Engineering management research objects have gradually been transformed from micro-scale projects to macro-scale built environment. Built environment has driven the advancement of civilization through human history. From the Stone Age to the modern era, built environment, which refers to manmade surroundings, has provided the setting for human activities. Built environment has undergone developments and evolution processes as civilization grew. Today, technological advancements cause influences of built environment to encompass every aspect of life, as material, spatial and cultural products of the human labor force, which combines material factors and energy in a lively way of work and in forms. However, the concept of built environment remains unclear. Built environment faces a major challenge, such as the use of science and technology to solve key national and global issues. Thus, the definitions of built environment were systematically reviewed and summarized from different perspectives and levels to address these issues. The grand challenges of built environment, including climate change and energy consumption, urbanization and infrastructure construction, growth, and innovation, were summarized. Furthermore, the corresponding management issues and future development strategies were proposed to solve identified challenges of built environment.
The arrival of the high-speed rail (HSR) era has accelerated the pace of urban development, but its broad socioeconomic impact remains subject to intense debates. This research aims to propose a model for measuring the impact of HSR operation on HSR stations and the surrounding areas, which this research call the HSR-based nodal zone (HNZ). The proposed model is composed of two variables (i.e., transportation situation and vitality) and three subsystems (i.e., economic, societal, and environmental). Data were collected in China through questionnaire survey. Results indicate that the effects of HSR operation on HNZ are multidimensional, transportation vitality has an intermediary role in the effects, and the effects on the physical environment are negative. This study presents an early examination of the impact of HSR operation on the HSR stations and relevant areas and contributes new evidence to academic debates on the contribution of HSR to urban development. Accordingly, urban development policies should be built on the mechanism of HSR in driving the growth of HNZ.
This paper presents 12 dimensions of work with the aim of providing further understanding of the relationship between work and the psychological well-being of workers. Previous research has indicated that these dimensions are significant in establishing such a relationship, which is essential to creating good work. These dimensions are also influential in their effect on the psychological state of workers and are translated specifically into actionable items in the workplace. A hypothetical system model is developed to relate these dimensions to one another, to workers, and to organizations. This set of dimensions also serves as a basis for further development of work design and evaluation tools.
Many researchers found high potential of adopting building photovoltaic (PV) systems in urban areas, especially on building rooftop, to improve the sustainability of urban environment. However, the optimal energy output performance and economic benefit of the PV system are affected by the usable roof area, PV array layout, and shading effect considering high city density. This study aims to understand the effects of these design parameters in the urban environment of rooftop PV’s economic performance. This study carries out a case study in the urban area of Melbourne with 90 PV designs under three shading conditions to generate 270 scenarios. Through a lifecycle cost-benefit analysis, including net present value (NPV), NPV per kW, internal return rate (IRR), and payback year, the results can help in developing a comprehensive understanding of the economic performance of rooftop PV designs that cover most of the urban areas of Melbourne. The optimal PV design scenarios for the urban environment are identified, thereby providing investors and industry professionals with useful information on value-for-money PV design. Meanwhile, the maximum shading loss that makes the PV systems financially unfeasible is investigated, and design scenarios with greatest ability to sustain the shading effect are identified. This research can also support the policy makers’ decision on the development and deployment of the roof PV systems in urban planning.
Maritime shipping is considered the most efficient, low-cost means for transporting large quantities of freight over significant distances. However, this process also causes negative environmental and societal impacts. Therefore, environmental sustainability is a pressing issue for maritime shipping management, given the interest in addressing important issues that affect the safety, security, and air and water quality as part of the efficient movement of freight throughout the coasts and waterways and associated port facilities worldwide. In-depth studies of maritime transportation systems (MTS) can be used to identify key environmental impact indicators within the transportation system. This paper develops a tool for decision making in complex environments; this tool will quantify and rank preferred environmental impact indicators within a MTS. Such a model will help decision-makers to achieve the goals of improved environmental sustainability. The model will also provide environmental policy-makers in the shipping industry with an analytical tool that can evaluate tradeoffs within the system and identify possible alternatives to mitigate detrimental effects on the environment.
One limitation of previous productivity-driven research on equipment selection and operation simulation lies in the fact that the green aspects of construction activities have been largely neglected in analysis of cost-efficiency of construction operations. On the other hand, studies attempting to measure greenhouse gas emission due to construction activities have yet to develop a methodology that correlates their findings and implications with construction productivity. In order to address the immediate need for improving the sustainability performance of construction projects, it is imperative for the construction industry to evaluate greenhouse gas emission as a cost factor in construction planning, equipment selection, and cost estimating. In this context, this paper formalizes an integrative framework for equipment cost analysis based on the concepts of lean construction and green construction, aimed to guide the selection of appropriate construction equipment considering exhaust emission and productivity performance at the same time. The framework is elaborated in earthwork construction in order to evaluate the impact of greenhouse gas emission in estimating equipment hourly rates and assessing greenness and sustainability for alternative equipment options.
