Introduction to Sustainable

Engineering (22ETC25G)

Dr. GAUTAM S NAIR

Assistant Professor
Department of Civil Engineering, NMIT
 UNIT -4- (8L+0T+0P)

Integrating Sustainability in Engineering Design: Problems Solving in

Engineering, Basic concepts of sustainable habitat, Green Buildings, green

materials for building construction, material selection for sustainable design,

green building certification, Design for Life Guidelines and Strategies,

Measuring Sustainability, Case studies on sustainable Engineering Design

Process – Sustainable Process Design, Sustainable Production

 PROBLEM SOLVING IN ENGINEERING

 Problem solving is the foundation of engineering activities and it is the process of

determining the best possible action to take in a given situation

 Two types of engineering problems:

 Analytic problems (or exercise solving) are solved by analysis and logical deductions. They
are typically closed-ended problems that determine the properties of a given device or system
and generally have only a single correct solution. Convergent thinking or a problem
narrowing approach is applied when undertaking modeling and analysis to solve such
problems, usually occurring at the detailed design stage

 Open-ended problems do not have a unique solution and do not lend themselves to the
analytic approach. There is no single “correct” solution and the engineer looks for the best
solution. Divergent thinking or a problem-widening approach is applied when confronted
with such problems
 PROBLEM SOLVING IN ENGINEERING – “Convergent Thinking”

 Convergent thinking refers to the ability to systematically narrow down the

available options and focus on a specific solution. It involves critically evaluating
different alternatives, assessing their feasibility, and eliminating those that are less
effective or viable. The goal is to arrive at a single, optimal solution that best meets
the requirements and constraints of the problem at hand.

 During the detailed design stage, various possibilities and potential solutions may have
been generated through divergent thinking, which involves generating multiple ideas
and exploring different directions. Convergent thinking takes over at this point to refine
and converge on a single, well-defined solution.
 PROBLEM SOLVING IN ENGINEERING – “Divergent Thinking”

 Divergent thinking refers to the ability to explore and generate a wide range of ideas,
possibilities, and solutions. It involves thinking creatively, exploring different angles,
and considering various perspectives and approaches. The goal is to expand the
problem space, generate diverse alternatives, and encourage innovative thinking.

 It encourages brainstorming, idea generation, and the consideration of unconventional

or out-of-the-box approaches. The focus is on quantity rather than quality at this stage,
as the aim is to generate as many ideas as possible without immediate evaluation or
judgment.
 PROBLEM SOLVING IN ENGINEERING – Example

 Solving a problem related to improving transportation in a busy city:

 2 stages: Ideation (divergent thinking) and evaluation (convergent thinking)

 Stage 1: Ideation – brainstorming, exploring different options/possibilities without

judgement

 Introducing a new subway line to connect major areas of the city

 Implementing a bike-sharing program with designated lanes

 Developing a ride-sharing app that encourages carpooling

 Creating a pedestrian-friendly zone in the city center

 Designing an efficient bus rapid transit system

 Implementing a smart traffic management system using sensors and AI

 Introducing electric or autonomous vehicles for public transportation

 PROBLEM SOLVING IN ENGINEERING – Example

 Stage 2: Evaluation – Assess and narrow down the options

 Assess the feasibility, cost, and potential impact of each idea

 Consider the city's infrastructure, budget, and available resources

 Evaluate the potential benefits and drawbacks of each solution

 Analyze the impact on traffic flow, environmental sustainability, and public acceptance

 Prioritize ideas based on the criteria that are important for the city's transportation goals

 Select the most viable and effective solutions that align with the city's constraints and objectives
 PROBLEM SOLVING IN ENGINEERING

 Engineers often encounter problems that lack clear definitions or are ambiguous in
nature. These problems are presented by clients or the community in a way that
may not provide a clear understanding of the desired outcome
 Say a community approaches a group of engineers with a problem: "We want to reduce traffic congestion in our
neighborhood.“ In this case, the problem is ill-defined because it lacks clarity and specificity. The engineers
would need to engage in a process of gathering more information, conducting traffic studies, analyzing patterns,
and consulting with the community to understand the root causes and factors contributing to the congestion.

 Additionally, there are instances where problems are stated in such a detailed
manner that they inadvertently suggest a specific solution
 A client approaches an engineering firm with a problem: "We need a bridge made of steel, with a length of 100
meters and a width of 10 meters, spanning across a river.“ In this case, the problem statement is overly specific,
unintentionally implying that the solution should be a steel bridge. It limits the possibilities and may not
consider alternative materials or designs that could potentially offer better solutions, such as a concrete bridge or
a combination of materials.
 PROBLEM SOLVING IN ENGINEERING

 A methodology for solving such complex problems is as follows:

 Formulate the problem clearly and in general terms and ensure it is not over-specific

 Develop a wide range of promising approaches through creativity techniques and gather
information to understand the state of the art

 Choose criteria for ranking the alternative approaches

 Discard the least promising approaches using simplified evaluations

 Discard progressively with more detailed evaluations until a short list remains

 Choose the best approach from the short list using detailed evaluations

 Develop the best approach into a detailed solution and communicate the results through
either oral/written communication or engineering drawings

 Implement the solution

 PROBLEM SOLVING IN ENGINEERING

 Planning and design, together with management, construction and operation or

production, are key activities of an engineering project from conceptual stage to
successful implementation

 Planning involves working out the steps needed to change the present state into the
new state

 Design, the essence of engineering, is the process of determining the details of any
required new system

 Both planning and design are essentially problem-solving processes, and the above
methodology is used to carry out the engineering design process for new things or
to improve things

 The quality of the planning and design work will have a decisive effect on the
success of the project
 PROBLEM SOLVING IN ENGINEERING

 A common characteristic of all engineering works is that they should be undertaken in minimum time
using limited resources such as people, materials, and money

 Engineers now have also to be creative and responsive in facing the challenge of sustainability

 One of the first steps in engineering work is to identify the real problem to be solved as distinct from
community perceptions and views and statements of individuals

 Hence, engineers must also be problem framers in addition to being problem solvers and
sustainability must be part of the problem framing

 Suppose a community approaches a group of engineers and expresses concerns about frequent power outages in their
area. The community's perception is that the primary problem is the unreliability of the power supply. However,
through careful problem framing, the engineers may identify underlying issues that need to be addressed. Upon
investigation and analysis, the engineers find that the root problem is not just the power outages themselves but also the
aging infrastructure, inadequate maintenance practices, and a rapidly growing population that is placing increased
demand on the power grid. The problem framing process helps the engineers understand that the real problem is a
combination of these factors. Moreover, sustainability is considered as part of the problem framing process. The
engineers recognize that simply increasing the power supply capacity or repairing the existing infrastructure may not
provide a sustainable long-term solution. They consider the environmental impact, resource usage, and resilience of the
power system in their problem framing.
 CONVENTIONAL ENGINEERING DESIGN PROCESS

 Although design is one among many other tasks conferred to engineers, such as
project management, operation and maintenance management, site supervision,
quality control, research and development, etc., it remains a central part of
engineering practice

