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This paper addresses opportunities available for meeting sustainability objectives in building construction by using the conceptual alignments of Open Building and LEED^™ Rating. These two systems utilize hierarchical, scalar categorizations to structure issues of design as a set of nested constructs and function as methodologies for affecting both problem definition and the management of strategic design process.

Each system addresses the distribution of control in the design decision−making process as a positioning of decisions in space and time. Establishing the correlation of the two systems can facilitate the conversation among all participants involved in the origination, construction, use, and management of buildings−and their systems−as they seek to assure the sustainability of what they design, build, and use.

To explore how universities can adopt sustainability practices that have proven to be successful in business.

Draws on several sources of theory (internationally published literatures in business, sustainability, and education) and practice (primarily US business and university practice) to develop a framework.

Two seemingly divergent trends have created a unique opportunity for universities to significantly improve their environmental performance: the increasing importance to businesses of managing the natural environment and the growing awareness that universities cannot continue to isolate themselves from the community in which they are embedded. The first of these trends has caused a previously untapped source of ideas to become energized into thinking about how to move toward a more sustainable world. The second trend has caused a previously “introspective‐to‐a‐fault” institution to look beyond itself for ways of thinking and acting.

The intersection of the two trends is a powerful place, where new and successful approaches to managing the natural environment, albeit from what might be thought of as a non‐traditional source, can be absorbed by an institution that has significant environmental impact and an even more significant responsibility to future generations.

Provides a focus on the huge opportunities for applying some of the environmental lessons learnt by business to higher education.

OWNERSHIP, LEADERSHIP AND TRANSFORMATION CAN WE DO BETTER FOR CAPITAL DEVELOPMENT?

CHALLENGE OF SLUMS: GLOBAL REPORT ON HUMAN SETTLEMENTS 2003

SMALL CHANGE ABOUT THE ART OF PRACTICE AND THE LIMITS OF PLANNING IN CITIES

THE PHILOSOPHYOF SUSTAINABLE DESIGN

THE URBAN HOUSING MANUAL: MAKING REGULATORY FRAMEWORKS WORK FOR THE POOR

A paper on a new definition of intelligent buildings for Asia was published in Facilities in late 1999. This definition was later adopted by The Asian Institute of Intelligent Buildings as the official definition of intelligent buildings (IBs). The requirements of users were categorised into nine quality environment modules. Under each module, there are technologies and facilities supporting the operation of an IB. The beauty of that definition is that it can be further explored to arrive at a comprehensive and quantitative method of assessment for IBs, the Intelligent Building Index (IBI). Existing methods of assessment, in particular for environmentally friendly buildings in the USA and Hong Kong, have been reviewed. Shortcomings of the existing methodology and the room for improvement have been highlighted and discussed. The concept, mathematics and utilisation of the IBI are detailed in this paper.

This paper aims to disseminate an innovative approach to sustainability education in construction‐related fields in which teaching, research, and service are integrated to provide a unique learning experience for undergraduate students, faculty members, and community partners.

The paper identifies the need for sustainability education in fields related to construction and describes an interdisciplinary course at Penn State that addresses this need. The goals, research, and applications of the course are detailed, as is the sustainable construction technology employed in course projects. Finally, the results from two course assessments are summarized to support the authors' hypothesis that knowledge best occurs and develops in an arena of negotiation, collaboration, and creation.

Students who participate in the course experience well‐rounded growth that includes, but is not limited to, increased research, design, communication, and collaboration skills, a finding that underscores the effectiveness of the course's holistic approach to engineering and architecture education.

The paper demonstrates that engaged approaches to architecture and engineering education contribute to a heightened awareness among students of the importance of sustainability. It encourages other educators to adopt similar approaches to sustainability education in their courses.

The paper addresses the need for sustainability education in construction‐related disciplines by detailing an innovative course developed at Penn State to raise environmental and social awareness among architecture and engineering students. The engaged approach utilized in the course is replicable in any discipline and promises to have a significant impact on the commitment of today's students to creating a tomorrow in which sustainability is the norm rather than an anomaly.

The purpose of this paper is to present a tri-optimization approach to optimize design solutions regarding the building shape and envelope properties considering their implications on thermal comfort, visual comfort and building energy consumption (EN). The optimization approach has been applied to obtain the optimal design solutions in five typical cities across all climatic regions of China.

The method comprises a tri-optimization process with nine main steps to optimize the three objectives (thermal comfort, visual comfort and building EN). The design variables considered are four types of building shape (pyramid, rectangular, cylindrical and dome shape) and different envelope properties (insulation thickness [INS] of external walls/roof, window type [WT] and window-to-envelop surface area ratio [WESR]). The optimization is performed by using the Taguchi and constraint limit method.

The results show that the optimal design solutions for all climatic regions favor cylindrical shape and triple-layer low-E glazing window. The highest insulation level of 150 mm is preferred in three climatic regions, and the INS of 90 mm is preferred in the other two climate regions. In total, 10% WESR is preferred in all climatic regions, except the mild region. When the constraint limit of lighting intensity requirement by Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) is applied, the rectangular shape building is the optimal solution for those with 10% WESR.

