Environmental assessment of four Basque University campuses using the NEST tool

Over the past few years, town planners and architects have been facing increasing demands regarding the performance of urban development projects in terms of environment, quality of life and socio-economic issues. For this reason, several tools capable of assessing their environmental impacts have been developed. NEST (Neighbourhood Evaluation for Sustainable Territories) is a particularly interesting one since it permits performing simultaneous environmental, economic and social analyses at a district scale, in addition to evaluating refurbishment scenarios, with a life cycle perspective. Nowadays, universities can be considered as “small cities” due to their large size, population, and the many complex activities that take place on the campuses; thus, they have a direct and indirect impact on the environment. In this article, the authors present the results obtained from the environmental evaluation of the four campuses of the University of the Basque Country (UPV-EHU), using NEST. First, the evaluation consisted of analysing baseline environmental impacts of the four campuses, and then, in order to reduce environmental impacts, the authors presented numerous refurbishment scenarios for the campuses, according to national and international declarations concerning sustainable development in higher education.The authors acknowledge the UPV-EHU (Vicerrectorado de Innovación, Compromiso social y Acción cultural) for the financial support for the development of this work. The authors would also like to thank Estibaliz Ibarrola, Kerllys Morán, Nathaly Ortega, and Raul Bosch for their technical support. Finally, another part of this work was developed in the NEXT project from the French Institute for Energy Transition in Buildings INEF4

¿Peligra la escultura del peine del viento por la fuerza del oleaje que lo azota?

Nivel educativo: Grado. Duración (en horas): Más de 50 horasSe presenta un ABP para la asignatura de Fundamentos de Materiales I del grado de Arquitectura Técnica. A partir de una problemática (imaginaria) con la escultura del Peine del Viento de Eduardo Chillida ubicada en Donostia-San Sebastian, se estudian las propiedades de los materiales

Municipal Solid Waste Incineration Fly Ash: From Waste to Cement Manufacturing Resource

This study investigates the possibility of using municipal solid waste incineration fly ash as a supplementary cementitious material to replace part of the clinker in cement. Life cycle assessment has shown that the partial replacement of clinker with blast furnace slag (CEM III) reduces cement’s global warming potential by ~30%, while replacing clinker with fly ash reduces it by up to 55%. When using CEM III as the control binder in cement in which 55 wt% of the clinker was replaced with hydrothermally treated fly ash, the flexural strength decreased by ~60% and the compressive strength by ~65%. When the fly ash was mixed with calcined and vitrified demolition materials, flexural strength decreased by ~30% and compressive strength by ~50%. The hardening of the hydraulic binders fixed the heavy metals in the municipal solid waste incineration fly ash.This research was funded by the University of the Basque Country, UPV/EHU, grant number PPG17/22, Campus Bizia Lab

Supramolecular Structure and Renaturation of a (1→3)-β-D-Glucan Compared with Curdlan and Scleroglucan

A (1→3)-β-D-Glucan produced by Lactobacillus suebicus CUPV221 strain was investigated by tapping mode atomic force microscopy (TM-AFM), to compare its supramolecular structure and conformation with two commercial polysaccharides: curdlan and scleroglucan. It was found that the β-D-Glucan was a (1→3)(1→2)-β-D-Glucan and at room temperature formed three-dimensional networks by entanglements between strands, as does scleroglucan. However, (1→3)(1→2)-β-D-Glucan strands seemed to be more stiff than those of scleroglucan. It was also observed that curdlan samples deposited from 5 mM NaOH aqueous solution showed supermolecular assemblies, recognized in the literature as micelles, which are controlled by hydrophobic hydration. The (1→3)(1→2)-β-D-Glucan in alkaline aqueous solutions produced different supramolecular structures depending on pH, and at 0.4 M NaOH (pH 13.16), denaturation took place. After neutralizing the alkaline solution with HCl, the formation of short linear, circular, and hairpin structures was observed.This study was supported by grants AGL2009-12998-C03 and AGL2012-40084 from the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation, and IT335-10 from the Basque Government. Ana Isabel Puertas acknowledges the “Gobierno Vasco, Dpto. Agricultura, Pesca y Alimentación” for the fellowship

Use of Flat Interwoven Wooden Strips in Architecture and Construction. Simulation and Optimization Using 3D Digital Models

This research aims to promote the use of natural materials in construction. Its purpose is to rediscover the interlacing of flat wooden strips. Attending to environmental criteria, it focuses on the study of wood from a locally produced tree, the chestnut, in the north of Spain. However, the proposed methodology can be universally replicated with local wood productions anywhere. The interweaving of flat wooden strips is linked to traditional basketry, which is at serious risk of disappearing in many places. A combined method based on the design of interlaced artifacts is proposed. For this purpose, the mechanical characteristics of the specific material tested were analyzed in advance. The elastic limit of the material was obtained, and this allowed simulating and optimizing the maximum curvatures of the flat strips in a 3D digital model. New geometric shapes were designed with new interlacing wefts and were built with the tested material. The digital models used serve as a record of the artifacts built, and can be posted on web platforms so that they can be universally replicated. This will allow for the preservation of this heritage of built artifacts using basketry techniques, enabling the proposed objective to be achieved

