A framework for implementing sustainable construction in building briefing project

The current demand for economically viable buildings in the Saudi Public Sector is coupled with the need to maximise the efficient use of Saudi Arabian natural resources. The lack of consideration paid to sustainability issues during the conceptual phase has resulted in higher consumption of materials and energy during both the construction and operational phases of many building projects. This paper proposes a theoretical framework to implement sustainable construction principles in briefing process. It integrates Soft Value Management (SVM) to sustainable construction to enable the client and project team to put into action sustainability principles in the briefing process. The proposed framework was synthesised from a review of literature and current best practice. This paper is part of an ongoing research which aims to exploit the VM experiences and skills of those in the Saudi Public Sector in order to accelerate the understanding and implementation of sustainable construction in the country

Assessing the feasibility of using value management to accelerate the implementation of sustainability

The present demand for economically viable buildings in the Saudi Public Sector is coupled with the need to maximise the efficient use of Saudi Arabian natural resources. The lack of consideration paid to sustainability issues during the concept phase has resulted in higher consumption of materials and energy during both the construction and operational phases of many building projects. Although there is extensive Value Management (VM) knowledge and experience, many who work in the Saudi Public Sector appear to have less experience of sustainable development, consequently sustainable construction is all too often not a major consideration. This paper is part of an ongoing research which aims to exploit the VM experiences and skills of those in the Saudi Public Sector in order to accelerate the understanding and implementation of sustainable development in the country. It provides an overview of the current situation of VM and sustainability in the Saudi Public Sector by investigating in-depth the: application of VM and sustainability; clients’ attitudes towards both subjects; identification of the barriers that impede their application and the determination of the level of existent knowledge about both topics in the Saudi Public Sector

Exploring conceptual linkages between value engineering and sustainable construction

There has been increased awareness of the importance of value engineering (VE) and sustainable development within the construction industry. Both subjects play crucial roles in realising quality, reliability and durability as well as enhancing performance throughout the life of a project. They also help to: improve service related outcomes within budget constraints: achieve a more efficient use of resources; and accomplish an optimum combination of whole-life cost and quality to satisfy the user requirements. This paper reviews VE and sustainable construction and explores conceptual linkages between the two that relate to achieving best value over the whole life of a building project. It also suggests six steps for applying VE principles and tools to help implement sustainable construction within early stages of a project. This paper also traces the belief that VE is an appropriate technique to diffuse sustainable construction principles among its team members. Furthermore, it explores the concern that many sustainable construction dimensions are already inherent as part of VE workshops, but with the level of consideration differing from one workshop to another depending on the knowledge of the team themselves. Moreover, the paper concludes that the degree of integration of between the two topics is relatively untapped due to a lack of information and understanding of the underlying concepts

Realizing sustainability through stakeholder management

A main driver in the creation of sustainable value is the need to satisfy stakeholders in the process of the delivery of the functional unit through the project or service. Clients may well be satisfied when the project is delivered but if users, occupants and suppliers are poorly consulted new ideas and improvements will not be produced and the project may fail to meet local needs. Each construction project has its own stakeholders who have often different and conflicting interests associated with the project objectives. Moreover, insufficient stakeholder consultation and management frequently leads to conflicts and controversies about the implementation of construction projects and the achievement of best value in that projects. Thus, the management of vested interests of stakeholders is very paramount for the successful of the project. This paper provides a methodology for stakeholder analysis during strategic briefing to help implement sustainable construction. It integrates value management and sustainability in one study and utilises tools and techniques of value management to realise the principles of sustainability in a projects

An overview of sustainability in Saudi Arabia

The present demand for economically viable construction projects in the Saudi Public Sector is coupled with the need to maximise the efficient use of Saudi Arabian natural resources. The aim of this paper is to investigate sustainability in Saudi Arabia in terms of strategies, policies, barriers and enablers associated with its implementation and as perceived by key decision makers. It also endeavours to define sustainable construction principles as currently being applied in the country. The data used in this study were obtained through a review of related literature, reinforced with information distilled from interviews conducted with people working in or possessing significant experience of the Saudi Public Sector. The findings show that the Saudi government has made significant efforts towards protecting the environment by enacting a number of regulations and policies and by joining a number of global conventions over the past few years. However, the lack of consideration paid to sustainable construction principles during the conceptual phase of design has resulted undesirable consumption rates of materials, water and energy during the construction, operating and maintenance phases of projects. Moreover, there currently appears to be are lack of awareness, regulation, policies, information and leaderships with regard to implementation of sustainable construction. Several relevant principles for sustainable construction in terms of environmental, economic and social have been elaborated upon; and enablers that could accelerate its understanding and implementation in the country have been highlighted

Citrate and malonate increase microbial activity and alter microbial community composition in uncontaminated and diesel-contaminated soil microcosms