 Design can be defined as the process of devising a system, component, or process to

meet desired needs, converting resources optimally and considering the limitations
imposed by practicality, regulation, safety, cost, and sustainability

 Design problems are usually ill-defined and open-ended

 The problem statement often gives no indication of what a solution must be, and it
is this uncertainty that makes designing a challenging activity
 CONVENTIONAL ENGINEERING DESIGN PROCESS

 One way to summarize the challenges presented by the designing environment is

to think of the following four Cs of design:

 Creativity – requires creation of something that has not existed before

 Complexity – requires decisions on many variables and parameters

 Choice – requires making choices between many solutions at all levels, from basic
concept to the smallest detail

 Compromise – requires balancing multiple and sometimes conflicting requirements

 CONVENTIONAL ENGINEERING DESIGN PROCESS

 A design process is a systematic problem-solving strategy which takes into account the
constraints while developing possible solutions to solve or satisfy human needs or wants and
deciding on a final choice

 The process follows the problem-solving steps: problem definition, search for alternatives,
analysis, selection of the “best” alternative and implementation

 Design projects will include all these phases and in addition will include conceptual design,
embodiment design and detailed design (stages of design)

 Conceptual design is the initial stage of the design process, where the broad concept or idea is developed.
Embodiment design is the stage where the selected concept from the conceptual design is further refined and
translated into a more detailed and concrete form. Detailed design is the final stage where the design is
elaborated upon with a focus on precise specifications, dimensions, and manufacturing considerations.

 Table – Summary of conventional design process; Fig - Iterative nature of the design process as well as
important points and data

 Besides the iterative nature of the design process, the importance of communication with all
partners involved should be emphasized
 CONVENTIONAL ENGINEERING DESIGN PROCESS
 FROM CONVENTIONAL TO SUSTAINABLE ENGINEERING DESIGN PROCESS

 Design cost varies little in terms of the overall product cost, but its decision has a
major impact on the overall cost

 As design proceeds toward the detailed phase, design decisions become more and
more specific and have less impact on overall costs

 Figure illustrates why it is important to start as early as possible in the design

process to enhance sustainability
 FROM CONVENTIONAL TO SUSTAINABLE ENGINEERING DESIGN PROCESS

 The early design phases are the ones which have the
greatest influence on the project as a whole due to the
fact that project planning is more flexible at this stage
 As the project evolves, flexibility is reduced and the
chance of making changes is smaller, and making
changes involves higher costs
 During the early phases, there is more potential for
studying different alternatives, reducing costs,
implementing changes, and improving performance
 The design phase can thus be considered as one of
the key phases in achieving sustainability
 FROM CONVENTIONAL TO SUSTAINABLE ENGINEERING DESIGN PROCESS

 The highest level of environmentally-friendly designs can only be achieved through

a collaborative approach. It emphasizes the importance of project teams working
together and combining their expertise to identify and leverage the synergies
(beneficial interactions/positive outcomes) between different strategies

 To move toward a more sustainable practice of engineering, the design process must
be modified to enable engineers to tackle sustainability issues in a structured manner

 There have been many attempts to incorporate sustainability principles into

engineering design

 The Sandestin Sustainable Engineering Principles and the 12 Principles of Green

Engineering capture elements of sustainability and engineering design, which are
summarized in Table

 These guiding principles must be considered by engineers in all design phases of a

project through well-integrated components to the conventional approach
 FROM CONVENTIONAL TO SUSTAINABLE ENGINEERING

DESIGN PROCESS
 FROM CONVENTIONAL TO SUSTAINABLE ENGINEERING DESIGN PROCESS

 Sustainable engineering design requires a systems approach whereby sustainability is

systematically integrated in the design rather than considered as an “add-on.”

 It emphasizes the importance of incorporating sustainability considerations throughout the entire design
process, rather than treating sustainability as an afterthought or optional component

 The following modifications are needed to transform the conventional design process into
a sustainable one:

 Choosing team members with various expertise during the problem framing

 Identification and involvement of stakeholders

 Identification of key sustainability issues

 During planning, defining goals and objectives that take into account the three pillars of
sustainability

 Adoption of life cycle thinking. Design is often focused on the operation stage, while the other
stages can often have significant sustainability impacts. The system boundary needs to be extended
 FROM CONVENTIONAL TO SUSTAINABLE ENGINEERING DESIGN PROCESS

 The following modifications are needed to transform the conventional design process into a sustainable one (Contd.):

 Use of the backcasting technique. The use of the backcasting technique involves starting with a desired future outcome and
then working backward to the present to identify potential pathways and solutions to achieve that future vision. It is a
method of planning and decision-making that focuses on envisioning a desired future state and then determining the steps
needed to reach that goal

 Ex: 100% green city by 2030 – Vision, Set targets, Assess current state, Identify strategies, Develop action plans, Implementation,
Monitoring and evaluation

 Identifying criteria and indicators for measuring sustainability

 Examples of criteria could include resource efficiency, biodiversity conservation, social equity, economic viability, and climate
resilience

 Indicators can be quantitative (e.g., energy consumption, waste generation, greenhouse gas emissions) or qualitative (e.g.,
stakeholder engagement, cultural preservation, labor rights)

 Use of a multi-criteria approach to handle compromise between various environmental, economic, social, or technical issues

 Selecting strategies and creativity techniques to guide idea generation during the conceptual phase

 During preliminary design, a preliminary sustainability assessment of potential solutions is carried out and during the final
design a full sustainability assessment is carried out

 Sustainability of the product is communicated at its launch

 Post-project monitoring is carried out with relevant criteria and indicators

 FROM CONVENTIONAL TO SUSTAINABLE ENGINEERING DESIGN PROCESS

 In the sustainable engineering design process, it is important to use appropriate tools for the analysis of
potential solutions and the synthesis of the data gathered (Synthesis refers to the process of combining
separate elements, ideas, or information to create a unified whole or a new understanding)

 “Incremental innovation is unlikely to solve sustainability challenges”, and “radical innovation

needs creativity”

 Incremental innovation refers to making small improvements or adjustments to existing practices or technologies.
Incremental innovation alone is unlikely to be sufficient in solving complex sustainability issues.

