Towards Sustainable Middle Eastern Cities: A Local Sustainability Assessment Framework

للمساعدة في جعل مدن الشرق الأوسط أكثر استدامة، يعتبر إطار عمل منهجي توجيهي لتقييم الاستدامة المحلية هو المفتاح لتحقيق مستقبل مستدام. تبحث هذه الورقة في الأطر المتاحة وتطور مقاربة لتقييم الاستدامة المحلية، من خلال بناء إطار منهجي باستخدام مزيج من منهج (من أسفل إلى أعلى) ومن (أعلى إلى أسفل). هذا يسهل صياغة واختيار وترتيب أولويات المؤشرات الرئيسية التي يمكن بعد ذلك توجيه تقييم استدامة المدينة على المستوى المحلي في الشرق الأوسط. تطبق الورقة أخيرًا إطار المنهجية على مدينة الحلة العراقية وتنجح في صياغة وتصنيف 57 مؤشراً صالحاً للاستدامة.To assist in making Middle Eastern cities more sustainable a guiding methodological framework for local sustainability assessment is key to achieving a sustainable future. This paper investigates available frameworks and develops an approach to local sustainability assessment (LSA), by constructing a methodological framework utilising a combination of (bottom-up) and (top-down) approaches. This facilitates the formulation, selection and prioritisation of key indicators, which can then guide the assessment of a city’s sustainability at a local level in the Middle East. The paper finally applies the LSA methodological framework to the Iraqi city of Hilla and succeeds in formulating and ranking 57 useful and valid sustainability indicators

An investigation into the practical application of residential energy certificates

The Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) 2002/91/EC introduced various obligatory requirements intended to achieve the reduction of use of energy resources in buildings and consequentially the reduction of the impact of energy use in buildings. Article 7 of the directive formally specified the current European requirement for the energy certification of buildings. In order to implement this requirement, a general framework for establishing a methodology of calculation of the total energy performance of buildings became necessary. The Maltese methodology for the issuance of energy performance certificates for residential property was developed and introduced by the Ministry of Resources and Rural Affairs in 2010. This methodology differs from that of most other European countries since the energy used for cooling in summer is taken into consideration when carrying out the calculation. Most states only consider the energy for heating in winter for residential energy certificates. A study of the results produced by the Maltese certification process is being used to identify whether the methodology implemented is an accurate tool for environmental monitoring of energy use in Maltese residential property. The analysis is utilised to establish a benchmark for energy use in different residential property typologies. This analysis is developed further to highlight the strengths and weaknesses of the certification procedure as a design tool, and to understand whether the procedure can be effectively applied in the cost optimisation of residential construction or refurbishment projects.peer-reviewe

The perceived barriers to the inclusion of rainwater harvesting systems by UK house building companies

This work investigates the barriers that exist to deter the implementation of rainwater harvesting into new UK housing. A postal questionnaire was sent to a selection of large, medium and small house-builders distributed across the UK. Questions were asked concerning potential barriers to the inclusion of rainwater harvesting in homes separated into five sections; (1) institutional and regulatory gaps, (2) economic and financial constraints, (3) absence of incentives, (4) lack of information and technical knowledge, and (5) house-builder attitudes. The study concludes that although the knowledge of rainwater systems has increased these barriers are deterring house-builders from installing rainwater harvesting systems in new homes. It is further acknowledged that the implementation of rainwater harvesting will continue to be limited whilst these barriers remain and unless resolved, rainwater harvesting's potential to reduce the consumption of potable water in houses will continue to be limited

The actual performance of aspiring low energy social houses in the United Kingdom

This paper compares the actual energy performance of six flats and two houses built to low energy standards (Code for Sustainable Homes Levels 4 and 5) with a near identical flat and house built to minimum compliance only (Building Regulations). As low energy homes are only recently emerging in the United Kingdom housing stock, and even fewer are subject to Post Occupancy Evaluation, little is known about their actual energy use in operation. The results show that low energy dwellings may consume more energy than expected and the behaviour of the occupants residing in low energy homes plays an important role in determining their actual energy consumption

Thermal performance exploration of 3D printed cob

This paper investigates the thermal properties of 3D printed Cob, a monolithic earth construction technique based on robotically extruded subsoil and locally available organic fibres. The relevance of 3D printed earthen construction materials and the transition from vernacular construction towards a digitally-enabled process are critically discussed. The use of robotic manufacturing is outlined and the methodology to produce the necessary samples for thermal measurement is detailed. The results of the 3D printed samples are compared with traditionally-constructed Cob material of the same dimensions. The assessment has revealed strong potential for 3D printed cob as compared to its manually constructed counterparts in terms of thermal conductivity. Moreover, the testing process has helped in identifying several challenges in the 3D printing process of cob and the assessment of its thermal properties, which will ultimately bring the work closer to full-scale applicationsInterregV Channel La Manch

Insight into the Optimization of Implementation Time in Cob Construction: Field Test and Compressive Strength Versus Drying Kinetics

Mastering construction times is of paramount importance in making vernacular earth construction techniques attractive to modern clients. The work presented here is a contribution towards the optimization of the construction time of cob buildings. Therefore, this paper follows the evolution of a cob’s mechanical properties during its drying process in the case of a double-walling CobBauge system. Laboratory tests and in situ measurements were performed, and further results were described. Volumetric water content sensors were immersed in the walls of a CobBauge prototype building during its construction. The evolution of the cob layer’s compressive strength and Clegg Impact Value (CIV) as a function of its water content has been experimentally studied and discussed. These studies showed that compressive strength and CIV are correlated with water content, and both properties decrease exponentially with time. In this study, a new tool to evaluate cob’s mechanical performances in situ has been proposed, Clegg Impact Soil Tester. This was linked to compressive strength, and a linear relationship between these two properties was found. Finally, appropriate values of compressive strength and CIV to satisfy before formwork stripping and re-lifting were proposed. For this study’s conditions, these values are reached after approximately 27 days

Thermography methodologies for detecting energy related building defects

Thermography is becoming more widely used amongst construction professionals for energy related defect detection in buildings. Until quite recently, most of the research and practical use of building thermography has centred on employing a building walk-around or walk-through methodology to detect sources of unacceptable energy use. However, thermographers are now creating new building thermography methodologies that seek to address some of the known limitations, such as camera spatial resolution, transient climatic conditions and differences in material properties. Often such limitations are misunderstood and sometimes ignored. This study presents a review of the existing literature, covering both well-established and emerging building thermography methodologies. By critically appraising techniques and observing methodology applications for specific energy related defects, a much clearer picture has been formed that will help thermographic researchers and thermographers to decide upon the best methodology for performing building thermography investigations and for the invention of new approaches. Whilst this paper shows that many of the different passive building thermography methodologies seek to address particular building issues such as defects and energy use, it has also demonstrated a lack of correlation between the different methodology types, where one methodology is often chosen over another for a particular reason, rather than making use of several methodologies to better understand building performance. Therefore this paper has identified the potential for using several passive building thermography methodologies together in a phased approach to building surveying using thermography. For example, a less costly and faster survey could be conducted to quickly identify certain defects before enabling more time consuming and expensive surveys to hone in on these with greater detail and spatial resolution if deemed necessary. © 2014 Elsevier Ltd