Sb tool STP | sustainable urban planning
This project was funded by the Innovation Agency, under the Operational Programme for Competitiveness Factors and was assigned to the Laboratory of Physics and Technology of Construction (LFTC), the University of Minho. Its aim is to address sustainable practices on rehabilitation in Portugal, developing some parameters which allow the assessment of sustainability in planning urban renewal and rehabilitation and conservation of the built heritage, proceeding, to prepare an end report which aims to harmonize international efforts with the Portuguese context. Through the parameters to be developed, the intention is to gain awareness of sustainable urban reality practiced in Portugal, providing a basis for future construction technologies research applied in this context. Thus these parameters, related to this subject, are suitable SBtool system and will be applied to the national context, based on international benchmarking practices. The final outcome is a set of parameters suitable for the Portuguese reality, allowing the awareness of what is being done and of the aspects of the work that are still missing, in order to allow the development of new and more assertive ideas or theories, as well as methodologies of work. This project developed from two main phases. Initially was made a study about how it works and what is the SBtool importance internationally, applied to the urban rehabilitation planning and to the built heritage conservation. Then the contributions which this tool for urban sustainability in the national context were explored.
Developed papers:
Efficiency Towards Urban Systems
ABSTRACT: Processes and expansion related to urban development put pressure on their natural environment. This pressure is translated into negative consequences for ecosystems, such as climate change, the reduction of the ozone layer and consequent loss of ability to absorb anthropic impacts from support system. The volume of emissions and impacts on support systems depends directly from the lifestyles of citizens and the management model of each city, the urban organization. This essay explores two attitudes towards the urban system, an interventional approach that seeks to optimize exploited resources, and a proactive approach, to reduce the consumption of natural resources, reaching the energy efficiency of cities and, simultaneously, reducing the inherent ecological footprint. The aim is to understand how the destructors phenomena can be reversed in order to correct and stabilize the deterioration caused upon the support system and how to plan and rehabilitate urban systems in order to reduce environmental impacts.
Available at http://hdl.handle.net/1822/21856
Planning Sustainability: Urban Morphology Towards Resilience
Abstract: Cities are centres of development and as such they are constantly exposed to risks derived either from urban development or from natural hazards. To speak about urban resilience is to speak about cities ability to resist, adapting to changes and recovering from impacts, avoiding collision. Urban morphology may influence the elastic capacity of a city providing balance. An urban form must be flexible and capable of adapting itself to development deformations without rupturing. Thus, it is necessary to outline sustainable measures in order to absorb the pressure put upon the system. In accordance, the current paper aims to integrate resilience as a key issue for planning urban strategies, realizing how to decrease risks that may threaten urban ambience and exploring measures to improve its balance through responsible urban planning, perceiving which urban morphology parameters may influence city resistance. The output of this paper is aimed at highlighting concerns towards resilience, aspiring to creative thinking that will lead to solutions in the long term, improving the understanding and stimulating the application of these concepts to urban policies encouraging decision-making. To reinforce cities capacity to resist impacts over time, is to stimulate its self-organization and adaptation regarding changing conditions.
SBsteel | sustainable buiding in steel
This project was assigned under the European Project RFSR-CT-2010-00027, funded by European Commission and developed in the Laboratory of Physics and Technology of Construction (LFTC). It is aimed at address and develop the competitiveness of steel structure buildings in the area of sustainable construction in order to improve the competitiveness of the steel construction sector, developing concepts and sustainable methods. A sustainable science-based approach will be developed to support a conscious decision in the initial stages of the project (predesign / concept phase), crucial to the optimal performance and value of the completed building, and to the choice of the scheme design (preliminary design). The work consists in identifying value and performance key indicators, the methodology for dealing with life cycle performance criteria (including the safety and comfort of the user), calibration and validation of methods and software for both work research and dissemination of results
Developed papers:
Ability to influence final cost over project life
ABSTRACT: Environmental impact is a main concern of the construction industry; buildings leave their ecological footprint from the moment the extraction of the raw-materials begins till its deconstruction. Therefore, it is necessary to implement sustainability in construction with a view on the opportunity of producing buildings with the least possible environmental impact and a maximum of economic advantages and social added values. The best way for considering sustainability in design is to base it on the buildings performance, integrating all its dimensions in a holistic, exhaustive and integrated process carried out by an integrated and multidisciplinary design team.
Accordingly, this paper aims to identify phases constituents of a design process, focusing on the importance and ability of the early ones to influence sustainability, performance and life cost over project life. Then, based on a pre-set list, a selection of sustainability indicators is made, taking into account its adaptability to conceptual and pre-design phases within steel buildings context. The output of this paper is aimed to aid the development of concepts envisioning a tool that would enable designers to compare and evaluate the consequences of different design solutions, based on preliminary data and facilitate the collaboration between various partners and client and eventually yield a sustainable and high performance building through its life-cycle.
Selection of key sustainable indicators to steel buildings in early design phases
The construction industry attempts to produce buildings with the least possible environmental impact. However, construction activities still greatly impacting the environment; therefore, it is necessary to consider a sustainable project approach, based on its performance. Sustainability is an important issue to consider in design, due to environmental concerns and economic and social issues, promoting the architectural quality and economic advantages. This paper aims to identify the phases that a design project should pass through, emphasising the importance and ability of earlier ones to influence the level of sustainability, performance and life cost over project life. Then one intends to select a set of sustainability indicators, based on a pre-set list, predicting its adaptability to the conceptual and pre-design phases under steel buildings. The output of this paper is aimed to aid the development of a tool/concepts that would enable designers to compare and evaluate the consequences of different design solutions, based on preliminary data and facilitate the collaboration between various partners and client and eventually yield a sustainable and high performance building through its life cycle.
Available at http://hdl.handle.net/1822/22421