 Instead it highlights the need for radical innovation, which involves a significant departure from established norms and the
development of entirely new approaches, technologies, or systems. Radical innovation is often necessary to achieve
transformative changes and make substantial progress towards sustainability goals

 Key creativity tools in the field of sustainability (such as brainstorming, mind mapping, backcasting,
industrial ecology, eco-design strategies and Factor X engineering) must be given the same attention as
tools for analysis (such as EIA, SEA, LCA, CBA, LCC, SLCA, etc.) and synthesis (such as MCA)

 Stakeholder engagement is a cross-cutting tool to be employed in the creativity, analysis, and synthesis
activities

 Sustainable projects need to be as technically sound as conventional projects, and these tools must thus
 FROM CONVENTIONAL TO
SUSTAINABLE ENGINEERING DESIGN
PROCESS

 Table presents the critical tasks in each

design phase deemed necessary to move
from the conventional design toward
sustainable design
 FROM CONVENTIONAL TO SUSTAINABLE ENGINEERING DESIGN PROCESS

 The large number of criteria that need to be considered when integrating

sustainability issues with conventional technical issues can be problematic

 Most MCA studies recommend that a maximum of 10 criteria be considered in

order to simplify assessment and decision making

 In contrast, a sustainability assessment framework can prescribe more than 10

criteria or indicators in addition to technical specifications

 To address this situation, the consideration of criteria in a sequential manner, can

be considered reducing the number of them to be tackled simultaneously
 FROM CONVENTIONAL TO
SUSTAINABLE ENGINEERING DESIGN
PROCESS

 Four categories are proposed for the

classification of criteria (see Table) and
to help in the decision-making process
 DESIGN FOR LIFE GUIDELINES AND STRATEGIES

 The problem definition stage is crucial for successful sustainable development

 Considering sustainable development issues and adopting a life-cycle thinking approach at this stage brings
significant benefits

 “Table 6.5” gives the guidelines for design from a life-cycle perspective

 The D4S strategy wheel (in “Fig. 6.3”) illustrates the seven general D4S strategies which parallel the stages of
the product life cycle and give improvement directions

 The seven strategies have been extended with sub-strategies in “Table 6.6”

 These basic suggestions are useful during the brainstorming of sustainable design options

 In practice, the design may incorporate several ideas, and several concepts may be developed at the same time

 The “Morphological Box” techniques are useful for combining several ideas in one product concept in a
systematic way

 The Morphological Box technique is a structured method used to generate and explore various combinations of
different elements or features within a product concept. It involves creating a matrix or grid that lists different
options or possibilities for each component or aspect of the product. By systematically combining the options from
each category, a wide range of potential product concepts can be generated.
 DESIGN FOR LIFE GUIDELINES AND STRATEGIES
 DESIGN FOR LIFE GUIDELINES AND STRATEGIES
 DESIGN FOR LIFE GUIDELINES AND STRATEGIES – Morphological Box Technique (Example)

 Imagine we have four different categories to consider for our car concept: body type, power source, seating
configuration, and technology features. We create a matrix or grid that lists various options or possibilities for
each category:

 Body Type: Sedan, SUV, Hatchback, Convertible

 Power Source: Gasoline, Electric, Hybrid, Hydrogen

 Seating Configuration: 2-seater, 4-seater, 5-seater, 7-seater

 Technology Features: Advanced safety systems, Autonomous driving, Voice control, Wireless charging

 Using the Morphological Box technique, we systematically combine options from each category to generate
different car concept possibilities:

 Concept 1: SUV, Electric, 5-seater, Advanced safety systems

 Concept 2: Sedan, Gasoline, 4-seater, Autonomous driving

 Concept 3: Hatchback, Hybrid, 2-seater, Voice control

 Concept 4: Convertible, Hydrogen, 7-seater, Wireless charging

 By exploring different combinations within each category, we create diverse product concepts that can cater to
different preferences and market segments. The Morphological Box technique helps us generate a range of
 MEASURING SUSTAINABILITY

 Efforts should be made to be as quantitative as possible when evaluating alternative designs

 Indicators and metrics that can be used to measure and quantify environmental sustainability need
to be developed to provide a basis for decision-making

 In most engineering designs, the measure is cost and the goal is to minimize cost. This suggests that
one mechanism for incorporating objectives related to sustainability into engineering design is to
monetize them

 Monetizing objectives means assigning a monetary value to the environmental impacts and benefits
associated with different design choices

 By quantifying the costs and benefits of sustainability-related factors, such as resource consumption, pollution
emissions, and ecosystem impacts, engineers can compare them to traditional cost considerations and make more
informed decisions

 The rationale behind this approach is to provide a common metric that can be easily compared to traditional cost
considerations

 Cost is a widely used measure in engineering designs because it allows for easy comparison and trade-off
analysis

 By assigning a monetary value to sustainability factors, engineers can assess the trade-offs between different design
 MEASURING SUSTAINABILITY

 However, some indicators of environmental and societal performance will be

difficult or impossible, to monetize and for these cases, other approaches will be
needed for incorporating objectives into engineering design

 In engineering design, it is most convenient to discuss sustainability in the context

of indicators developed through a LCSA framework – for example through an
environmental and social LCA – and through the indicators of the SDGs and
Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) frameworks

 GRI provides guidelines and standards for organizations to report their economic, environmental,
and social performance in a comprehensive and transparent manner

 The above indicators provide key variables that may be assessed using specific
metrics when evaluating the degree of sustainability for a specific engineering
project or a product
 MEASURING SUSTAINABILITY

 Examples of sustainability design criteria and indicators

 MEASURING SUSTAINABILITY

 An LCA software and database will normally be required for the assessment of
environmental sustainability

 Economic evaluation in conventional design is normally based on the micro

economic indicators such as net present value, discounted cash flow analysis,
returns on capital investment and so on. In addition to these indicators, life-cycle
costs and investments should also be considered

 Social sustainability indicators can be translated into both quantitative and

qualitative indicators. An SLCA enables the identification of the most significant
social impacts and the hotspots
 MEASURING SUSTAINABILITY

 More simple and qualitative sustainability assessment methods can also be

employed

 Fig shows an “Impact Matrix” which is a qualitative or semi-qualitative method that

provides an overview of the environmental inputs and outputs, social aspects, and profit
flows at each stage of the product life cycle

 The columns correspond to the different product life cycle stages and the rows
concentrate on the relevant criteria

 Rows – Environmental criteria usually include material use, energy consumption,

solid waste and toxic emissions. Social criteria usually include social responsibility,
local or regional economic development and human resource management. More
issues can be considered by adding rows. Examples include issues such as specific local

problems or sustainability issues like water consumption, biodiversity, CO 2 emissions, costs

and cultural heritage. In addition, rows can be added and linked to the relevant drivers
 MEASURING SUSTAINABILITY

 Columns – Depending on the life cycle process of the

product, the stages can be named in different ways and
the number of columns can be increased. Here, the life
cycle has six stages. Depending on the real situation, the
design team can decide to add/leave out stages

 Such a matrix can help a design team to make a quick

qualitative assessment of the life cycle by identifying the
cells that have major “sustainability” impacts
 The next step is to prioritize the impacts which will
become the focus for developing improvement options
 CASE STUDIES ON SUSTAINABLE ENGINEERING DESIGN PROCESS

 Sustainable Process Design – Case Study (Ref: Azapagic et al., 2006)

 One of the key challenges for sustainable development of the chemical industry is
designing more sustainable processes

 They proposes a general methodology based on life cycle thinking for integrating
sustainability considerations (technical, economic, environmental, and social criteria) into
process design

 The approach is illustrated on a design case study of the vinyl chloride monomer (VCM)
process which is an important chemical because it is used in the production of the plastic
PVC

