MCP, University of Cincinnati, 2003, Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning : Community Planning

A future with a diminishing supply of nonrenewable resources is raising concerns in every aspect of our lives. The phrase ‘sustainable' or ‘green' development is being used to describe a wide variety of issues that take these concerns into consideration during the planning, design, and implementation process. In an effort to increase the number of green buildings developed throughout the country the United States Green Building Council (USGBC) established the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Guidelines. The guidelines are a framework which assists members of a development team to quantify whether or not a project is in fact ‘green' or ‘sustainable'. The guidelines provide a step by step approach within several categories associated with green development. The goals of this paper will be to explore how the guidelines have already been implemented on a city level in an effort to encourage the development of green buildings. Along with an understanding of how the guidelines have been used to promote green development, there will be a discussion of what the potential benefits of green development would be if implemented on a county level and why such practices have not already occurred.

Committee: Samuel Sherrill (Advisor) Subjects: Architecture

MARCH, University of Cincinnati, 2020, Design, Architecture, Art and Planning: Architecture

How can we make skyscrapers environmentally friendly? And what novels will eco architecture bring us in the future? The growing public concerns and awareness of environmental and social problems related to contemporary architecture and industry have led many architects, business leaders, and communities to adopt sustainable practices that remain in effect over the long term. Such strategies aim for `green design', the notion of `eco-footprint', in reducing resource consumption, energy use, pollution, and waste. As a discretion to a new approach to green architecture, an eco-effective regenerative building would not only restore and improve the environment by using renewable sources to generate energy but would also promote the health and well-being of occupants by adaptive design. On the one hand, plant materials such as trees, shrubs, and greenery in the design process spur the potential of architectural strategies that activate sustainable environments and can increase the ecological resilience of the community. Some might argue that the overtly green design is too bland and unadventurous. It can be equally critical to acknowledge that `green design' is `green dressing'. However, the bottom line implies that architects who are willing to challenge the experiential paradigm often lead potential for a shift to genuine green opportunism. For the optimistic cause of architectural sustainability, this study focuses on environmentally progressive, eco-effective design solutions that support the high-rise building development of mixed-use density to provide necessary physical and technical support for sustainable architecture.

Committee: Michael McInturf M.Arch. (Committee Chair); Elizabeth Riorden M.Arch. (Committee Member) Subjects: Archaeology

MS, Kent State University, 2018, College of Architecture and Environmental Design

In the recent decade, using vegetation to cover the building envelope is considered as a sustainable construction practice. Green Wall Systems (GWS) are built with multiple layers which are cladded on the bare wall, using different construction materials and a variety of plants, depending on the geographical locations and climatic conditions. However, the complex cladding devices, built using many processed materials, are reported to have high Embodied Energy (EE) and Embodied Carbon (EC), which questions the sustainability of the GWS. Hence, the research focuses on eliminating the multiple layers by designing a new innovative Integrated Green Wall System (IGWS) to reduce the environmental burden associated with GWS. Further, to improve the sustainability of IGWS, the recycling and reuse potential of millions of cubic yards of sediments, dredged to maintain the economic viability of the great lakes, is investigated by fabricating eco-friendly Dredged Material - Cement Bricks (DMCB). Here, the DMCB is formulated using different experimental mixture designs that vary in the cement content (8%, 10% and 12% by weight) and compacted with different compaction pressures (0Mpa, 2Mpa and 4Mpa). Then, the mechanical properties of the DMCB are investigated by performing a compression strength test, water absorption test and freeze-thaw test as specified by ASTM standards. The promising test results demonstrated that a brick with high performance could be produced using the dredge material. Later, a prototype of IGWS is proposed using DMCB. In addition, life cycle assessment performed to evaluate the environmental impacts of IGWS made of DMCB demonstrated 56% and 72.62% reductions in environmental burden profile in comparison with conventional indirect GWS and modular GWS respectively. Moreover, a reduction in environmental profile of 62.67% and 38.99% was observed, when the bare wall (made of clay bricks) in the tradition indirect and modular GWS was replaced with DMCB.

