Integrating Sustainability into Construction Programs

American Council for Construction Education

San Diego, CA

February 22-25, 2006

Charles Kibert, Ph.D., P.E.Abdol Chini, Ph.D., P.E.Rinker School of Building ConstructionUniversity of Florida

Overview Rationale for integrating sustainability into

construction programs Courses in sustainability and sustainable

construction Track and certificate programs in

sustainable construction Research/graduate programs and the Powell

Center Collateral effects of UF sustainable

construction programs Summary and Conclusions

Rationale for Sustainability Natural systems and resources are being destroyed

and consumed at an accelerating pace The creation, operation, and disposal of the built

environment dominates humankind’s impact on the natural world

C&D waste (U.S.): 145 million tons/year Construction consumers 40% of extracted materials

in U.S. Buildings consume 30% of U.S. primary energy Estimated 40% of all illnesses attributable to

buildings Rising energy and materials costs, pressure on water

supplies

Sustainability and Sustainable Construction Sustainability means providing for the needs of

the present without compromising the ability of future generations to provide for their needs.

“We are not inheriting the earth from our parents, we are borrowing it from our children.”

Sustainable construction is the creation and operation of a healthy, resource-efficient built environment based on ecological principles.

Brief Timeline 1991: Formation of Powell Center 1993-8: ASTM and USGBC activities toward LEED standard 1994: 1st International Conference on Sustainable Construction 1995: BCN6585: Principles of Sustainable Construction 1996: Green Building Materials ’96 Conference 1997: Formation of Greening UF 1999: “Reshaping the Built Environment” published 1999: BCN 1582: International Sustainable Construction 1999: BCN 6586: Construction Ecology 1999: Sustainable Construction track in Masters program 2001: “Construction Ecology & Metabolism” published 2003: Rinker Hall completed and occupied 2003: International Conference on Deconstruction 2004: BCN 6587: Green Building Delivery Systems 2005: UF Office of Sustainability established 2005: “Sustainable Construction” published 2005: Certificate programs in Sustainable Construction 2006: Rethinking Sustainable Construction Conference

BCN Courses on Sustainability and Sustainable Construction BCN 1582 International Sustainable

Development DCP 4905: Honors Course, Sustainability BCN 6585: Sustainable Construction BCN 6586: Construction Ecology BCN 6587: High Performance Green

Building Delivery Systems

Track and Certificate Programs

SCN: Sustainable Construction track in BCN Masters Program

Certificate in Sustainable Construction:– BCN 6585 Sustainable Construction– BCN 6586 Construction Ecology– BCN 6587 High Performance Green Building Delivery

Systems– BCN 6910 Directed Research

Certificate also available in distance-delivered International Construction Management (ICM) program

International Sustainable Development - 1

BCN 1582 (3) Prereq: None Required for all BCN majors (I,S) Purpose: to provide the students with a picture of

how sustainable development is changing humankind’s interaction with the world and their place in that world, to include its effects on the economic system, its effects on society, and its impacts on the survival of critical socio-ecological systems.

International Sustainable Development - 2

Part I - Introduction– Introduction to Sustainable Development

– Environmental Ethics and Environmental Justice

– The Economic Context for Sustainable Development

– Tools and Frameworks for Achieving Sustainability

International Sustainable Development - 3

Part II – International Sustainable Development– Women’s Issues and Poverty

– Sustainability in Europe

– Informal Economies

– Sustainability in a Formal Economies

– Formal Social Systems of development

– Consumption and Development

International Sustainable Development - 4

Part III – Construction Industry– The Built Environment

– Energy Resources

– Water Resources

– Material Resources

International Sustainable Development - 5

Part IV – Effects on Industry and Organizations– Introduction to Sustainable Communities

– Sustainability and Manufacturing Industry

– The Greening of Universities and Organizations

Sustainable Construction - 1

BCN 6585 (3) Prereq: graduate standing Sustainability principles applied to

planning, design, operation, renovation, and deconstruction of built environment. Emphasis on resource efficiency, environmental protection, and waste minimization.

