Model for the environmental impact assessment of neighbourhoods

In order to move towards a sustainable built environment, modern cities need to be planned and organized differently, focussing not only on the characteristics of individual buildings but also on the relations between buildings and infrastructure works. Based on an existing Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) method for buildings, this paper proposes a model to assess the environmental impact of building clusters, together with the required road infrastructure. A hierarchic assessment structure, using the principles of the “element method for cost control” and a subdivision in different scale levels, is presented and methodological issues are discussed. To illustrate the methodology, abstract neighbourhood models are compared consisting of different dwelling types and the related amount of road infrastructure. The results revealed substantial environmental impact differences between the analysed alternatives, showing the importance of optimizing the layout and density of neighbourhoods.status: publishe

Leçons à tirer de l’académie WISBA

WISBA, la Wienerberger Sustainable Building Academy (Académie Wienerberger du Bâtiment Durable), est un programme éducatif dans le domaine la construction durable qui fut mis en place pour la première fois en janvier 2013. WISBA s’adresse aux étudiants en architecture, en ingénierie de la construction et sciences de l’environnement qui ont prouvé leur motivation dans le secteur la construction durable et souhaitent étendre leurs connaissances et expérience dans ce domaine. Les pays participants changent chaque année avec pour objectif de disséminer le thème de la construction durable plus largement. Les pays ayant participé ces dernières années sont la Suisse, l’Autriche, l’Allemagne, l’Italie, la Belgique, la Hongrie et la Pologne.status: publishe

Critical analysis of environmental benchmarks for buildings

urldate: 2019-10-01 file: Full Text:C\:\Users\TRIGAUXD\Zotero\storage\DJSYANSV\Trigaux et al. - 2019 - Critical analysis of environmental benchmarks for .pdf:application/pdfstatus: publishe

Model for the environmental impact assessment of neighbourhoods

In order to move towards a sustainable built environment, modern cities need to be planned and organized differently, focussing not only on the characteristics of individual buildings but also on the relations between buildings and infrastructure works. Based on an existing Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) method for buildings, this paper proposes a model to assess the environmental impact of building clusters, together with the required road infrastructure. A hierarchic assessment structure, using the principles of the “element method for cost control” and a subdivision in different scale levels, is presented and methodological issues are discussed. To illustrate the methodology, abstract neighbourhood models are compared consisting of different dwelling types and the related amount of road infrastructure. The results revealed substantial environmental impact differences between the analysed alternatives, showing the importance of optimizing the layout and density of neighbourhoods.status: publishe

Life Cycle Assessment of Land Use in Neighbourhoods

Urban sprawl and the increase of the built-up area have a major impact on land use. Buildings are responsible for two types of land use interventions: primary land use, i.e. the building footprint and secondary land use, associated with the resource extraction, production, transport and end-of-life treatment of construction products. However the environmental impact related to the primary land use is mostly not considered in current Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) studies of the built environment. The purpose of this paper is to assess the environmental impact of primary land use in neighbourhoods, considering not only the footprint of buildings but also the footprint of infrastructure and open spaces. Impacts related to land occupation and transformation are evaluated based on the impact assessment methods soil organic matter (SOM) (i.e. impact on soil quality) and Eco-indicator 99 (i.e. impact on biodiversity). An LCA study of neighbourhood models with diverse built densities, i.e. consisting of detached houses, semi-detached houses, terraced houses to compact apartment blocks, is performed. Moreover, buildings are simulated using combinations of building elements, from solid to timber frame structure. The results reveal the high contribution of primary land use to the neighbourhood life cycle environmental impacts, especially in low built density neighbourhoods. Furthermore, the environmental impact of primary land use is in most cases higher than secondary land use. Based on this analysis, it is recommended to include the assessment of primary land use in neighbourhood LCA, especially in studies comparing different built densities.status: publishe

Comparative analysis of Building Sustainability Assessment Methods for Neighbourhoods

