should be added to the procedure of the Concentration Assessment in order to enhance the process of risk assessment. The paper also briefly outlines a holistic procedure for the Concentration Assessment and a corresponding computer model for the risk assessment of landfill leachate

Risk assessment of landfill disposal sites – State of the art

A risk assessment process can assist in drawing a cost-effective compromise between economic and environmental costs, thereby assuring that the philosophy of ‘sustainable development’ is adhered to. Nowadays risk analysis is in wide use to effectively manage environmental issues. Risk assessment is also applied to other subjects including health and safety, food, finance, ecology and epidemiology. The literature review of environmental risk assessments in general and risk assessment approaches particularly regarding landfill disposal sites undertaken by the authors, reveals that an integrated risk assessment methodology for landfill gas, leachate or degraded waste does not exist. A range of knowledge gaps is discovered in the literature reviewed to date. From the perspective of landfill leachate, this paper identifies the extent to which various risk analysis aspects are absent in the existing approaches

Hazard Identification and Categorization for Waste Disposal Sites: Part 2 – A Computer-Aided Procedure

Risk assessment is increasingly becoming an effective environmental management tool. It is used widely, in a range of sectors and settings, such as the siting and operation of waste disposal sites; the identification and minimization of natural hazards; the management of chemicals in a workplace and the identification and control of diseases. The authors find that there are some generic factors in risk assessment that are independent of the subjects mentioned above. An important example of these generic elements is hazard identification and categorization (H Iden), which is also required in a landfill risk analysis process as it would in any other environmental risk assessment. Furthermore, computer models are also being developed to assist risk assessment process in different fields. But in the review of current computer models and the literature particularly regarding landfills, the authors have not found a strategic H Iden procedure underpinned with a computational method. From the perspective of landfill leachate, this study focuses on the development of an integrated system or method of H Iden in the shape of a corresponding computer model

Hazard Identification and Categorization for Waste Disposal Sites: Part 1 – an Integrated Approach Lacks

Risk assessment provides a proactive and logical ground for many decision-making processes. Although the approach of risk assessment nowadays is well established, it remains a relatively new research area, with increasing interest in understanding the principles that underpin the practice. In the review of computer models and literature on environmental risk assessments in general and the risk analysis of waste disposal sites in particular, the authors have determined that a comprehensive risk assessment methodology covering all modules and sub-modules for landfill leachate does not exist. The same fact holds for landfill gas and degraded landfill waste (although these are both beyond the scope of this paper). A range of knowledge deficiencies is identified in the literature. One such deficiency is the development of a strategic procedure for carrying out Hazard Identification and Categorization for risk assessment of landfill leachate, assisted with a corresponding computer model. This study, with reference to the relevant literature, discusses the extent to which the Hazard Identification and Categorization procedure is absent in landfill risk analysis approaches. The elements, which should be added to such a procedure in order to more effectively underpin landfill risk assessments, are also indicated

Hazard assessment of waste disposal sites. Part 2: a holistic approach for landfill leachates

The review of literature and computer models described in Part 1 of this paper led the authors to conclude that a quantitative hazard assessment methodology does not exist, in holistic terms, for landfill leachate. Although there are various reports and models addressing different aspects of the methodology, they are not integrated and show different degrees of completion. This part of the paper attempts to bridge some of these knowledge gaps by adapting and researching further the existing research studies to outline a more holistic framework for quantitative hazard assessment. This framework is more categorical, structured and sequential to render the hazard assessment more complete and effective in underpinning quantitative risk analysis. The focus of the paper is to cover the whole range of the hazard assessment in the form of a fundamental framework that draws together all relevant modules and sub-modules under one umbrella, without engaging in much in-depth detail of the modules and sub-modules themselves