This book provides an overview of the environmental problems that arise from construction activity, focusing on refurbishment as an alternative to the current crisis in the construction sector, as well as on measures designed to minimize the effects on the environment. Furthermore, it offers professionals insights into alternative eco-efficient solutions using new materials to minimize environmental impacts and offers solutions that they can incorporate into their own designs and buildings. It also demonstrates best practices in the cooperation between various universities in Andalusia in Spain and Latin America and many public and private companies and organizations. This book serves as a valuable reference resource for professionals and researchers and provides an overview on the status of investigations to find solutions to improve sustainable development in terms of materials, systems, facilities, neighborhoods, buildings, and awareness of the society involved.

This handbook provides the latest research related to quality of life and sustainability, taking into account social, economic, environmental, and political/governance aspects as well as specific socio-spatial contexts. The volume includes contributions from established and upcoming scholars from various disciplines and geographical contexts (Global South and North). The varying cultural and socio-spatial contexts of the authors in the selected cases contribute to first-hand knowledge on the realities of sustainability issues affecting the quality of life. The authors apply a wide diversity of methods and tools, which facilitates a unique understanding of the interlinkages between quality of life and sustainability. The chapters are grouped in three main sections: concepts and foundations; tools, techniques, and applications; and innovations. The authors provide their own view and theoretical approximation of the dimensions of sustainability, in particular on how these dimensions play out in relation to quality of life. The combination of sustainability and quality of life concepts and perspectives is particularly important in unravelling the multi-faceted nature of human, urban, rural/spatial development.

Despite the urgent need for action, there is a widespread lack of understanding of the benefits of using green energy sources for not only reducing carbon emissions and climate change, but also for growing a sustainable economy and society. Future citizens of the world face increasing sustainability issues and need to be better prepared for energy transformation and sustainable future economic development. Cases on Green Energy and Sustainable Development is a critical research book that focuses on the important role renewable energy and energy efficiency play in energy transition and sustainable development and covers economic and promotion policies of major renewable energy and energy-efficiency technologies. Highlighting a wide range of topics such as economics, energy storage, and transportation technologies, this book is ideal for environmentalists, academicians, researchers, engineers, policymakers, and students.

This book is relevant to architects, urban designers, planners, and policy makers concerned with enhancing climate-sensitive urban form and planning. It discusses building and neighborhood design: layout and design features that maximize energy efficiency and thermal comfort without compromising the ability of other buildings to enjoy similar benefits; the use of interstitial spaces (piazzas, streets, and parks) to improve the microclimate at the neighbourhood-level; design intervention case studies; innovative uses of interstitial spaces to improve the local climate at the neighborhood level; and urban radiative cooling solutions to mitigate the unintended climate consequences of urban growth and suggestions for ways forward.

The book is addressed to architects and civil engineers. Design and research are areas connecting their activities. The contents of the book confirm the fact that the interface between architecture and engineering is multidimensional. The ways of finding points of contact between the two industries are highlighted. This is favored by the dynamically changing reality, supported by new design paradigms and new research techniques. The multithreaded subject matter of the articles is reduced to six sections: Research Scopes, Methods, Design Aspects, Context, Nature of Research, and Economy and Cost Calculation. Each of the articles in these six blocks has its weight. And so, in the Nature of Research section, the following areas have been underscored: laboratory tests, in situ research, field investigations, and street perception experiments. The section Design Aspects includes design-oriented thinking, geometrical forms, location of buildings, cost prediction, attractor and distractor elements, and shaping spatial structures. The new design and research tools are an inspiration and a keystone bonding architects and engineers.

