MS, Kent State University, 2024, College of Architecture and Environmental Design

The increasing adoption of mass timber construction in the United States coincides with heightened environmental concerns in the building sector. Sustainability in construction is commonly assessed through third-party certification rating systems, notably LEED. Extensive analysis of 369 completed commercial mass timber structures in the U.S. shows that 36.1% of these projects have secured certifications from reputable third-party sustainability rating systems, with 63.9% of the certified projects achieving LEED certification. These results highlight a strong connection between mass timber projects and sustainability certification, outperforming conventional construction materials. A logistic regression analysis revealed that the test variables including project location, size, and building type, accurately predicted sustainability certification status for 74.7% of cases in the dataset. Furthermore, it identified mixed-use projects as a statistically significant predictor of sustainability certification.

Committee: Anthony Mirando (Advisor); Reid Coffman (Committee Member); Lameck Onsarigo (Committee Member) Subjects: Architectural; Civil Engineering; Sustainability

Master of Science, The Ohio State University, 2023, Food, Agricultural and Biological Engineering

Urban Heat Island effect is an observed phenomenon where temperatures in urban areas are warmer than those in rural areas due to the materials used and the relative lack of green spaces. As the world continues to warm, there are mitigation strategies that can be taken to reduce the increase in temperature. When the temperatures rise above 28 °C, there are major health implications and can cause death. This thesis examines if the Ohio State University campus is affected by Urban Heat Island effect, how the Ohio State University self regulates through its Building Design Standards for roofing and paving materials, and the impact that has on the microclimate across campus, with particular focus on temperature and wind. Temperature and wind data was collected from eight weather stations across the campus and subsequently analyzed. The Building Design Standards were reviewed to understand regulations on the types of roofing and paving materials. This study found that the Ohio State University's campus is prone to the impact of Urban Heat Island effect. It is warming faster than the City of Columbus and the world. The buildings on campus near the weather stations tended to obstruct the natural wind pattern. The university's Building Design Standards do not priorities climate change or Urban Heat Island effect. Any mention of either is just a consideration or recommendation, not a requirement. Offices across campus are trying to make progress to become more sustainable, but not everyone is on the same page.

Committee: Ryan Winston (Committee Member); Qian Chen (Advisor) Subjects: Climate Change

PHD, Kent State University, 2021, College of Arts and Sciences / Department of Geography

Since 2006, incentives for constructing sustainable LEED-certified apartment complexes have proliferated on the east and west coast of the United States. Typically, the purported intent is to address environmental concerns by increasing the availability of sustainable housing. In 2009, Cleveland, OH passed the Community Reinvestment Act to provide financial and logistical incentives for the development of LEED certified properties. Consequently, Cleveland is recognized as a leader in the promotion of such incentives and certified apartments now populate the city's skyline. In general, it is assumed that certified structures meet goals inherent to the sustainability paradigm such as providing equal representation to social, economic, and environmental stakeholders; however, little consideration has been given to the actual socio-economic impact such policies have on the communities they are meant to serve, beyond the pre-construction and construction phases. This study focused on the current state of LEED multi-family certification through a system of established real estate comparison, valuation, and analyses methodologies to systematically and quantitatively examine rental costs associated with LEED-certified multifamily structures in the city of Cleveland from June 9 through July 7, 2020. The results of a comparative market analysis identified an overall 23.16% realized rental premium with a significant price increase based on LEED certification, a consequence that likely counteracts policymakers' intentions. This study provides evidence that sustainable construction incentives may not lead to true social equity since fair and equal access to healthier buildings is prohibited by increased cost. It is imperative that governmental agencies understand the effects of construction incentives on vulnerable populations and how they may detract from the sustainability paradigm.

Committee: David Kaplan (Advisor); Timothy Assal (Committee Member); Jennifer Mapes (Committee Member); Adil Sharag-Eldin (Committee Member); Kristen Marcussen (Committee Chair) Subjects: Geography; Sustainability; Urban Planning

BA, Oberlin College, 2021, Economics

LEED certification is the most widely used green building rating system in the world. The certification is a symbol of sustainability achievement, and on November 1st, 2016, the rating system transitioned into a more stringent one. Using data on the LEED applicants, this paper studies the applicants' behavior response to the transition. The analysis yields three main results. First, the total number of applicants to LEED increased significantly in October 2016 and decreased drastically once more rigorous standards are in place. Second, the proportion of applicants receiving the basic certification is significantly higher for applicants that bunched in October 2016. Lastly, individually owned projects account for the majority of applications that bunched in October 2016. These findings demonstrate that many LEED applicants, specifically individual applicants, actively avoided the more stringent environmental standards and tried to be certified before the transition with little effort.

Committee: Evan Kresch (Advisor) Subjects: Economics; Environmental Economics

MS, University of Cincinnati, 2017, Engineering and Applied Science: Civil Engineering

Today most structures are developed from huge number of materials, each with a particular function and complex assembly requirement (Crisman, 2017). All these materials which are used to create a building, are responsible for a large amount of global energy consumption, both in the form of embodied energy and operational energy. Until recently, it was believed that embodied energy formed a very small percentage of energy consumption as opposed to the operational energy over the life span of the building. But, Sartori et.al 2007 in their study presented that the embodied energy of a conventional building is up to 38% of the life cycle energy use. This implies that material selection plays a crucial role in reducing the overall environmental impact of the building. The material and resource (MR) category of Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED®) rating system aims at reducing the embodied energy of the building through a life cycle approach. But even after five years of the launch, v4.0 certified projects scored a lesser average point than v3.0 certified projects. This research aims at providing a roadmap and a compendium of resources to the architects and sustainability consultants to help achieve more points in the MR category of LEED. To do so, points scored by certified projects were analyzed. This revealed that construction and demolition waste management credit was the most popular credit. On the other hand, credit involving building and material reuse were rarely pursued. Secondly, a web questionnaire survey to understand the credit compliance pattern in v4.0 and those which lacks clarity towards achieving compliance. The survey revealed that the whole building life cycle assessment (WBLCA) compliance path is likely going to be the most popular compliance path under the MR credit building life cycle impact assessment for new construction projects but none of the certified new construction projects scored points by pursuing WBLCA. This lead to the (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Hazem Elzarka Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Anton Harfmann M.Arch. (Committee Member); Julian Wang Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Civil Engineering