Recycled concrete is a material with the potential to create a sustainable construction industry. However, recycled concrete presents heterogeneous properties, thereby reducing its applications for some structural purposes and enhancing its application in pavements. This paper provides an insight into a solution in the deformation control for recycled concrete by adding supplementary cementitious materials fly ash and blast furnace slag. Results of this study indicated that the 50% fly ash replacement of Portland cement increased the rupture modulus of the recycled concrete. Conversely, a mixture with over 50% cement replacement by either fly ash or slag or a combination of both exhibited detrimental effect on the compressive strength, rupture modulus, and drying shrinkage. The combined analysis of environmental impacts and mechanical properties of recycled concrete demonstrated the possibility of optimizing the selection of recycled concrete because the best scenario in this study was obtained with the concrete mixture M8 (50% of fly ash+ 100% recycled coarse aggregate).
Despite the growing interest in green products in the interior wall decorative material market, knowledge gaps exist because determining which product is more environmental and user friendly than the others is difficult. This work assesses the environmental and human health profiles of interior latex and wallpaper. Two interior latex products of different raw material ratios and one non-woven wallpaper product are considered. The environmental impact assessment follows life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology and applies Building Environmental Performance Analysis System (BEPAS). The human health impact is based on impact-pathway chain and is performed using Building Health Impact Analysis System (BHIAS). The assessment scope, associated emissions, and territorial scope of various emissions are defined to facilitate comparison study of interior wall decorative products. The impacts are classified into 15 categories belonging to three safeguard areas: ecological environment, natural resources, and human health. The impacts of categories are calculated and monetized using willingness to pay (WTP) and disability-adjusted life year (DALY) and summarized as an integrated external cost of environmental and human health impacts. Assessment results reveal that the integrated impact of interior latex is lower than that of non-woven wallpaper, and the interior latex of low quality causes low life cycle integrated impact. The most impacted categories are global warming, respiratory effects, and water consumption. Hotspots of product manufacturing are recognized to promote green product design.
Cities emit extensive carbon emissions, which are considered a major contributor to the severe issue of climate change. Various low-carbon development programs have been initiated at the city level worldwide to address this problem. These practices are invaluable in promoting the development of low-carbon cities. Therefore, an effective approach should be developed to help decision makers select the best practices from previous experience on the basis of the impact features of carbon emission and city context features. This study introduces a case-based reasoning methodology for a specific city to select the best practices as references for low-carbon city development. The proposed methodology consists of three main components, namely, case representation, case retrieval, and case adaption and retention. For city representation, this study selects city context features and the impact features of carbon emission to characterize and represent a city. The proposed methodology is demonstrated by applying it to the selection of the best practices for low-carbon development of Chengdu City in Sichuan Province, China.
Sustainability has become increasingly important, however, relatively little attention has focused on metrics for the construction and operation of airport and roadway infrastructure. Most attention has focused on buildings, with high profile BREEAM and LEED projects taking center stage. Sustainability is also important in airport and roadway infrastructure projects, which have significant public impact but have a much lower profile than vertical construction when it comes to sustainability. Sustainable infrastructure is important in China and India where new infrastructure is under construction to meet growing and developing economies, and in the US, where infrastructure is in substandard condition and requires reconstruction. The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview and discussion of sustainability rating systems for airport and roadway infrastructure, including both construction and operation. Specific projects that highlight both proven and innovative sustainable practices are included to illustrate the application of these concepts. Finally, the relationship between sustainable transportation infrastructure and resilient transportation infrastructure is addressed since resiliency is of growing interest and there is overlap between these concepts.
Engineering Owner: Construction Headquarters of Yangshan Deep-water Port Phase IV Project of Shanghai International Shipping Center
Designer: CCCC Third Harbor Consultants Co., Ltd.
Civil Constructer: China State Construction Harbor Construction Co., Ltd.;
CCCC Third Harbor Engineering Co., Ltd.
Equipment Manufacturer: Shanghai Zhenhua Port Machinery Co., Ltd.
Software Developer and System Integrator: Shanghai Harbor e-Logistics Software Co., Ltd. of Shanghai International Port (Group) Co., Ltd.
Supervisor: Shanghai Far East Waterway Engineering Construction Supervision and Consultation Co., Ltd.;
Shanghai Donghua Construction Management Co., Ltd.;
Jinghua Engineering Supervision Co., Ltd. under CCCC Water Transportation Consultants Co., Ltd.
Operator: Shangdong Branch, Shanghai International Port (Group) Co., Ltd.