Environmental Assessment of University Campuses: The Case of the University of Navarra in Pamplona (Spain)

Current European environmental sustainability standards call for achieving a reduction in energy consumption and CO2 emissions for a horizon set in the year 2050. It has been verified that buildings and cities have a higher incidence in this regard. It is necessary to have tools for initial assessment that can quickly analyse whether the improvement scenarios put forward by different organisations and governments will be able to meet the goals set at European level. Universities are an important factor for the intended change and therefore offer an excellent environment for testing such tools. A case study focusing on a university in northern Spain is presented, through an evaluation tool using 3D models including life-cycle assessment. Different reform scenarios are evaluated for two key years, 2030 and 2050. The novelty lies in considering, not only the impact of the operational phase but also the impact of the different stages of the life cycle and processes, obtaining an impact value closer to reality. The results indicate that, even with major retrofitting and adaptation efforts, the European targets are difficult to achieve by 2050. Moreover, solutions such as biomass help to achieve greenhouse gas reductions but not to improve energy efficiency.This research was funded by the Nouvelle-Aquitaine/Euskadi/Navarre Euro-region (AECT). Project co-financed through the second session of the 2019 AECT call for projects

Pedagogical Approaches for Sustainable Development in Building in Higher Education

Education for sustainable development (ESD) is one of the great challenges that university faculties have to face. Therefore, a multidisciplinary team from the faculty of Engineering of Gipuzkoa (EIG) at the University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU) has developed pedagogical approaches to apply in construction degrees, namely Civil Engineering and Technical Architecture. Pedagogical tools, such as problem-based learning (PBL) or research-based learning (RBL), and environmental tools, such as the life cycle assessment (LCA) and computational thinking (CT), have been used; in doing so, they acquire a sustainable approach to work “soft-skills” competencies into sustainability. For example, research-based tools have helped to revalorize waste both outside and inside the university; they have contributed to more sustainable industrial processes, collaborative research projects, and participation in conferences and scientific publications. Based on academic results, the designed tools are appropriate for teaching in Technical Architecture and Civil Engineering degrees; however, to demonstrate their potential in terms of sustainable education, holistic rubrics based on in-depth quantitative educational research are required. Thus, to analyze the ability of the students to incorporate sustainability principles in their work, the multidisciplinary team presenting this paper plans to collaborate with psychologists and sociologists within the framework of the Bizia-Lab program of the UPV/EHU.This research study was funded by Bizia Lab, Vice-chancellor’s Office for Innovation, within the Social Commitment (UPV/EHU) calls 2016/17 and 2020/21

Unibertsitateen ingurumen-inpaktuaren analisia NESTen bidez eta haren eginkizuna GIHekin bat datorren hiri-plangintza jasangarri bati begira

Over the past few years, urban planners and architects have had to seek solutions to improve the performance of urban projects in terms of environmental impact, quality of life and socio-economic problems, in order to achieve the objectives set by the European regulations and by the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) established by the United Nations. The environmental and energy impacts at the building scale are amplified at the urban level. In the case of University Campuses, due to their size, population and activity, they can be considered as "small cities" and it has been observed that their environmental impact is significant. In recent years, new tools have been developed to assess this environmental impact at the district level by a life cycle analysis. Among them, it is worth highlighting NEST, an agile and fast tool used to analyze the baseline scenario and improvement hypotheses. It assesses environmental and socio-economic indicators and serves as a life cycle analysis tool for the built environment at the neighborhood level. The authors of this publication have used NEST in different research projects and they have analyzed different baseline scenarios and evaluated improvements in some cases. The article presents a summary of the evolution of the research carried out, explaining each case of study and the general conclusions obtained. It also presents the research project that was recently started that study the possibility to set up the forest biomass as renewable energy source in the university campuses in different regions, governments and countries. The cooperation between universities and cities to establish synergies and cooperation actions will allow substantial progress in the improvement of the key SDGs for society.; Azken urteotan, hirigileek eta arkitektoek irtenbideak bilatu behar izan dituzte hiri-proiektuen errendimendua hobetzeko, ingurumenaren gaineko eraginari, bizi-kalitateari eta arazo sozioekonomikoei dagokienez, bai Europako araudiek ezarritako helburuak lortzeko, bai Nazio Batuek ezarritako Garapen Iraunkorrerako Helburuak (GIH) lortzeko. Eraikinaren eskalako ingurumen- eta energia-inpaktuak anplifikatu egiten dira hiri mailan, eta ikusi da unibertsitate-campusak, beren tamaina, populazioa eta jarduera direla eta, "hiri txikitzat" har daitezkeela, ingurumenean duten eragina nabarmena dela. Azken urteotan, tresna berriak garatu dira ingurumen-inpaktu hori barruti mailan ebaluatzeko, bizi-zikloaren analisi baten bidez. Haien artean, NEST nabarmendu behar da, oinarrizko agertokia eta hobekuntza-hipotesiak aztertzeko tresna arin eta azkarra. Ingurumen-adierazleak eta adierazle sozioekonomikoak ebaluatzen ditu, eta bizi-zikloaren analisirako tresna gisa balio du auzo-eskalan eraikitako inguruneetan. Argitalpen honen egileek NEST erabili izan dute hainbat ikerketa-proiektutan, eta oinarrizko agertokiak aztertu eta zenbait kasuistikatan hobekuntzak ebaluatu dituzte. Artikulu honetan, egindako ikerketen bilakaeraren laburpen bat aurkeztu, eta azterketa-kasu bakoitza eta ondorio orokorrak azaltzen dira. Duela gutxi hasi den ikerketa-proiektu bat ere aurkezten da, baso-biomasa energia-iturri berriztagarri gisa ezartzea helburu duena askotariko izaera, gobernantza, eskualde eta herrialdetako unibertsitate-campusetan. Unibertsitateen eta hirien arteko kooperazioak, sinergiak eta lankidetza-ekintzak ezartzeko, gizartearentzat funtsezkoak diren GIHen hobekuntzan aurrera egitea ahalbidetuko du