 The use of PVC is increasing which demands further production of VCM

 This makes optimization of the production of VCM interesting and potentially profitable

 The methodology for integrating sustainability considerations into process design follows
the usual stages in process design, i.e. project initiation, preliminary design, detailed design
and final design
 CASE STUDIES ON SUSTAINABLE ENGINEERING DESIGN PROCESS

 Sustainable Process Design – Case Study (Ref: Azapagic et al., 2006)

 As shown in Fig., each of these four stages consists of a number of steps

 The case study looked at a promising alternative for process design
 CASE STUDIES ON SUSTAINABLE ENGINEERING DESIGN PROCESS

 Sustainable Process Design – Case Study (Ref: Azapagic et al., 2006)

 Compared with an average VMC plant, the LCA results, displayed in Fig.,
show that, for most impacts, the proposed VCM design is environmentally
more sustainable than an average VCM plant
 CASE STUDIES ON SUSTAINABLE ENGINEERING DESIGN PROCESS

 Sustainable Process Design – Case Study (Ref: Azapagic et al., 2006)

 Areas of improvement:

 The exception to this is energy use whereby the proposed plant would use
around 3% more energy and generate around 7% more greenhouse gases

 With respect to water discharge, while the proposed plant is using around
30% less water than the average plant, it is discharging into the
environment almost twice as much as the average plant

 The proposed plant also has higher carcinogenic potential, through a

higher release of toxic substances

 Therefore, these are the areas where further improvements could be

investigated in the detailed design
 CASE STUDIES ON SUSTAINABLE ENGINEERING DESIGN PROCESS

 Sustainable Process Design – Case Study (Ref: Azapagic et al., 2006)

 Learnings/takeaways from this case study:

 It illustrates how sustainability considerations could be integrated into

process design from project initiation through preliminary to detailed design

 This requires a systems approach whereby sustainability is not considered

as an “add on” but is systematically integrated into process design taking
into account the whole life cycle of the plant and the product

 The methodology enables identification of relevant sustainability criteria

and indicators, comparison of alternatives, sustainability assessment of the
overall design and identification of “hot spots” in the life cycle of the system

 In this way, it is possible to arrive at a design configuration that would

ensure the most sustainable performance of the plant and product over their
whole life cycles
 CASE STUDIES ON SUSTAINABLE ENGINEERING DESIGN PROCESS

 Sustainable Product Design – Case Study (Ref: Ramlogun and Elahee, Faculty of
Engineering, The University of Mauritius)

 Context:

 Environmental concerns complicate decision-making during early design

stages when there is limited information available

 Therefore, having a decision matrix can provide designers with more

creative freedom while considering environmental aspects

 The environmental aspect is usually included at later stages of the design

 However, it is possible to integrate it into every stage of the product

development which would result into a shift in paradigm (significant and
fundamental change or a transformation in the system)
 CASE STUDIES ON SUSTAINABLE ENGINEERING DESIGN PROCESS

 Sustainable Product Design – Case Study (Ref: Ramlogun and Elahee, Faculty of
Engineering, The University of Mauritius)

 The product discussed here used the quality tool called Quality Function Deployment
(QFD) along with some qualitative techniques which enabled the integration of the
sustainability aspect into the design

 The product designed is intended to mechanically harvest Papaya

 Traditionally, papaya is hand-picked in many cultivars across the world

 Workers often need to climb on the trees or stand on ladders in order to harvest these fruits.
Sometimes, they work at a height greater than 3 m above ground to reach the fruits and this
represents a serious trip hazard

 An assessment was performed to evaluate the seriousness of the job and it was found
that an immediate action of designing is necessary because of the high risk

 Another drawback of this traditional method is that it tends to bruise the fruits and
affecting the fruit quality, thereby reducing the yield
 CASE STUDIES ON SUSTAINABLE ENGINEERING DESIGN PROCESS

 Sustainable Product Design – Case Study (Ref: Ramlogun and Elahee, Faculty of
Engineering, The University of Mauritius)

 Design for environment (DFE) provides a framework to minimize the

environmental impact in an effort to make the world better

 Environmental impacts of a product may include energy consumption, natural

resource depletion, discharges, and solid waste generation. These would broadly fall
into two categories – energy and materials

 There is also the socio-economic aspect of a product, for instance, in terms of job
creation, ease of operation, satisfaction, ethical manufacturing activities and
occupational safety

 Fig shows the logic used in the development of the papaya picker
 CASE STUDIES ON SUSTAINABLE ENGINEERING DESIGN PROCESS

 Sustainable Product Design – Case Study (Ref: Ramlogun and Elahee, Faculty of
Engineering, The University of Mauritius)
 CASE STUDIES ON SUSTAINABLE ENGINEERING DESIGN PROCESS

 Sustainable Product Design – Case Study (Ref: Ramlogun and Elahee, Faculty of
Engineering, The University of Mauritius)

 Step 1 of the design process identified the customers of the product and set
the design goals toward an environment-

friendly orientation

 A compilation of some of the design DFE

guidelines is shown here

 CASE STUDIES ON SUSTAINABLE ENGINEERING DESIGN PROCESS

 Sustainable Product Design – Case Study (Ref: Ramlogun and Elahee, Faculty of
Engineering, The University of Mauritius)

 Step 2 involved identifying the customer needs

 These were obtained through focus group meetings and off-record interviews with
cultivators and then grouped into an affinity diagram based on their hierarchy and
category

 Focus group meetings and interviews were conducted to obtain necessary

information about the expected attributes of the design

 The participants were questioned about their preferences and environmental

concerns

 The customers were then asked to rate the attributes in terms of a relative
importance which, when added together, will amount to a score of 100 points

 This method was deemed to be more reliable in that it forces the customer(s) to
 CASE STUDIES ON SUSTAINABLE ENGINEERING DESIGN PROCESS

 Sustainable Product Design – Case Study (Ref: Ramlogun and Elahee, Faculty of
Engineering, The University of Mauritius)

 To complete Steps 2 and 3, the concept generation process divided the fruit-
picking operations into separate actions. Each action was evaluated based on
how well it helps safely pick the fruit from the tree

 The application of DFE was done right at the concept generation by iteratively
referring to the design goals and adapting the concepts along the way

 For instance, it was possible to develop a concept and product architecture that reduced the
amount of assemblies and other complexities

 In Fig. (left), the concept contained over 20 components and of varying sizes

 Upon reviewing several possibilities and using CAD modeling techniques, a

simpler assembly was conceived reducing the total number of parts to 6 (right)
 CASE STUDIES ON SUSTAINABLE ENGINEERING DESIGN PROCESS

 Sustainable Product Design – Case Study (Ref: Ramlogun and Elahee, Faculty of
Engineering, The University of Mauritius)
 CASE STUDIES ON SUSTAINABLE ENGINEERING DESIGN PROCESS

 Sustainable Product Design – Case Study (Ref: Ramlogun and Elahee, Faculty of
Engineering, The University of Mauritius)