The method proposed in the paper is innovative in that it optimizes three different objectives simultaneously in building design with better accuracy and calculation speed.

Building designers can easily follow the proposed design guide in their practice which effectively bridges the gap between theory and practice. The optimal design solutions can provide a more comfortable living environment and yet less EN, which can help achieve the sustainability requirement of green buildings.

The solutions presented in the paper can serve as a useful guide for practical building designers which creates economic and commercial impact. In addition, the theory and practical examples of the study can be used by building regulators to improve the energy-efficient building design standard in China.

The research is the first attempt that adopts tri-optimization approach to generate the optimal solutions for building shape and envelope design. The tri-optimization approach can be used by building designers to generate satisfactory design solutions from the architectural viewpoint and meanwhile to find combinations of the building shape and envelope properties that lead to design solutions with optimal building performance.

The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of green building technologies and practices and illustrate how public libraries can use them as tools to teach their communities about sustainability and foster behavior change.

Through literature searches, case studies analysis, and individual phone and e‐mail interviews, the author identified ways that public libraries can use their buildings to demonstrate green technologies and practices and show their patrons how to apply them at home, at work, and in the community.

Education is a component of LEED certification. Many LEED certified libraries publicize a list of the green technologies used in their building projects. Some sponsor programs related to the green building and include permanent displays in the library to explain how the technology works. The Fayetteville Public Library went beyond these basic techniques to not only improve the sustainability of their operations but also become a community test bed for a renewable energy project.

This paper sheds light on how building projects can be used not only to educate the public about green technologies and practices, but also inspire others to begin using similar techniques at home, at work, and in the community.

The purpose of this paper is to propose a method for assessing the lean construction management performance (LCMP) of engineering projects using the analytic network process-fuzzy comprehensive evaluation (ANP-FCE) model.

Literature review and questionnaire surveys were used to achieve an evaluation index system for LCMP. The data needed to calculate the weights of the indices were derived from questionnaire surveys. The ANP and the Super Decisions (SD) software were used to calculate the weights of the indices and verify the validity of the weights. The FCE was adopted to carry out a comprehensive evaluation of LCMP, and the validity of the evaluation results was verified by applying the validity degree of maximum membership principle. The applicability of the method for evaluating LCMP was validated by empirical research.

The proposed method for assessing the LCMP using the ANP-FCE model is validated to be feasible. Decision makers can easily identify the strengths and weaknesses of lean construction (LC) management of the evaluated project from the evaluation results.

Some subjectivity may exist in the assessment process due to questionnaire surveys, and only one case has been studied to validate the applicability of the method. Therefore, researchers are encouraged to increase the number of LC experts and cases over the world to make the proposed method more standard.

The research is expected to propose an assessment method of LCMP for construction enterprises, provide a reference to develop assessment standards for LCMP for building associations or governments and help decision makers know the improving path of LC management.

This research contributes to the literature by summarizing the commonly used lean management tools for quality, cost, time, safety and organization in practice, and proposing a novel approach for assessing the LCMP of engineering projects. The study is useful for researchers, project managers and decision makers engaged in LC.

The purpose of this descriptive research article is to investigate current benchmarking practices (2001 to 2010) so as to determine new approaches which may transcend the traditional benchmarking model developed by Watson.

Previous generations of benchmarking have been developed and utilized in the last century. Watson's generational benchmarking model predicted that global benchmarking would encompass future benchmarking. Watson's Strategic Benchmarking: Reloaded with Six Sigma links Six Sigma strategies with strategic planning and benchmarking.

Most articles and dissertations reviewed indicate usage of existing benchmarking practices. The research also uncovered complementary approaches, including the Boyd Cycle, which underscores flexibility and speed, Six Sigma tools to implement significant business change decisions, the insights of Hoshin Kanri's philosophy of management, which fosters communication such that everyone in an organization is working toward a common goal, and “rapidmarking” of business improvements.

These approaches, while complementary, do not represent a “new generation” of benchmarking.

The value of this article comes from making the connection between the very beginnings of benchmarking techniques and the latest techniques in use today.

The objective of this research study is to formulate and develop a novel optimization model that enables planners of modular construction to minimize the total transportation and storage costs of prefabricated modules in modular construction projects.

The model is developed by identifying relevant decision variables, formulating an objective function capable of minimizing the total transportation and storage costs and modelling relevant constraints. The model is implemented by providing all relevant planner-specified data and performing the model optimization computations using mixed-integer programming to generate the optimal solution.

A case study of hybrid modular construction of a healthcare facility is used to evaluate the model performance and demonstrate its capabilities in minimizing the total transportation and onsite storage costs of building prefabricated modules.

The model can be most effective in optimizing transportation for prefabricated modules with rectangular shapes and might be less effective for modules with irregular shapes. Further research is needed to consider the shape of onsite storage area and its module arrangement.

The developed model supports construction planners in improving the cost effectiveness of modular construction projects by optimizing the transportation of prefabricated modules from factories to construction sites.

The original contributions of this research is selecting an optimal module truck assignment from a feasible set of trucks, identifying an optimal delivery day of each module as well as its location and orientation on the assigned truck and complying with relevant constraints including the non-overlap of modules on each truck, shipment weight distribution and aerodynamic drag reduction.