MS ARCH, University of Cincinnati, 2008, Design, Architecture, Art and Planning : Architecture

The US Green Building Council's (USGBC) Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification has been widely accepted as a national benchmark for sustainable architecture. While rigorous and comprehensive in many ways, the standards fail to promote many environmental theories identified in a review of the literature. This study develops an understanding of the theoretical diversity relevant to sustainability discourse, and incorporates these perspectives in a working model of architectural criticism. Case studies provide an introduction to six buildings certified by the USGBC in Cincinnati, Ohio as of April, 2008. LEED certification strategies are examined in detail. Finally, each building is discussed according to six logics of sustainable architecture"—following the social constructivist framework developed by Guy and Farmer (2001). Conclusions are believed to introduce a more thoughtful comprehension of the intellectual resources available for effective leadership and advocacy as appropriate to the promotion of sustainable architecture.

Committee: Robert Burnham (Committee Chair); David Saile PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Architecture; Design; Energy

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

Master of Science, The Ohio State University, 2010, Civil Engineering

Efficient energy use during construction and operation of buildings and sustainable building design are important issues in both modern society and the engineering community. Innovative methods are needed to address the environmental impact, energy use and other sustainability issues faced during planning and design of buildings. This study investigates sustainable design methodologies, the relationships between structural system and the 2009 Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating system, the impact that project size and type can have on project sustainability, sustainable properties associated with construction materials (such as steel, cast-in-place concrete and prestressed/precast concrete) and computer programs aimed at determining the properties of sustainable structural design alternatives. This study investigates some sustainable structural design methodologies including minimizing material use, minimizing material production energy, minimizing embodied energy, life-cycle analysis/inventory/assessment and maximizing building reuse and presents their positive and negative sustainable qualities. This study discusses and reviews the categories of the 2009 LEED rating system in which points could be awarded to a project for sustainability of its structural frame. This study presents the role that project size and structural system-type play on aspects of sustainable design including the design and analysis phase, land use, investments in sustainable technologies, use of timber as a primary load bearing material and other sustainable issues. This study reviews the structurally applicable sustainable properties associated with structural steel, cast-in-place and prestessed/precast concrete. Finally, this study provides a review of life-cycle analysis computer programs focusing on three (Building for Environmental and Economic Sustainability (BEES) v4.0, SimaPRO v7.1 and Athena Impact Estimator v4.0) aimed at assessing the sustainability of desi (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Halil Sezen PhD (Advisor); Shive Chaturvedi PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Architecture; Civil Engineering

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:

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Ohio University, 2003, Physics (Arts and Sciences)

Due to its unique properties GaN is a material useful for a variety of applications but obtaining good quality films is still a challenge. MOCVD is the main method for epitaxial growth of GaN for mass production and the early stages of growth are decisive for the quality of the film. While extensive work has been devoted to GaN in the last decade, the in-situ analysis of MOCVD films has not received the same amount of attention due to experimental difficulties. Ion beam analysis is a very powerful technique both for bulk and surface analysis that we have used in conjunction with other complementary techniques to look at the early stages of growth of GaN films grown on sapphire substrate. A new MOCVD reactor has been designed built and integrated with the W.M. Keck Thin Film Analysis Facility such that the characterization is performed in-situ without taking the sample out of the ultra high vacuum environment. We have extensively characterized the sapphire substrate after the preliminary preparation that consisted of cleaning and nitridation. After optimizing the growth parameters we have been able to grow wurtzite GaN films in a wide temperature range (450-1050°C) with un-reconstructed surface and of good quality. We have observed the crystalline quality, surface morphology and the growth mode of the films as a function of growth temperature and the film thickness. Using Ion Channeling we have determined the thickness and temperature range for which the films are either epitaxial single-crystal, polycrystalline with a preferred orientation or polycrystalline randomly oriented. Even though thin films grown at various temperatures have comparable defect densities we observe that when the substrate temperature is higher the rate of defect annihilation as the film grow is high such that we obtain good films within a thickness of approx. 300 nm. By comparing the channeling and LEED results we observed that samples for which we observe diffraction patterns can in fact be (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: David Ingram (Advisor) Subjects: Physics, Condensed Matter

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

The purpose of this report is to describe my experiences during an internship with Baker Concrete Construction, Monroe, Ohio. Baker Concrete is one of the largest concrete sub-contractors in the United States, with offices in Ohio, Florida, Texas, Arizona, and Colorado. Sustainability has become an important issue within the construction industry and Baker Concrete is beginning to work on ways to approach the issue. During the internship a great deal of what I did had to do with researching sustainability and identifying ways and means for applying it to Baker Concrete. In this report I describe those efforts along with detailing my preparation for the LEED Accredited Professional (LEED AP) exam.

Committee: Mark Boardman PhD (Committee Chair); Scott Johnston Mr. (Committee Member); Dave Russell PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Environmental Science

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