Committee: Rui Liu Dr. (Advisor); Reid Coffman Dr. (Advisor); Adil Sharag-Eldin Dr. (Committee Member) Subjects: Architectural; Architecture; Conservation; Design; Ecology; Energy; Landscape Architecture; Materials Science; Sustainability; Urban Planning

PhD, University of Cincinnati, 2015, Medicine: Industrial Hygiene (Environmental Health)

An increasing number of homes and office buildings are using green renovation principles to become energy-efficient. Green buildings use different strategies such as building materials that have low emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). This is expected to reduce the levels of environmental contaminants as compared to those in non-green buildings. However, the tightness of green buildings could lead to lower air exchange rates and higher humidity levels indoors, if mechanical ventilation is deficient. Humidity is the key variable that governs the type and extent of fungal colonization in an indoor environment. Additionally, green building materials have a higher presence of organic and recycled matter as compared to traditional building materials, which could potentially cause changes in the diversity of indoor fungi. This could also lead to the proliferation of a higher burden of microorganisms in green building materials compared to traditional building materials. Green buildings are designed and constructed to have a minimal negative impact on the environment; however, the indoor environmental quality including the microbial diversity within these buildings has not been attested. The overarching aim of this dissertation is to provide a better understanding of the extent to which green-building features affect the indoor air quality and fungal community structure and burden when compared to non-green building features. Indoor air quality (IAQ) assessments were conducted in 28 green and 14 non-green homes, by measuring concentrations of PM2.5, black carbon, sulfur, ultrafine particles and VOCs. This study revealed that black carbon concentrations decreased and formaldehyde concentrations increased immediately after green renovation. Both of these trends appeared to be attributable to opening of windows that decreased after renovation. Overall, the results indicated that occupants' activities appeared to affect the indoor air quality more than the renov (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Tiina Reponen Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Brett James Green Ph.D. (Committee Member); Stephen Joseph Vesper Ph.D. (Committee Member); Ginger L. Chew Sc.D. (Committee Member); Jaroslaw Meller Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Environmental Health

MCP, University of Cincinnati, 2007, Design, Architecture, Art and Planning : Community Planning

Green building is a term used to define smart building techniques that when applied in a holistic approach conserves natural resources, uses energy wisely, improves indoor air quality and human health through the use of smarter building materials, reduces the impact of the built environment on the natural environment, and increases opportunities available for future generations. The green building movement has arisen out of the realization that as a global society we need to rethink the way we build our cities, towns and houses. This thesis documents constraints facing green building in Hamilton County's housing market. The research study sets out to establish the constraints through interviews with participants from four key building industry stakeholder groups. The four groups include: financial lenders, city/county officials, developers/home builders, and professionals (architects). As part of this analysis these constraints are also compared to green building industry challenges on a national level.

Committee: Carla Chifos (Advisor) Subjects: Architecture

Master of Science (MS), Ohio University, 2006, Environmental Studies (Arts and Sciences)

This thesis addresses the obstacles and opportunities of incorporating principles of the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System in a new building project, the Integrated Learning and Research Facility (ILRF), located on the Ohio University campus. Through review of ILRF project documents, interviews with Ohio University building planning and maintenance staff as well as design professionals from private firms, and a literature review, obstacles were identified. These obstacles include a lack of interest in LEED from project owners, an inadequate knowledge of LEED by the design team, insufficient funding mechanisms for green features, a lack of incentives for project architects to pursue LEED, and the need for more data regarding performance of existing buildings on campus. A literature review, a detailed examination of ILRF project meeting minutes, and interviews with Ohio University building planning and maintenance staff as well as design professionals from private firms, are used to make recommendations for future efforts to incorporate LEED into building design on the Ohio University campus.