This open access book explores the strategic importance and advantages of adopting multidisciplinary and multiscalar approaches of inquiry and intervention with respect to the built environment, based on principles of sustainability and circular economy strategies. A series of key challenges are considered in depth from a multidisciplinary perspective, spanning engineering, architecture, and regional and urban economics. These challenges include strategies to relaunch socioeconomic development through regenerative processes, the regeneration of urban spaces from the perspective of resilience, the development and deployment of innovative products and processes in the construction sector in order to comply more fully with the principles of sustainability and circularity, and the development of multiscale approaches to enhance the performance of both the existing building stock and new buildings. The book offers a rich selection of conceptual, empirical, methodological, technical, and case study/project-based research. It will be of value for all who have an interest in regeneration of the built environment from a circular economy perspective.

This book describes the latest advances, innovations, and applications in the field of building design, environmental engineering and sustainability as presented by leading international researchers, engineers, architects and urban planners at the 3rd International Sustainable Buildings Symposium (ISBS), held in Dubai, UAE from 15 to 17 March 2017. It covers highly diverse topics, including smart cities, sustainable building and construction design, sustainable urban planning, infrastructure development, structural resilience under natural hazards, water and waste management, energy efficiency, climate change impacts, life cycle assessment, environmental policies, and strengthening and rehabilitation of structures. The contributions amply demonstrate that sustainable building design is key to protecting and preserving natural resources, economic growth, cultural heritage and public health. The contributions were selected by means of a rigorous peer-review process and highlight many exciting ideas that will spur novel research directions and foster multidisciplinary collaboration among different specialists.

This book of Proceedings presents the latest thinking and research in the rapidly evolving world of architecture and sustainable development through 255 selected papers by authors coming from over 60 countries.

The concept of sustainability stands at the center of efforts to develop an architecture capable of meeting the challenges of the future. In urban structures as well as in design and the details of execution, sustainable architecture demands a value-preserving, resource-friendly approach to materials and construction. It was in large part in order to do justice to this development that in 2007, the Cité de l’Architecture et du Patrimoine and Jana Revedin created the international Global Award for Sustainable Architecture, which honors architects who have specifically excelled in the area of sustainability. This book documents the work of the prizewinners for 2007 and 2008. A first section introduces the work and thought of each architect, while a second takes an in-depth look at two or three projects that illustrate their distinctive approach. The 2007 prizewinners are Stefan Behnisch, Germany; Balkrishna Doshi, India; Françoise-Hélène Jourda, France; Hermann Kaufmann, Austria; and Wang Shu, China. For 2008, the honorees are Fabrizio Carola, Italy/Mali; Philippe Samyn, Belgium; Carin Smuts, South Africa; Andrew Freear and his Rural Studio, USA; and Alejandro Aravena for Elemental, Chile. Das Konzept der Nachhaltigkeit steht im Mittelpunkt der Entwicklung einer zukunftsfähigen Architektur. In urbanen Strukturen ebenso wie in Entwurf und Detail der Ausführung ist der werterhaltende, ressourcenschonende Umgang mit Material und Konstruktion gefordert. Nicht zuletzt um dieser Entwicklung gerecht zu werden, initiierte die Cité de l’Architecture et du Patrimoine und Jana Revedin im Jahre 2007 erstmals den internationalen Global Award for Sustainable Architecture, der Architekten prämiert, die sich durch einen besonderen nachhaltigen Ansatz auszeichnen. Das Buch dokumentiert das Schaffen der Prämierten der Jahre 2007 und 2008. Ein erster Teil führt jeweils in die Arbeit und das Denken des Architekten ein, ein zweiter Teil präsentiert ausführlich zwei bis drei Projekte, die den jeweiligen Ansatz illustrieren. Die Prämierten des Jahres 2007 sind Stefan Behnisch, Deutschland, Balkrishna Doshi, Indien, Françoise-Hélène Jourda, Frankreich, Hermann Kaufmann, Österreich und Wang Shu, China; die Gewinner des Jahres 2008 sind Fabrizio Carola, Italien/Mali, Philippe Samyn, Belgien, Carin Smuts, Südafrika, Andrew Freear und sein Rural Studio, USA und Alejandro Aravena für Elemental, Chile.