Principles for Evaluating Building Materials in Sustainable Construction: Healthy and Sustainable Materials for the Built Environment provides a comprehensive overview of the issues associated with the selection of materials for sustainable construction, proposing a holistic and integrated approach. The book evaluates the issues involved in choosing materials from an ecosystem services perspective, from the design stage to the impact of materials on the health of building users. The three main sections of the book discuss building materials in relation to ecosystem services, the implications of materials choice at the design stage, and the impact of materials on building users and their health. The final section focuses on specific case studies that illustrate the richness of solutions that existed before the rise of contemporary construction and that are consistent with a sustainable approach to creating built environments. These are followed by modern examples which apply some, if not all, of the principles discussed in the first three sections of the book. - Provides a holistic and integrated approach to the issues associated with the selection of materials for sustainable construction - Provides a thorough understanding of ecosystem services based on ecology research for built environment design - Provides an original review of the impact of materials on human health - Provides case studies to illustrate the points above

Sustainability in the built environment is a major issue facing policy-makers, planners, developers and designers in the UK, Europe and worldwide. The measuring of buildings and cities for sustainability becomes increasingly important as pressure for green, sustainable development translates into policy and legislation. The problems of such measurement and evaluation are presented by the authors in contributions which move from the general to the particular, e.g. from a general framework for an environmentally sustainable form of urban development to a specific input-output model application to environmental problems. The book is divided into three parts: the first covers city models and sustainable systems - research programmes, environmental policies, green corporations and collaborative strategies to make urban development more sustainable; part two discusses the problems of evaluating the built environment in planning and construction, covering economic and environmental methods and construction, development and regeneration processes; part three illustrates a number of applications using different approaches and techniques and referring to a range of environmental aspects of the natural and built environment, from maintaining historic buildings to transport management and air pollution monitoring.

Materials Selection for Sustainability in the Built Environment: Environmental, Social and Economic Aspects presents the current state-of-the-art when it comes to the decision-making process for choosing construction materials to deliver sustainable construction projects. Aspects covered include the science of enhanced decision-making via operational research and machine learning techniques and how this can be implemented in various disciplines such as architecture, engineering and construction. To this end, the book discusses environmental, economic and social aspects in assessing construction materials and presents different tools and methods that can benefit and facilitate this process. Finally, the book reviews previous publications on construction material selection and presents essential discussions on the role professionals, researchers, contractors and governments play in making more sustainable decisions on the built environment. - Presents a lifecycle management-based, systematic and integrated approach for sustainable construction materials selection - Discusses the impact of materials selection, covering every aspect of sustainability (environmental, social and economic aspects) - Looks at the concept of the circular economy - Provides case studies on decision-making methods in combination with lifecycle sustainability assessments

Global environmental challenges such as climate change, rapid urbanization, and human influence on the environment continue to grow. Many of these resulting risks lead to diseases and negative impacts on health and quality of life. It is now essential to develop more sustainable and healthy environments with greater focus on prevention by targeting the root causes of disease. Urban communities comprise a high concentration of services, consumption, and waste and represent an unsustainable pattern of urbanization that accelerates the decline of global ecosystems services rather than supporting them through the compensatory contributions of peri-urban and rural areas. By focusing on reducing environmental and social risk factors, almost a quarter of the global burden of disease can be avoided through better health promotion strategies and improved prevention and hygiene measures. Urban Sustainability and Energy Management of Cities for Improved Health and Well-Being highlights the interdisciplinary connections between the environment and human health, focusing on new ideas and suggestions for promoting both sustainable development and human health and well-being. It creates a new approach to the analysis of human impacts on the natural environment and, conversely, determines how the environment can modulate human lifestyles and health. Furthermore, this book explores opportunities and challenges urban communities face as they seek to become sustainable systems embedded in their diverse and complex social and environmental contexts. Covering topics such as affordable housing, ecological waste materials, and urban health, this premier reference source is an essential resource for environmentalists, civil engineers, government officials, architects, libraries, students and educators of higher education, urban planners, researchers, and academicians.