Considering the interactions between buildings and their surroundings, the higher scale of the built environment has become an important focus in sustainable decision taking. Due to the high complexity of this scale level, Building Sustainability Assessment Methods (BSAM) have been developed to assess the sustainability of neighbourhoods. Among these methods, a distinction can be made between qualitative and quantitative tools. The most widespread qualitative BSAM tools, such as BREEAM Communities and LEED Neighborhood, are rating systems based on a multi-criteria analysis. The methodology associates scores to a number of criteria (credits) covering a wide range of sustainability issues like energy, materials, water and comfort. An overall rating is obtained by adding up the weighted individual scores. Quantitative BSAM tools, such as GreenCalc+ and the Environmental Load Profile method, use a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) approach. The LCA method assesses the relevant environmental impacts generated during the whole neighbourhood life span. Although these tools are preferred above the qualitative tools because of their scientific base, the scale of the neighbourhood is not commonly evaluated and their focus is still limited to the environmental performance, neglecting economic, social and qualitative aspects. This paper presents a comparative analysis of qualitative and quantitative BSAM-tools for neighbourhoods and highlights their strengths and weaknesses. A selected number of representative tools is analysed based on an evaluative framework focussing on methodological aspects such as the investigated dimensions, system boundaries, indicators and the weighting scheme used. Recommendations for methodological improvement are formulated and the position of quantitative and qualitative sustainability assessment methods in architectural design is rethought, focussing on the higher scale levels.status: publishe

Modelling the Influence of Urban Planning on the Financial and Environmental Impact of Neighbourhoods

This book covers different aspects of energy sustainability in residential buildings and neighborhoods, starting from the construction and design aspects, and moving on to HVAC systems and lighting, and the applications, harvesting, use and ...status: publishe

A simplified approach to integrate energy calculations in the Life Cycle Assessment of neighbourhoods

Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is a method which can be used to effectively evaluate and optimize the environmental impact of the built environment. However, when carrying out an LCA on the neighbourhood scale, estimating the energy consumption in buildings is problematic because most energy simulation tools require a lot of input data, which are not available in the master planning stage. This paper proposes a simplified approach to evaluate the heating energy consumption in neighbourhoods, taking into account the neighbourhood layout and shading caused by interacting buildings. The proposed approach, which is implemented for the Belgian context, is a refinement of the existing Equivalent Degree Day (EDD) method, by including results from both semi-dynamic and dynamic solar gain calculations. To illustrate this new approach, a parametric neighbourhood model is developed, linked to the energy simulation software EnergyPlus and LCA calculations. Simulations of a medium-density urban block reveal substantial differences in heating energy consumption, depending on shading patterns, confirming the importance of integrating simple but reliable energy calculations in neighbourhood LCA.status: publishe

Декоративные особенности фарфора эпохи Канси и его влияние на развитие европейского прикладного искусства конца XVII – первой половины XVIII века

Изучение китайского фарфора – его истории развития, бытования и традиций оформления – направление как зарубежной, так и отечественной синологии, занимающее одно из важнейших мест в современной науке искусствознания.Актуальность работы выражается, прежде всего, в том, что она предполагает, в первую очередь, изучение истории развития китайского фарфора в указанный период, как элемента общей системы межкультурной коммуникации и отражение в этом уникального феномена китайского традиционализма. Цель данной работы состоит в том, чтобы изучить изучение историю развития традиции китайской фарфоровой керамики, компаративный анализ изделий и выявление в них особенностей, характерных для декоративно-прикладного искусства данного периода китайской истории.The study of Chinese porcelain - its history of development, existence and traditions of design - the direction of both foreign and domestic sinology, occupies one of the most important places in the modern science of art. The actuality of the work is expressed primarily in the fact that it presupposes, first of all, Studying the history of the development of Chinese porcelain in this period, as an element of a common system of intercultural communication and a reflection in this unique phenomenon of Chinese traditionalism. The purpose of this work is to study the history of the development of the tradition of Chinese porcelain ceramics, the comparative analysis of products and the identification in them of the characteristics characteristic of the decorative and applied art of this period of Chinese history