 The concept selection was guided by the set of key customer requirements,
DFE guidelines and applicable standards

 A concept was selected as benchmark for a particular function, and all the other concepts
were relatively rated based on the meeting of customer requirements, the applicable
standards and sustainability indices

 The one having the higher scores was selected for further development

 The final embodiment, shown in Fig., consists of a grabber assembly which is

mounted on a supporting column
 CASE STUDIES ON SUSTAINABLE ENGINEERING DESIGN PROCESS

 Sustainable Product Design – Case Study (Ref: Ramlogun and Elahee, Faculty of
Engineering, The University of Mauritius)
Assembly:
 The drive system consists of a crank connected to a drive shaft which is simply supported on two ball
bearings
 Axially connected to the driveshaft is a torque-limiting mechanism which provides slippage when a
predetermined torque is exerted on the drive shaft
 A winding drum is bolted to the flange of the torque limiter hub

 This drum winds the connecting link which is described

as a rope
 The winding drum is also coupled with a ratcheting
wheel which provides free motion in only one direction
 CASE STUDIES ON SUSTAINABLE ENGINEERING DESIGN PROCESS

 Sustainable Product Design – Case Study (Ref: Ramlogun and Elahee, Faculty of
Engineering, The University of Mauritius)

 Based on preliminary static analysis and using the maximum contact forces
which can be applied on the fruit, a torque of 2 Nm was obtained which could be
exerted on the drive shaft having a diameter of 8 mm

 Accordingly, an adjustable torque limiter available on the market was chosen

 The overall dimension of this unit helped to size the corresponding drive
elements

 The dimensions of the winding drum were guided by the size of the torque-limiting unit
overall length

 The bore of the drum was obtained using the hub dimensions of the torque limiter

 Static analysis was carried out on the drum to evaluate the deformation of the latter under a
torque about its rotating axis
 CASE STUDIES ON SUSTAINABLE ENGINEERING DESIGN PROCESS

 Sustainable Product Design – Case Study (Ref: Ramlogun and Elahee, Faculty of
Engineering, The University of Mauritius)

 The design of the drive shaft was based on the assumption that the bending stress in
the shaft is repeated and reversed as the shaft rotates, but that the torsional shear is
nearly uniformed

 The tangential force caused by the winching action produces a transverse force on the
shaft which resulted in bending

 Geometric discontinuities such as key seats, fillet radius and retaining rings grooves
were accounted for in the calculations and a shaft diameter of 6 mm was chosen which
would fit the torque limiter bore

 The grabber jaw design was guided by the diameter of locally available papaya species.
The maximum diameter of the fruit was found to be 150 mm
 CASE STUDIES ON SUSTAINABLE ENGINEERING DESIGN PROCESS

 Sustainable Product Design – Case Study (Ref: Ramlogun and Elahee, Faculty of
Engineering, The University of Mauritius)

 The final jaw opening width was found to be 160 mm

 The proposed jaw is a single piece part made out of a composite material which would
offer high cleaning abilities and structural rigidity

 A finite element analysis was used to evaluate the deformation of the grabber when
loaded as a cantilevered beam with a uniform loading in the commercial CAD software

 This allowed reduction in material to increase the strength-to-weight ratio

 CASE STUDIES ON SUSTAINABLE ENGINEERING DESIGN PROCESS

 Sustainable Product Design – Case Study (Ref: Ramlogun and Elahee, Faculty of
Engineering, The University of Mauritius)

 The column design used the recommendations of the design guidelines

 The design calculations assumed that the column is fixed at one end and is free to move
at the other end (flagpole configuration)

 This gave a shape factor of 2.10 which was used to calculate the equivalent length of the
column

 A trial calculation was done to determine the diameter of the column when axially loaded
with 100 N and using a safety factor of 1.95 as per the design handbook

 This gave a working diameter that enabled to determine the accepted range of thickness
for a tubular member

 Finally, the column diameter was chosen by considering the comfortable width of a power
 CASE STUDIES ON SUSTAINABLE ENGINEERING DESIGN PROCESS

 Sustainable Product Design – Case Study (Ref: Ramlogun and Elahee, Faculty of
Engineering, The University of Mauritius)

 The design of the torsion springs adopted the methodology as follows:

 A spring made using music wire having a diameter of 2.8 mm and a single coil is
recommended to provide the biasing force to unwind the drum

 It has a length of 25 mm extending from each side at an angle of 80°

 The ratcheting mechanism chosen was obtained using a design guide. The ratchet wheel is
proposed to be directly mounted onto the drum by means of machine screws

 The final part of the design was to design a supporting frame which would contain the drive
assembly

 This was guided by the overall dimensions of the drive assembly and the diameter of the
supporting column
 CASE STUDIES ON SUSTAINABLE ENGINEERING DESIGN PROCESS

 Sustainable Product Design – Case Study (Ref: Ramlogun and Elahee, Faculty of
Engineering, The University of Mauritius)

 In the detailed design phase, it was important to select some preliminary

materials and manufacturing processes based on the information available from
the DFE guidelines and also on the general shape of the parts

 Typical design parameters are strength-to-weight ratio and stiffness-to-

weight ratio

 These factors influence the material selection process

 When making a decision on the material, it is desirable to consider the

following factors: Material composition, cost of material, form of material, size, heat-
treated condition, directionality of mechanical properties, quality level, ease of
manufacture and ease of recycling
 CASE STUDIES ON SUSTAINABLE ENGINEERING DESIGN PROCESS

 Sustainable Product Design – Case Study (Ref: Ramlogun and Elahee, Faculty of
Engineering, The University of Mauritius)

 The decision on the manufacturing process is generally based on the following

factors: unit cost of manufacture, life-cycle cost per unit, quantity of parts required,
and complexity of the part with respect to shape, features, and size, compatibility of the
process for use with candidate materials, ability to consistently make a defect-free part,
economically achievable surface finish, economically achievable dimensional accuracy
and tolerances, availability of equipment and lead time for delivery of tooling

 Using the DFE guidelines and knowledge from engineering materials and
industrial design, it was possible to make the product using environmentally
safe and nontoxic materials in that 45% (by weight) was aluminum, 39%
recyclable plastics, 15.2% steel and 0.8% of landfill wastes
 CASE STUDIES ON SUSTAINABLE ENGINEERING DESIGN PROCESS

 Sustainable Product Design – Case Study (Ref: Ramlogun and Elahee, Faculty of
Engineering, The University of Mauritius)

 The product sustainability assessment was a comprehensive evaluation process with

the consideration of the energy, environmental, resource, technical and socio-
economic indicators

 Given the multi-level and complex relationships among various levels, it was
subjectively difficult to obtain accurate pricing mechanism

 An attempt was made to determine all the internal and external costs associated with
the product throughout its entire journey from manufacturing to an eventual re-
integration in the material supply chain as recyclable materials

 The cash inflows and outflows were computed using handbook values and the net
present value (NPV) was determined