Committee: Mary Stoertz (Advisor) Subjects:

Master of Science (MS), Ohio University, 2006, Environmental Studies (Arts and Sciences)

This thesis aims to evaluate the lighting efficiency of three Ohio University campus buildings. The primary research question is: What are the short- versus long-term costs and benefits to Ohio University of renovating the lighting systems of these older buildings? The research was conducted as a case study with examination of two subquestions: What types of lighting fixtures are currently being used and how efficient are they? How efficient can proposed lighting fixtures be? Results indicate that the cost of installing more energy-efficient lighting fixtures can be quickly recaptured in older buildings. With replacing the present lighting fixtures Ohio University would pay approximately 2.5 times less than it pays currently for the lighting utilities cost of the case study buildings. With these energy savings it would take 3 to 4 years to reclaim the money spent for reinstallation of the energy-efficient lighting fixtures.

Committee: Dorothy Sack (Advisor) Subjects: Environmental Sciences

Master of Environmental Science, Miami University, 2009, Environmental Sciences

An internship was undertaken with YRG Sustainability Consultants. The purpose of the internship was to assist in the research and development of projects undertaken by YRG. The majority of the research was focused on assisting clients in obtaining certification from the US Green Building Council's (USGBC) various Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating systems. Clients ranged from construction companies to corporate entities. My responsibilities included product research for energy efficient applications, market research, database development, and step-by-step implementation of project elements.

Committee: Sandi Woy-Hazleton Dr (Advisor); Chris Myers Dr (Committee Member); Hays Cummins Dr (Committee Member) Subjects: Environmental Science

Master of Environmental Science, Miami University, 2005, Environmental Sciences

This paper reports on my National Network for Environmental Management Studies in EPA's Office of Pollution Prevention's Environmentally Preferable Purchasing Program. This year-long fellowship was primary focused in two areas within the Environmentally Preferable Purchasing Program: environmentally preferable electronics and green building. Covered in this report is background information about EPA's Environmentally Preferable Purchasing Program, an overview of my fellowship, and reflections upon my experience at the EPA.

Committee: Sandra Woy-Hazleton (Advisor) Subjects: Environmental Sciences

Doctor of Engineering, Cleveland State University, 2008, Fenn College of Engineering

This study presents a tool that has been developed to measure and subsequently improve the sustainability performance of a building over its entire life-cycle while still at the conceptual design stage. This forecasting tool is called GREENOMETER-7. GREENOMETER-7 is a LCA tool and it evaluates the projected building at two levels: micro- and macro-assessment. The micro-assessment level provides in-depth analysis of the building products, components, and operations; however, the macro-assessment level measures the sustainability performance of the building as a whole and covers areas that are not applicable at the product or component level. Both levels consist of categories and indicators. The micro-assessment level has 12 categories that fall into the following major areas: energy, water and wastewater, resources, contaminants, and economics. The macro-assessment level of GREENOMETER-7 has 7 categories. They are location, land use and land value, stormwater, heat-island and landscaping, water and wastewater, energy, resources, and environmental indoor quality (EIQ). The tool uses a 7-degree scale (0 to 6) to express sustainability performance, where 0 means extremely unsustainable, 3 means neutral and 6 means highly sustainable. The output is a score from 0 to 6 for the micro- and macro-assessment levels as well as for their categories and indicators. The micro-assessment level has three phases: inventory, impact assessment and interpretation. The inventory phase has two steps: hierarchy-analysis and “N” determination. The impact assessment phase has two steps: profiling and synthesis. Also, the interpretation phase has two steps: ranking and valuation (weighting). On the other hand, the macro-assessment level has two phases: inventory and interpretation. The inventory phase has two steps: macro-survey and macro-profile. The interpretation phase has two steps: ranking and valuation (weighting). The LEED scoring system is the predominant green building rating syste (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Walter Kocher PhD (Committee Chair); Adam Fadlalla PhD (Committee Member); Sanda Kaufman PhD (Committee Member); L. Kenneth Keys PhD (Committee Member); Lutful Khan PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Architecture; Civil Engineering; Design; Economics; Energy; Environmental Engineering; Urban Planning