Greening the built environment

1.

IE 351. GREENING THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT
Lecture 1: Overview -- Global Environmental
Issues and the Built Environment
Alen Amirkhanian
College of Engineering
American University of Armenia

2. DISCUSS COURSE SYLLABUS

3.

Method of Evaluation
Student learning will be evaluated on the basis of the following weighted
components:
• Completeness and quality of assignments (35% of final grade); for
Group projects each member of the group will be evaluated separately
based on their contribution and/or demonstrated understanding of the
tasks/results/concepts/etc.
• Grade on midterm examination (25% of final grade) (format: multiple
choice, true/false, short answer, short essay, problem solving)
• Grade on final examination (25% of final grade) (format: multiple choice,
long essay, problem solving)
• Class participation (15% of final grade) (includes attendance, meaningful
contribution, being well-prepared (5%) and quizzes (10%))

4.

GRADING
The final grades will be
determined based on
total points
accumulated and their
weights as specified
above.
The final grades will not
be curved.
They will be based on
the following
breakdown:
Highest
Letter
100.00 %
96.99 %
93.99 %
89.99 %
86.99 %
83.99 %
79.99 %
76.99 %
73.99 %
69.99 %
66.99 %
63.99 %
59.99 %
Lowest
97.00 %
94.00 %
90.00 %
87.00 %
84.00 %
80.00 %
77.00 %
74.00 %
70.00 %
67.00 %
64.00 %
60.00 %
00.00 %
A+
A
AB+
B
BC+
C
CD+
D
DF

5.

Quizzes, Exams, and Make-up Procedures:
Quizzes may be administered during any of the scheduled class
sessions without prior notice. Students will not be allowed to make up
quizzes or exams they miss unless they inform the instructor of their
absence 24 hours. Emergencies will be considered on a case-bycase basis.
Standards for Academic Integrity:
Students are required to conduct themselves in an academically
responsible and ethical manner in line with the AUA Code of Student
Ethics. Acts of academic dishonesty (e.g., plagiarism, cheating during
tests, copying homework) impair the academic integrity of AUA and
create an unfair academic advantage for the student involved and
other members of the academic community. These acts are subject to
disciplinary measures as prescribed in the AUA Code of Student
Ethics.

6. DISCUSS COURSE SYLLABUS

7.

HUMAN BEINGS AS THE SKIN CANCER OF THE
PLANET:
The earth has skin and that skin has many diseases;
one of these diseases is man.
Fredrich Nietzche
HUMAN BEINGS AS MEMBERS OF A LIVING
ORGANISM called EARTH:
Every decision we make we always keep in mind the
Seventh Generation … It is our job to see that … the
generations unborn, have a world no worse than ours—
and hopefully better.
Iroquois Chief Oren Lyons
quoted in Cities and Sustainable Ecosystems (2008)
Growing population
Greater longevity
WE HAVE A BIG
PROBLEM Մեծ
Rising incomes
Depleting natural resource
պրոբլեմ

8.

Աշխարհի բնակչության թիվը և աճը
World population growth
(in millions)
Source: United Nations

9.

Աշխարհի բնակչության թիվը և աճը ըստ
աշխարամասերի
Oceania
Population Size and
Growth by Continent
North America
Latin America
(in millions)
Europe
Asia
Source: United Nations
2050
2000
1950
1900
1850
1800
1750
Africa

10.

Աշխարհի բնակչության կÛանքի ëåաëíáÕ ï¨ողությունը
ըստ աշխարամասերի
This growing population is also living longer
Source: World
Resources
Institute, 2006

11.

World Bank data shows that the percentage of the population
living in households with income per person below the poverty
line has decreased in each region of the world since 1990
Աշխարհի չքավոր
բնակչության մասը ըստ
1990
աշխարամասերի
2002
2004
East Asia and Pacific
15.40%
12.33%
9.07%
Europe and Central Asia
3.60%
1.28%
0.95%
Latin America and the Caribbean
9.62%
9.08%
8.64%
Middle East and North Africa
2.08%
1.69%
1.47%
South Asia
35.04%
33.44%
30.84%
Sub-Saharan Africa
46.07%
42.63%
41.09%
Source: World Bank, 2007

12.

Let’s watch a video by Hans Rosling
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jbkSRLYSojo

13.

Human consumption cycle
Food
Energy
Water
Transport
Human habitation
Clothing
Electronics
Other consumer goods
Sun
Resources
Waste
Solid
Liquid
Gas/Particulate
Heat

14.

Էկոլոգիական
ոտնահետքը
The ecological footprint is a measure of human demand on
the Earth's ecosystems.
It represents the amount of biologically productive land
and sea area needed to regenerate the resources a human
population consumes and to absorb and render harmless
the corresponding waste.
The Earth has about 12 billion hectares of bio-productive
land – that’s 2.1 hectares for every man, woman and child
on Earth.
Source: www.panda.org

15.