 Engineering judgement was exercised to compare between concepts and to ensure

 CASE STUDIES ON SUSTAINABLE ENGINEERING DESIGN PROCESS

 Sustainable Product Design – Case Study (Ref: Ramlogun and Elahee, Faculty of
Engineering, The University of Mauritius)

 Conclusion:

 A mechanical tool to harvest papaya was designed as a result of an ergonomic

job assessment

 This tool had its unique characteristics of being simple and effective to operate
while meeting all regulatory standards

 It was conceptualized with the help of cultivators and other major stake holders

 The use of lean methods like QFD helped to synthesize all information together
to help in translating the customer requirements into design variables

 Some key consideration in the design for sustainable products were described
like, for instance, the importance of material selection and the manufacturing
 CASE STUDIES ON SUSTAINABLE ENGINEERING DESIGN PROCESS

 Sustainable Product Design – Case Study (Ref: Ramlogun and Elahee, Faculty of
Engineering, The University of Mauritius)

 Learnings:

 We need to consider the effects of:

 how the material was made

 exact composition of the candidate material for the application being

considered

 any processing that may have to be done for shaping the material or
fabricating a component

 structure of the material after processing into a component or device

 the environment in which the material will be used

 the cost-to-performance ratio

 SUSTAINABLE HABITAT - Background

 Sustainability adds new dimensions to urbanization

 Conversely, urbanization may create numerous problems or opportunities that

will need special treatment

 Therefore, sustainable urbanization means efficiently using resources like air, water,
and soil, while preserving natural resources, ensuring fairness in development's impact on
society, and avoiding unnecessary restrictions on future development opportunities

 Rapid urbanization is arguably the most complex and important socio-economic

phenomenon of the 20th and 21st centuries

 Generally understood as a shift from a predominantly rural to a predominantly

urban society, it also represents major and irreversible changes in production and
consumption and the way people interact with nature
 SUSTAINABLE HABITAT – Key Challenges

 The following points are considered to overcome the challenges associated with
sustainability:

 Economic Sustainability: The capacity and ability of a practice to be able to put

local/regional resources to productive use for the long-term benefit of the community,
without damaging or depleting the natural resource base on which it depends and
without increasing the city’s ecological footprint. This implies taking into
consideration the full impact of the production cycle

 It means using local resources wisely to benefit the community in the long run without
harming nature or depleting vital resources. It also involves reducing the city's negative
impact on the environment. To achieve this, we must consider how our actions affect the
environment throughout the entire production process

 In simpler terms, it's about smart, responsible, and balanced growth that ensures a
better future for both people and the planet
 SUSTAINABLE HABITAT – Key Challenges

 The following points are considered to overcome the challenges associated with
sustainability (Contd.):

 Social Sustainability: It is the fairness, inclusiveness and cultural adequacy of an

intervention to promote equal rights over the natural, physical and economic
capital that supports the livelihoods and lives of local communities, with particular
emphasis on the poor and traditionally marginalized groups. Cultural adequacy
means, in this context, the extent to which a practice respects cultural heritage and cultural
diversity

 It focuses on creating practices that are fair, inclusive, and culturally appropriate. These are aimed to
ensure equal access to resources like nature, physical spaces, and economic opportunities, benefiting the
lives of local communities. Special attention is given to disadvantaged groups, such as the poor and
marginalized communities

 In simpler terms, social sustainability is about making sure everyone is treated fairly,
respecting their culture, and providing opportunities for a better life, particularly for those
who are often left behind
 SUSTAINABLE HABITAT – Key Challenges

 The following points are considered to overcome the challenges associated with
sustainability (Contd.):

 Ecological Sustainability: It pertains to the impact of urban production and

consumption on the integrity and health of the city region and global carrying
capacity. This demands the long-term consideration of the relation between the state and
dynamics of environmental resources and services and the demands exerted over them

 It refers to how urban activities, like production and consumption, affect the health of the city's
environment and its ability to support life

 It involves thinking long-term about how we use natural resources and the services they provide
while considering the impact of our demands on these resources

 In simpler terms, it's about making sure our actions don't harm the environment in the
city or globally, and that we use resources responsibly so that they can support us and
future generations – “the definition of Sustainability”
 SUSTAINABLE HABITAT – Key Challenges

 The following points are considered to overcome the challenges associated with
sustainability (Contd.):

 Sustainability of the Built Environment: It concerns the capacity of an intervention to

enhance the livability of buildings and urban infrastructures for ‘all’ city dwellers
without damaging or disrupting the urban region environment. It also includes a
concern for the efficiency of the built environment to support the local economy

 It means creating buildings and urban infrastructure that make the city a better place for
everyone to live. This involves improving the quality of life for all city dwellers without harming
or disturbing the surrounding environment

 It also includes making sure that the buildings and infrastructure support the local economy and
are efficient in their use of resources

 In simpler terms, it's about designing and constructing cities in a way that benefits
people, the economy, and the environment without causing unnecessary harm or waste
 SUSTAINABLE HABITAT – Key Challenges

 The following points are considered to overcome the challenges associated with
sustainability (Contd.):

 Political Sustainability: It is concerned with the quality of governance systems guiding

the relationship and actions of different actors among the previous four dimensions.
Thereby, it implies the democratization and participation

 It focuses on the way a city is governed and how different actors (individuals, organizations, etc.)
interact in relation to the other sustainability dimensions mentioned earlier

 It involves ensuring that the governance systems are of high quality and promote fairness and
cooperation among all stakeholders. This includes democratization, which means giving people a
say in decision-making, and encouraging active participation from everyone involved

 In simpler terms, political sustainability is about having a well-functioning and inclusive

government system that allows people to be heard and work together to achieve
sustainable goals for the city
 SUSTAINABLE HABITAT – Key Challenges

 The outer most rectangle shows the original ecological capacity which consists of all the
resources based on which the sustainability of economy, society, built environment and
ecology can be achieved

 The circle connects all these through the political sustainability to govern the resources and
other capacities

 If all these are balanced without pulling each other in different directions, sustainable
urbanization can be obtained
 SUSTAINABLE HABITAT - Concept

 A sustainable habitat is an ecosystem that produces food and shelter for people and
other organisms, without resource depletion and in such a way that no external waste
is produced

 Therefore, a sustainable home is one that is environmentally friendly, built from recycled
materials and runs on renewable energy sources

 Such a sustainable habitat may evolve naturally or artificially

 It often involves some form of green building or environmental planning

 When designing sustainable habitats, environmental scientists, designers, engineers, and

architects should view every element not as waste to be thrown away elsewhere, but as a
resource that can be reused in another process
 SUSTAINABLE HABITAT - Concept

 Designing a sustainable habitat is a matter of keeping two goals in mind:

 To incorporate design concepts and materials that minimize resource use, maximize energy
and water efficiency, eliminate exposure to toxic chemicals, and prioritize human health and
safety throughout the construction process

 To identify ways and means such that the building and the living can actually help protect
the environment through practices that restore nature in specific and meaningful ways

 Main features of such habitats are:

 Minimize resource use

 Eliminate exposure to toxic chemicals

 Maximize water and energy efficiency

 Preference to human health and safety

 Protect the environmental resources

 GREEN BUILDINGS

 In general, construction uses large quantity of energy, water and other natural resources.
The increase in population and corresponding increase in construction cause more waste
generation. Improper planning causes huge losses in terms of utilization of facilities at a
particular site

 Green building is one that use optimum resources and energy, conserve the natural
resources, generate less waste and provide a healthy environment for occupants

 Green Building or Green Construction or Sustainable Building refers to a structure

that uses process which is environmentally responsible and resource efficient
throughout a buildings lifecycle (i.e., from design, construction, maintenance,
renovation to demolition)

 Green building design aims at achieving a balance between sustainability needs

and housing requirements
 GREEN BUILDINGS

 Objectives of green building concept:

 Reduced energy consumption without sacrificing the comfort levels

 Reduced destruction of natural areas, habitats, biodiversity and reduced soil loss from
erosion etc.

