Life Cycle Thinking a Sustainable Built Environment

Design for Deconstruction and Modularity in a Sustainable Built Environment

Integrated Sustainable Life Cycle Design: A Review

Product design is one of the most important sectors influencing global sustainability, as almost all the products consumed by people are outputs of the product development process. In particular, early design decisions can have a very significant impact on sustainability. These decisions not only relate to material and manufacturing choices but have a far-reaching effect on the product’s entire...

Expanding Boundaries: Systems Thinking for the Built Environment

Cold formed steel-framed constructions have been strongly disseminated with particular emphasis on the residential sector due to their fast execution, quality control and final cost. However, this construction typology presents a weakness associated with a low thermal inertia and a consequential risk of overheating. The present research addresses the overheating rate reduction of a cold formed ...

Expanding Boundaries: Systems Thinking for the Built Environment

The need for sustainable architecture and urban design and planning has long been acknowledged, along with the necessity for adequate, early-phase guiding instruments. This paper aims at exploring the effectiveness and usability of a novel decision-support workflow for neighbourhood-scale projects, developed to provide practitioners with early-stage design alternatives in an interactive and ite...

Expanding Boundaries: Systems Thinking for the Built Environment

Cities can play a key role in mitigating climate change impacts, as they represent two thirds of the world’s energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. This paper presents a model-based approach to support cities in the challenge of including energy issues in early stage urban planning. Recognizing that successful planning must rely on highly integrated solutions, this paper aims, through...