The environmental and social footprint of the university of the Basque Country UPV/EHU

This work has calculated the organisational environmental and social footprint of the University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU) in 2016. First, input and output data flows of the UPV/EHU activity were collected. Next, the environmental and social impacts of the academic activity were modelled, using the Ecoinvent 3.3 database with the PSILCA-based Soca v1 module in openLCA software. In order to evaluate the environmental impacts, CML and ReCiPe LCIA methods were used. The Social Impact Weighting Method was adjusted for the assessment of specific social impacts. The modelling has identified some hotspots in the organisation. The contribution of transport (8,900 km per user, annually) is close to 60% in most of the environmental impacts considered. The life cycle of computers stands out among the impacts derived from the consumption of material products. More than half of environmental impacts are located outside the Basque Country. This work has also made it possible to estimate some of the impacts of the organisational social footprint, such as accidents at work, only some of which occur at the UPV/EHU. Traces of child labour and illiteracy have also been detected in the social footprint that supports the activity of the UPV/EHU. Some of the social and environmental impacts analysed are not directly generated by the UPV/EHU, but they all demand attention and co-responsibility. Based on the modelling performed, this work explores alternative scenarios and recommends some improvement actions which may reduce (in some cases over 30%) the environmental and social impacts of the UPV/EHU's activity. These scenarios and improvement actions will feed a process with stakeholders in the UPV/ EHU based on the Multi-criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) methodology.To the Sustainability Directorate and the Educational Advisory Service, both belonging to the Vice-Chancellor's Office for Innovation, Social Commitment and Social Action of the University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU, in the context of the Campus Bizia Lab programme (2017/18, 18/19 and 19/20 calls) for the financing of the EHU-Aztarna project. This research has also been supported by 'Ekopol: Iraunkortasunerako Bideak' research group, recognised by the Basque Government (IT1365-19) and the University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU (GIC-18/22)

Dataset on the environmental and social footprint of the University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU

[EN] The organisational life cycle assessment (O-LCA) and the social organisational life cycle assessment (SO-LCA) of the University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU were conducted. The data presented in this paper support the calculation of the environmental and social footprint of the University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU for year 2016 [1] , and may be used as a reference for future calculations of the environmental and social footprint of higher education institutions and other organisations. This dataset provides detailed information on the UPV/EHU and the boundaries considered; on the compilation and quantification of the life cycle inventory (LCI) which included a transport survey conducted in summer 2018-; and on the modelling process followed for the calculation of the environmental and social footprints, based on the ecoinvent 3.3 database [2] and PSILCA-based Soca v1 add-on [3 , 4] , and carried out with the openLCA free software [5] . The dataset also includes the life cycle impact assessment (LCIA) results provided by the CML (baseline, 2015) [6] and ReCiPe (endpoint (H), 2008) [7] LCIA methods and post-processed social impacts provided by the Social Impacts Weighting Method [3] , disaggregated by subprocesses and impact locations. Data is provided for the reference year (2016), and some aggregated data is also provided for alternative scenarios that were explored in order to check pathways to reduce social and environmental impacts of the academic activity of the UPV/EHU [1]To the Sustainability Directorate and the Educational Advisory Service, both belonging to the Vice-Chancellor's Office for Innovation, Social Commitment and Social Action of the University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU, in the context of the Campus Bizia Lab programme (2017/18, 18/19 and 19/20 calls) for the financing of the EHU-Aztarna project. This research has also been supported by 'Ekopol: Iraunkortasunerako Bideak' research group, recognised by the Basque Government (IT-1365-19) and the University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU (GIC-18/22)