Sustainable Construction - 2

Sustainability in the Built Environment Environmental/Resources Issues &

Industrial/Construction Metabolism

Environmental Ethics and Environmental Justice Ecological/Environmental Economics and Life

Cycle Costing (LCC) Building Assessment and Ecolabels Sustainability Frameworks

Sustainable Construction - 3

Sustainable Communities and Sustainability Indicators

Energy Systems, Exergy, Entropy, Energy Conservation, and Renewable Energy

Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), Embodied Energy, Emergy, and Materials Issues

Water Resources, Wastewater, and Stormwater Urban Planning, Land Development, New

Urbanism, and Landscaping Design for the Environment, Ecological

Principles, Passive Design, and Climatic Design

Sustainable Construction - 4

Construction Operations, Advanced Construction Waste Management, and Deconstruction

Building Health, Building Commissioning and Facility Management

Industrial Ecology and Construction Ecology

Construction Ecology - 1

BCN 6586 (3) Prereq: graduate standing Purpose: Develop a knowledge of ecology,

industrial ecology and the application of these two disciplines to the built environment.

Construction Ecology - 2

(1) Ecology: systems ecology, adaptive management, complexity theory

(2) Industrial ecology: design for environment, eco-efficiency, industrial recycling of materials

(3) Product and building design: review of case studies from industrial design and architecture for the application of ecological theory and the outcomes of industrial

ecology.

High Performance Green Building Delivery System

BCN 6587 (3) Prereq: BCN 6585 Sustainability principles applied to

planning, design, operation, renovation, and deconstruction of built environment. Emphasis on resource efficiency, environmental protection, and waste minimization.

Graduate & Research Programs Doctoral: 1 graduate, 6 present PhD students, 2

new students in Fall 2006. Masters: 10 current theses/papers, total of over 40

since 1992 Funded research:

– C&D waste characterization and reduction– Deconstruction– Alternatives to Halon for fire suppression– Renewable energy systems: photovolatics and fuel cells– Community sustainability– Brownfields– Implementing sustainability at UF– Reclaimed water– Construction Ecology and Metabolism– Recertification of used building materials

Sample Doctoral Dissertation and Masters Thesis/Paper Topics Optimizing the Green Building Hydrologic Cycle Modeling Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) for Green Buildings Economic Modeling of Green Building Decisions Consumer Willingness-to-Pay for Green Buildings Rammed Earth Block Design Ethical/Business Arguments for Sustainable Construction Rainwater and Gray water Collection and Reuse Systems Design

Guide for Residential Application Sustainable Design and Construction Guide for Residential

Development in Florida The use of Recycled Concrete Aggregate as a Base Course in Flexible

Pavement Developing a Construction Waste Management Work Plan for Tract

Housing Development in FL Recycling Wastewater in Ready-mix Concrete Operations Regrading/Recertification of Salvaged Lumber

Deconstruction

Hume Hall Brick into Rinker Hall Wall

Related Efforts Conferences

– 1st International Conference on Sustainable Construction (1994)– Green Building Materials ’96– Greening UF (1999)– Eminent Scholar Series on Sustainable Construction (1998)– Eminent Scholar Workshop on Construction Ecology (1999)– International Conference on Deconstruction (2003)– Rethinking Sustainable Construction (2006)

International Leadership– CIB Task Group 16 (Sustainable Construction)– CIB Task Group 39 (Deconstruction)– Future CIB Working Commission (Closing Materials loops)

Collateral Effects

Sustainability on Campus program UF Green Building Program 1. Rinker Hall (2003)

2. Legal Information & Phase II Law Building3. Library West Additions & Renovations4. Mary Ann Coffrin-Harn Pavilion5. McGuire Center for Lepidoptera Research6. Genetics & Cancer Research Center/ ICBR Biotechnology Lab Pavilion7. University of Florida Orthopedics Surgery & Sports Medicine Institute8. Powell Structures & Materials Laboratory

Rinker Hall

Rainwater Harvesting System

Skylights and Roof

Summary and Conclusions

Sustainable development courses are offered at undergraduate and graduate levels

Sustainability is part of the culture of the Rinker School

The Rinker School has led campus-wide efforts to implement sustainability in both academics and operations

Most visible sign of change are the green buildings on campus