 Reduced air and water pollution

 Reduced water consumption

 Limited waste generation due to recycling and reuse

 Reduced pollution levels

 Increased user productivity

 Enhanced image and marketability

 GREEN BUILDINGS

 The techniques associated with the green building include:

 Measures to prevent erosion of soil

 Rainwater harvesting

 Use of solar energy

 Preparation of landscapes to reduce heat

 Reduction in water use

 Recycling of wastewater and use of world class energy efficient practices

 Characteristics of green buildings:

 Efficient use of energy, water and other resources

 Protecting occupant health and improving employee productivity

 Reducing waste, pollution and environmental degradation

 GREEN BUILDINGS – Key Features

 1. Proper site selection

 Site selection is crucial for many reasons. It's important to be close to roads, schools, and amenities as it
lowers living costs and avoids wasting resources

 It should consider the environmental concern, i.e. whether there is any destruction of forest, wetlands,
agricultural land etc., proper orientation of house facilities, natural ventilation, heating or cooling and thus energy
consumption for these processes can be reduced. Also the possibilities for harnessing sunlight must also be
utilized in order to use it for natural lighting, heating or electrification

 2. Structural design efficiency

 In the design phase of a building, it is very important to consider the life-cycle of the materials used

 Each building material and its effect on the occupants, resources and the environment must be checked
properly. Materials harmful to the environment must be avoided and alternative must be used creatively

 The building design should provide natural means of ventilation, maximum natural lighting, utilization
of solar energy, etc.
 GREEN BUILDINGS – Key Features

 3. Energy efficiency

 It should be a priority from the beginning of installation and maintained throughout the entire
operation process

 The building techniques used should match the specific site conditions. What works well in a dry
and hot area may not work as effectively in a tropical climate. Therefore, the energy management
solution chosen must be based on a careful study of these factors. In simpler terms, we need to
consider the site's conditions when deciding on building techniques and energy solutions

 During construction, building materials and processes must have low energy consumption

 During operation, if windows and ventilations are properly placed, the energy required for
Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) can be minimized

 Utilization of day light, solar energy for heating, right placement and maintenance of trees for
creating shadows, etc. are some of the methods to achieve energy efficiency in a green
building
 GREEN BUILDINGS – Key Features

 4. Water efficiency

 Reduction in water consumption and protecting water quality are equally important. In a
green building, both these requirements must be addressed

 Facilities for water collection, treatment recycling and reuse are the important factors in the implementation
of green buildings

 Water harvesting must be done properly to collect fresh water available from nature

 Ultra-low flush toilets which use as little as 6 liters of water per flush as opposed to 13-15 liters in
conventional flush tanks and low flow shower heads are examples of water conserving devices in green
building

 5. Material efficiency

 Construction materials for green buildings include lumber, bamboo and straw, recycled stone and recycled
metals

 It is expected building materials for green buildings are non-toxic, reusable, renewable and recyclable

 Industrial wastes like combustion products or foundry sand are also used as building materials
 GREEN BUILDINGS – Key Features

 6. Indoor environmental quality enhancement

 The three important parameters coming under this objective are indoor air quality,
thermal quality and lighting quality

 In indoor air quality, the main issues include the reduction of volatile organic components
and moisture

 Volatile organic component will cause bad odor and toxic emissions, whereas moisture helps the
presence of bacteria and mold

 The HVAC system should use the building's design and materials to naturally regulate
the indoor environment whenever possible

 Occupants should not be affected by any health problems like asthma and allergy which
are related to air quality
 GREEN BUILDINGS – Key Features

 7. Operation and maintenance optimization

 Even if the building design is sustainable, it is the operation and maintenance that keeps up
the tag

 8. Waste reduction

 It is an essential requirement during many phases of the building’s life-cycle

 During the maintenance or demolishing of a building, it should not have much waste
other than those suitable for recycling. This part is crucial because in many countries
the major component of landfills is construction materials

 Efficiently treat waste water and bio-degradable waste, while generating energy from it

 There are projects in which waste water, human waste and other organic materials are taken to
centralized biogas plants for the production of energy
 GREEN MATERIALS FOR BUILDING CONSTRUCTION

 The green building materials (also called eco-friendly materials) are those which are locally
produced/sourced/recycled

 They are building construction materials that have a low environmental impact

 They are composed of renewable resources rather than non-renewable resources.

These have to be natural and will not spoil by the heat, humidity, or cold

 Materials having lower CO2 emissions, reduced transportation cost, lower

environmental impact, thermal efficiency, less energy, and financial viability

 Aim of using green building materials is to construct energy-efficient structures and

to build those structures one should be aware of different green building materials,
their properties and how they contribute into saving energy
 GREEN MATERIALS FOR BUILDING CONSTRUCTION

 Earthen materials

 Wood

 Bamboo

 Insulated concrete forms

 Cordwood

 Straw Bale

 Earth Bags

 Slate/Stone roofing

 Steel
 GREEN MATERIALS FOR BUILDING CONSTRUCTION – Earthen Materials &
Wood

 Earthen materials like adobe, cob, and rammed earth are being used for construction
purposes. To increase the good strength and durability, chopped straw, grass and other
fibrous materials are added to earthen materials

 Wood is one of the most famous building materials used around the world. This wastage can
also be used to make structural parts like walls, boards, doors etc. in the form of engineered
wood
 GREEN MATERIALS FOR BUILDING CONSTRUCTION – Bamboo & Slate Roofing

 Bamboo is one of the most used multipurpose and durable materials used in construction.
These trees grow faster irrespective of climatic conditions. So, it makes it economical as well.
They can be used to construct frames or supports, walls, floors etc. They provide a good
appearance to the structures

 Slate is naturally formed rock which is used to make tiles. Slate tiles have high durability,
and they are used as roofing materials. Slate roofing is preferred when it is locally or
cheaply available
 GREEN MATERIALS FOR BUILDING CONSTRUCTION – Earth Bags & Insulated
Concrete Forms