Petroleum hydrocarbons (PHCs) are among the most prevalent sources of environmental contamination. It has been hypothesized that plant root exudation of low molecular weight organic acid anions (carboxylates) may aid degradation of PHCs by stimulating heterotrophic microbial activity. To test their potential implication for bioremediation, we applied two commonly exuded carboxylates (citrate and malonate) to uncontaminated and diesel-contaminated microcosms (10 000 mg kg−1; aged 40 days) and determined their impact on the microbial community and PHC degradation. Every 48 h for 18 days, soil received 5 µmol g−1 of (i) citrate, (ii) malonate, (iii) citrate + malonate or (iv) water. Microbial activity was measured daily as the flux of CO2. After 18 days, changes in the microbial community were assessed by a community-level physiological profile (CLPP) and 16S rRNA bacterial community profiles determined by denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE). Saturated PHCs remaining in the soil were assessed by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Cumulative soil respiration increased 4- to 6-fold with the addition of carboxylates, while diesel contamination resulted in a small, but similar, increase across all carboxylate treatments. The addition of carboxylates resulted in distinct changes to the microbial community in both contaminated and uncontaminated soils but only a small increase in the biodegradation of saturated PHCs as measured by the n-C17 : pristane biomarker. We conclude that while the addition of citrate and malonate had little direct effect on the biodegradation of saturated hydrocarbons present in diesel, their effect on the microbial community leads us to suggest further studies using a variety of soils and organic acids, and linked to in situ studies of plants, to investigate the role of carboxylates in microbial community dynamics

Low molecular weight organic anions (carboxylates) increase microbial activity and alter microbial community composition in uncontaminated and diesel contaminated soil

Petroleum hydrocarbons (PHCs) are among the most prevalent sources of environmental contamination. It has been hypothesized that plant root exudation of low molecular weight organic acid anions (carboxylates) may aid degradation of PHCs by stimulating heterotrophic microbial activity. We, therefore, applied two commonly-exuded carboxylates (citrate and malonate) to uncontaminated and diesel contaminated microcosms (10,000 mg kg–1; aged 40 days) to determine their impact on the microbial community and PHC degradation. Every 48 hours for 18 days, soil received 5 μmol g–1 of i) citrate, ii) malonate, iii) citrate + malonate or iv) water. Microbial activity was measured daily as the flux of CO2. After 18 days, changes in the microbial community were assessed by community level physiological profiles and 16S rRNA bacterial community profiles determined by denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis. Saturated PHCs remaining in the soil were assessed by GCMS. Cumulative soil respiration increased four- to six-fold with the addition of carboxylates, while diesel contamination resulted in a small, but similar, increase across all carboxylate treatments. The addition of carboxylates resulted in distinct changes to the microbial community, but only a small decrease in the n-C17: pristane biomarker. We conclude that carboxylate addition can increase microbial activity and modify the microbial community in both uncontaminated and diesel-contaminated soils. The impact of these changes on PHC biodegradation and rhizosphere processes, more generally, merits further research

Effects of Weaning Age and Winter Development Environment on Heifer Grazing Distribution

The objective of this experiment was to determine if early weaning (approximately 125 d) vs. normal weaning (approximately 250 d) and wintering replacement heifers in drylot versus rangeland affected heifer grazing distribution during the subsequent summer. Heifer calves from the 2009 and 2010 calf crop (n = 104 and 73, respectively) were allocated to the 2 weaning treatments and then stratified by age into the 2 winter development treatments. During the summer of yr 1 heifers were allocated to 2 pastures by winter treatment, and in yr 2, all 4 treatment combinations were allocated to separate pastures. A subset of heifers from each group was selected to wear global positioning system (GPS) collars (n=2 and 5 in yr 1 and 2, respectively). Readings were taken from the GPS every 15 min in yr 1 and every 65 s in yr 2. The GPS coordinates were then analyzed relative to ecological sites, water locations, fence locations, and temperature using Arc GIS (ESRI, Redlands, CA). Winter treatment affected (P\u3c0.05) preference index (PI) for claypan and loamy sites in 2010, and distance from water in 2011. Day of sampling affected (P\u3c0.05) claypan and loamy site PI in 2010 and thin claypan site PI in 2011. Day of sampling interacted with winter treatment (P\u3c0.05) for distance from water in 2010, sand and thin claypan site PI in 2010 and thin claypan site PI in 2011, while day of sampling interacted with weaning treatment for distance from water in 2011. A winter by weaning treatment interaction affected (P\u3c0.05) thin claypan site PI in 2011. Temperature had an effect on distance to fencelines in 2010 (P\u3c0.001). There was a temperature interaction with wintered treatment effect on distance to water in 2011 (P\u3c0.001). There was a three-way interaction (P\u3c0.05) between weaning treatment, winter treatment and ambient temperate on the distance from water and between weaning treatment, winter treatment and day of sampling on claypan and sand site PI in 2011. In conclusion, winter development influenced patterns of range utilization. Day-of-sampling interactions indicated that range heifers did not adjust preferences and thus were already adapted to the range environment, whereas drylot heifers adjusted preferences over time suggesting they re-learned how to utilize the range environment