There is an urgent need to emphasize inclusivity in architecture and the built environment. Innovative technologies within the field of architecture are being developed to enhance inclusivity in architectural approaches and development processes. It is essential to research inclusivity in architecture and the built environment toward holistic sustainable development. The Handbook of Research on Inclusive and Innovative Architecture and the Built Environment discusses inclusive and innovative approaches to providing socio-cultural value within architecture and the built environment. It focuses on issues of diversity, sustainability, resilient designs, and more. Further, the book expands the knowledge and awareness of architecture and the built environment towards inclusivity in design development and emerging advanced technology. Covering topics such as architectural challenges, global health, and urban morphology, this major reference work is an excellent resource for architects, government officials, urban planners, practitioners, students and educators of higher education, researchers, and academicians.

Cities have a metabolism that requires energy, food, materials and water to be supplied and waste products to be removed. If cities are to remain the engines of economic growth they also require an input of knowledge as well as commodities. This fuels innovation and the skills that lead to economic success. With economic success comes the input of people and investment that require new buildings and the conservation of existing buildings. This, in turn, requires an input of both building materials and the knowledge of manufacturing and assembling them efficiently and effectively. This book reviews these aspects of development from an academic point of view and covers a wide area of professional expertise including planning, tourism, architecture, structural engineering, project management, air and water quality, conservation, landscape design, waste management and many other issues that impact on urbanism in Malaysia.

Environmental sustainability efforts require a great deal of engagement and political will, ranging from local communities to state departments. Science diplomats—from experts and scientists to spokespersons and ambassadors—can help facilitate at all levels and yield valued resources from technology sharing, capacity building, and knowledge exchanges. This book explores the importance of sustained international scientific cooperation, building community resilience, and the role of political will in sustainability and diplomacy. It shows how even small diplomatic efforts can influence myriad issues, from overfishing to human rights negotiations to global carbon emission reduction. Features: • Examines various topics such as global climate change, arid environments, water security and governance, trans-boundary conflict and cooperation, urban and rural resilience, and public health. • Presents case studies from various geographic regions through the lens of diplomacy, including the US–Mexico border, the Gulf of California, South America, Europe, the Middle East, Central and South Asia, and China. • Discusses how building networks of people, organizations, and countries engaged in science diplomacy is crucial for mutual growth and for overcoming conflicting political stances. Sustainable Development for the Americas: Science, Health and Engineering Policy and Diplomacy provides a useful resource for diplomats, policymakers, students, and decision-makers. It provides numerous examples of how using science and technology for policy and diplomacy is essential to finding common ground among nations for a collective global benefit.

This book discusses the challenges related to climate change mitigation and adaptation. It adds valuable strategies and insights into the development of new practices solving the identified social and economic problems related to ecosystem deterioration and anticipating other disasters related to climate change. As the decarbonization of cities and communities became an issue of great interest to many researchers, the book in hand is of great importance to decision-makers and energy stakeholders and others seeking a more resilient and sustainable future and developing innovative technologies to overcome environmental deterioration. This book is a culmination of selected research papers from the first version of the international conference on ‘Climate Change and Environmental Sustainability’ which was held in 2022 in collaboration with Chongqing University, China.

This book is a good basic guide to the polymers that are used in the construction industry. The types of polymers that can be used are discussed and specific applications are also covered. There is also a very comprehensive section on the health and safety aspects of using polymers in buildings.

Synergistic Design of Sustainable Built Environments introduces and illustrates a novel systems approach that fosters both design excellence and a leap toward a more biocentric (ecologically sustainable) design paradigm. The book provides a deeper understanding of the theories and principles of biocentric design and offers detailed descriptions of the synergistic design process of integrating theories and principles into practice. It also presents extensive thermal and visual built environment design strategies, along with qualitative and quantitative information that designers can use to generate feasible solutions in response to varying climate and occupant comfort. Features: Examines the principles and practices of the synergistic design (a fusion of anthropocentric and biocentric) of sustainable built environments and how they relate to practical applications. Presents climatic data and its analysis along with sun-path diagrams for numerous cities to aid in the design of sustainable built environments in multiple regional contexts. Includes numerous case studies of sustainable built environments in varying climatic zones. Explains how renewable energy (solar, wind, biomass, geothermal, hydro, fuel cells) can be successfully integrated in the built environment. This forward-thinking and highly illustrated book will be an invaluable reference to all those concerned with sustainable built environments and related architectural issues.