 Earth bags or sandbags are also used to construct walls of a structure. These types of
structures can be seen in military bases, near banks of water resources etc. Generally, bags
made of burlap are recommended but they may rot very easily and hence, polypropylene bags
are used nowadays

 Insulated concrete forms contain two insulation layers with some space in between them.
This space contains some arrangement for holding reinforcement bars, after placing
reinforcement, concrete is poured into this space. They are lightweight, fire resistant,

low dense and have good thermal and

sound insulation properties

 MATERIAL SELECTION FOR SUSTAINABLE DESIGN – Criteria

 1. Resource Efficiency

 It means using the Earth's limited resources in a sustainable manner while minimizing
impacts on the environment

 Recycled content: the total percentage of recovered material in a product, including

pre-consumer and post-consumer materials

 Renewable: energy derived from natural sources

 Efficient manufacturing process: create products with the lowest possible total cost

 Local availability

 Easily recyclable

 Recyclable packaging made of materials that can be used again, usually after processing, and
covers packaging materials such as glass, steel, aluminum, cardboard, paper and certain
plastics
 MATERIAL SELECTION FOR SUSTAINABLE DESIGN – Criteria

 2. Energy conservation

 Energy conservation is the decision and practice of suing less energy

 3. Water conservation

 Water conservation is the practice of using water efficiently to reduce unnecessary water
usage

 4. Indoor environmental quality

 Moisture resistant: concerned with a medium's ability to maintain dimensional stability

when exposed to high humidity and changes in humidity

 Minimal emissions

 Healthy cleaning or maintenance

 5. Cost efficiency

 Installation, Maintenance and within specifications of project budget

 GREEN BUILDING CERTIFICATION

 Energy efficient green building concept is followed by many construction firms

 In order to fix the standards, several criteria are considered important, and based on
these, rating are provided for green buildings

 The primary rating systems in India are:

 GRIHA (Green Rating for Integrated Habitat Assessment)

 LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design)

 GRIHA Rating:

 This rating system has 34 criteria out of which eight (Cr. 8, 9, 13, 27, 28, 30, 32, 33) are
mandatory, four (Cr. 1, 5, 14, 18) are partly mandatory and others are optional

 Based on compliance to these criteria, points are fixed. The maximum score is hundred

 Based on the points obtained, there will be star rating ranging from one to five
 GREEN BUILDING CERTIFICATION – GRIHA Rating System
 GREEN BUILDING CERTIFICATION – GRIHA Rating System

 Steps for rating procedure are:

 Submission of online application - submission of details regarding the building – Documents to

substantiate the claims must be submitted alongside

 The project is evaluated using three-tier system:

 A preliminary inspection by a GRIHA team will be conducted, and they will validate the details

 GRIHA will study the evaluation report, and same will be sent to the experts in relevant field

 These experts will evaluate the criteria independently and assign points

 Based on the suggestions, the client will be given extra time of one month for making necessary
modifications

 After modifications are carried out, the above procedure is repeated

 The final points are fixed and based on the score obtained, the rating will be awarded
First in India to get a five-star GRIHA rating in 2018
- IIT Gandhinagar Campus
 GREEN BUILDING CERTIFICATION – LEED Rating System

 The Confederation of Indian Industries (CII) formed an Indian Green Building Council (IGBC) in
2001. IGBC has its office in CII-Sohrabji Godrej Green Business Center which itself is a
LEED certified green building. Now, IGBC is the licensed authority for LEED certified green
building in India

 The five properties of LEED India are:

 Sustainable site development

 Water savings

 Energy savings

 Material selection

 Indoor environmental quality

 GREEN BUILDING CERTIFICATION – LEED Rating System

 Procedure:

 Organizations seeking certification should register

through the IGBC website

 This provides access to the required documents,

templates, important communications and other
necessary information

 After the preliminary submission, a third-party

assessment will take place

 Within 30 days, reviewer comments will be provided

 The firm must provide whatever clarifications are sought,

and another review followed by a site visit is conducted
within 30 days. The rating will be awarded on this basis.
 ENERGY EFFICIENT BUILDINGS - Concept

 To reduce the overall environmental impact by efficiently using energy, water and other
resources, new technologies are relied in making the structures green or buildings sustainable

 Energy efficient buildings protect the health of occupants and improve the employee
productivity

 Green buildings often include measures to reduce energy consumption which include both
the energy required to extract, process, transport and install building material and operating
energy to provide services

 Energy efficient buildings consume less energy and the operational costs are low

 With the development of green buildings and their ratings based on GRIHA or LEED,
methods for energy efficiency are incorporated in different ways
 ENERGY EFFICIENT BUILDINGS - Methods to make a building energy efficient

 1. Passive solar energy utilization:

 Consumption of gas or electricity for heating and lighting can be partly offset by utilizing
solar energy

 Photovoltaic system attached to the roof top of a building produces electricity for different uses

 Since low energy LED lights are available, the energy collected during the day time itself
will be sufficient for night-time as well

 The proper orientation of rooms for capturing sufficient daylight will reduce the use of
electricity lighting during the day time
 ENERGY EFFICIENT BUILDINGS - Methods to make a building energy efficient

 2. Thermal storage:

 Strategic window placement helps to collect heat and light from the sun during the day
time

 Glazing of windows with appropriate shading to prevent undesirable heat again, use of
light-colored materials or paint for building envelopes and roofs, careful siting,
orientation and appropriate landscaping help in temperature management

 Shading strategy includes overhangs and porches, trees and other vegetation, roll down shades
or shutters, etc.

 The walls with thick bricks absorb more heat and release it when required
 ENERGY EFFICIENT BUILDINGS - Methods to make a building energy efficient

 3. Cooling strategies:

 The vapor absorption type air conditioners are used for cooling during summer by connecting it with
solar heaters

 It uses a solution of water and special chemicals (like ammonia or lithium bromide) to absorb heat from warm air. The
solution is then separated into its components, and the special chemicals, now carrying the absorbed heat, release it
outside. This ongoing process cools the air in your room and keeps it comfortable while the air conditioner is on

 Evaporative cooling systems are used in connection with solar systems

 The cooling system has a large pad or surface that is kept wet with water. When hot air from outside passes over this
wet surface, the water starts to evaporate. As the water evaporates, it takes heat from the hot air, making the air cooler

 4. Reducing electricity usage:

 Sensors can be used which will switch off lights, fans and other electrical equipment by sensing
the absence of occupants. Sensors of this nature are known as occupancy sensors

 There are also light sensors which will dim electric lights according to the luminance of other
lights available in the room. So the average luminance of the room will always be the same

 Automatic shutters or doors in air-conditioned rooms reduce losses due to opening and closing
 ENERGY EFFICIENT BUILDINGS - Methods to make a building energy efficient

 5. High performance insulation:

 Insulating panels made of rigid plastics are used to cover walls; Insulation done not only for the
walls but also for roofs and floors

 These panels are generally less expensive compared to wooden panels; Less labor costs

 These latest techniques in modern building include computerized control of building parts with
occupancy sensors, lighting sensors and thermostats