Ultra-low temperature dilatometry

This thesis presents research of two novel magnetic materials, LiHoF4 and Tb2Ti2O7. Experiments were performed at low temperatures and in an applied magnetic field to study thermal expansion and magnetostriction using a capacitive dilatometer designed during this project. This thesis presents 3 distinct topics. This manuscript begins with a thermodynamic description of thermal expansion and magnetostriction. The design of a capacitive dilatometer suitable for use at ultra-low temperatures and in high magnetic fields is presented. The thermal expansion of oxygen free high conductivity copper is used as a test of the absolute accuracy of the dilatometer. The first material studied using this dilatometer was LiHoF4. Pure LiHoF4 is a dipolar coupled Ising ferromagnet and in an applied transverse magnetic field is a good representation of the transverse field Ising model. An ongoing discrepancy between theoretical and experimental work motivates further study of this textbook material. Presented here are thermal expansion and magnetostriction measurements of LiHoF4 in an applied transverse field. We find good agreement with existing experimental work. This suggests that there is some aspect of LiHoF4 or the effect of quantum mechanical fluctuations at finite temperatures which is not well understood. The second material studied is the spin liquid Tb2Ti2O7. Despite theoretical predictions that Tb2Ti2O7 will order at finite temperature, a large body of experimental evidence demonstrates that spins within Tb2Ti2O7 remain dynamic to the lowest temperatures studied. In addition Tb2Ti2O7 also exhibits anomalous thermal expansion below 20K, giant magnetostriction, and orders in an applied magnetic field. Thermal expansion and magnetostriction measurements of Tb2Ti2O7 are presented in applied longitudinal and transverse fields. Zero-field thermal expansion measurements do not repeat the previously observed anomalous thermal expansion. A large feature is observed in thermal expansion at 100mK, in rough agreement with existing experimental work. Longitudinal and transverse magnetic fields were applied to Tb2Ti2O7. Longitudinal magnetostriction measurements show qualitatively di erent behavior than previous observations. These measurements were taken along di erent crystal axes so direct comparison cannot be made. Thermal expansion measurements in an applied transverse field show evolution with the strength of the applied field. This evolution may relate to an ordering transition, however difficulties in repeatability in a transverse field require that these results be repeated in an improved setup

Effects of Weaning Age and Winter Development Environment on Heifer Performance

Our objective was to determine if early weaning (about 125 d) vs. normal weaning (about 250 d) and wintering replacement heifers in drylot vs. rangeland affected heifer growth and reproductive performance. Heifer calves from the 2009 and 2010 calf crops (n = 104 and 73, respectively) were allocated to the 2 weaning treatments and then stratified by age into the 2 winter development treatments forming a 2 by 2 factorial arrangement of treatments. Heifers wintered in drylot received mixed grass and alfalfa hay (yr 1: 11.6% CP, 52.5% TDN; yr2: 12.3% CP, 53.4% TDN) plus 1.8 kg of a dried distiller’s grain (DDGS)-based supplement/hd/d (yr1: 22.7% CP, 75.8% TDN; yr 2: 25.4% CP, 76.7% TDN). Heifers wintered on rangeland also received 1.8 kg/hd/d of the same supplement. Over the winter, each treatment was allocated to a separate pen or pasture. After estrus synchronization and timed AI, all heifers were placed on rangeland to graze through the summer. During the summer of yr 1, heifers were allocated by winter treatment to 2 pastures, and in yr 2 all 4 treatment combinations were allocated to separate pastures. Responses measured were BW, ADG, pubertal status at initiation of estrus synchronization, and pregnancy status after breeding. Pubertal status was indicated by serum progesterone \u3e 1 ng/ml. A winter by weaning treatment interaction affected (P\u3c0.001) BW and ADG both years. During the winter months, range heifers were lighter and grew slower than drylot heifers, but BW did not differ due to winter treatments at the end of the summer. However, early-weaned heifers remained lighter than normal weaned heifers at the end of the summer. Weaning treatment affected (P=0.03) fall pregnancy rate (93.2%±4.0 and 74.7%±7.98 for early- and normal-weaning, respectively) in yr 2. In yr 1, there was a difference (P=0.006) between drylot and range heifers (92.7%±3.52 and 72.8%±6.47, respectively) in the proportion that obtained puberty before estrus synchronization. In conclusion, producers should consider important interactions between weaning and winter management practices when establishing a replacement heifer development program that best fits the goals of their operation