Globally, humans need 2.1 hectare to have a sustainable planet. The
human ecological footprint in 2008 stood at 2.7. That is 0.6 greater
than the planet’s capacity.
Rank Country
World
1 United Arab Emirates
2 USA
3 Kuwait
4 Denmark
5 Australia
6 New Zealand
7 Canada
8 Norway
9 Estonia
10 Ireland
11 Greece
12 Spain
13 Uruguay
14 Czech Republic
15 United Kingdom
16 Finland
17 Belgium
18 Sweden
19 Austria
20 Switzerland
21 France
22 Japan
23 Israel
24 Italy
25 Oman
…
98 Armenia
…
150 Malawi
Source: Global Footprint Network, 2008
Ecological
footprint
2.7
9.5
9.4
8.9
8
7.8
7.7
7.1
6.9
6.4
6.3
5.9
5.7
5.5
5.4
5.3
5.2
5.1
5.1
5
5
4.9
4.9
4.8
4.8
4.7
Ecological
reserve
-0.6
-8.4
-4.4
-8.4
-2.3
7.6
6.4
13
-0.8
2.7
-2
-4.2
-4.4
5
-2.6
-3.7
6.5
-4
4.9
-2.1
-3.7
-1.9
-4.3
-4.4
-3.5
-2.1
1.4
-0.6
0.5
0
Rank Country
World
1 United Arab Emirates
2 Kuwait
3 USA
4 Spain
5 Israel
6 Japan
7 Greece
8 Singapore
9 Belgium
10 United Kingdom
11 Switzerland
12 Italy
13 Netherlands
14 Libya
15 Republic of Macedonia
16 Portugal
17 South Korea
18 Lebanon
19 Czech Republic
20 Denmark
21 Slovenia
22 Germany
23 Austria
24 Oman
25 Ireland
…
54 Armenia
…
150 Gabon
Ecological
footprint
2.7
9.5
8.9
9.4
5.7
4.8
4.9
5.9
4.2
5.1
5.3
5
4.8
4.4
4.3
4.6
4.4
3.7
3.1
5.4
8
4.5
4.2
5
4.7
6.3
Ecological
reserve
-0.6
-8.4
-8.4
-4.4
-4.4
-4.4
-4.3
-4.2
-4.1
-4
-3.7
-3.7
-3.5
-3.3
-3.3
-3.2
-3.2
-3
-2.7
-2.6
-2.3
-2.3
-2.3
-2.1
-2.1
-2
1.4
-0.6
1.3
23.7

16.

Ecological footprint is development dependent but other
factors also play a role
Սոցիալ-տնտեսական զարգացումը և էկոլոգիական ոտնահետքը

17.

A significant component of the ecological
footprint is the carbon footprint; the
remainder considers fisheries, forests,
cropland, water
Ածխածնային
Theոտնահետքը
carbon footprint measures the
amount of greenhouse gases (GHG’s)
released into the atmosphere per human
activity or some other unit of production.
Զերմոցային գազեր
When released into the atmosphere, these gases create a shield that
prevents the solar heat from escaping, thus creating a “greenhouse” effect.
Ածխածին երկօքսիդի արտանետումը
գոյանում է ֆոսիլային վառելանյութի
Theշահագործումից
most significant of these gases is CO2 which is derived from fossil fuels.
GHG’s also include methane, nitrous oxide.
Այլ ԶԳ-ներն են մեթանը և ազոտի օքսիդը
Source: www.nature.org

18.

Total CO2 Emissions from Fossil Fuels (million metric tons)
ֆոսիլաին վառելիքներից գոյացած
ածխածին երկօքսիդի արտանետումնեիի քանակը (միլ. տոննա)
Rank
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Country
China
US
Russian Federation
India
Japan
Germany
Canada
United Kingdom
South Korea
Iran
% of '07
World
Total
21.3%
18.7%
5.1%
5.1%
4.0%
2.5%
1.7%
1.7%
1.5%
1.5%
% of '07
World
Region
Total
Asia Pacific
39.2%
North America
21.9%
Europe & Eurasia
21.7%
Middle East
4.9%
Africa
3.7%
South & Central America
3.4%
2007
Source: Carbon Dioxide Information Analysis Center; http://cdiac.ornl.gov/ 2006 data tables and 2007 estimates

19.

In the period 1950 to 2007, CO2 emission has grown 2.6 faster
than population growth.
Աշխարհի բնակչության և CO2-ի արտանետման տարեկան աճը
Simple Annual Growth Rate
(1950-2007)
Բնակչություն
Population
CO2-ի
արտանետում
CO2 Emissions
from Fossil Fuel
Source: Eurostat

20.

Source: “A Safe Operating Space for Humanity,” Nature 461, 472-475(24 September 2009) by Johan Rockström, Will Steffen, Kevin Noone,
Åsa Persson, F. Stuart Chapin, III, Eric F. Lambin, Timothy M. Lenton, Marten Scheffer, Carl Folke, Hans Joachim Schellnhuber, Björn Nykvist,
Cynthia A. de Wit, Terry Hughes, Sander van der Leeuw, Henning Rodhe, Sverker Sörlin, Peter K. Snyder, Robert Costanza, Uno Svedin, Malin
Falkenmark, Louise Karlberg, Robert W. Corell, Victoria J. Fabry, James Hansen, Brian Walker, Diana Liverman, Katherine Richardson, Paul
Crutzen & Jonathan A. Foley

21.

Source: “A Safe Operating Space for Humanity,” Nature 461, 472-475(24 September 2009) by Johan Rockström, Will Steffen, Kevin Noone, Åsa
Persson, F. Stuart Chapin, III, Eric F. Lambin, Timothy M. Lenton, Marten Scheffer, Carl Folke, Hans Joachim Schellnhuber, Björn Nykvist, Cynthia
A. de Wit, Terry Hughes, Sander van der Leeuw, Henning Rodhe, Sverker Sörlin, Peter K. Snyder, Robert Costanza, Uno Svedin, Malin
Falkenmark, Louise Karlberg, Robert W. Corell, Victoria J. Fabry, James Hansen, Brian Walker, Diana Liverman, Katherine Richardson, Paul
Crutzen & Jonathan A. Foley

22.

Source: MIT OCW (Prof. John Ochsendorf, “Sustainable Design: The Construction Industry”)

23.

Source: MIT OCW (Prof. John Ochsendorf, “Sustainable Design: The Construction Industry”)

24.

To reduce our ecological footprint and carbon footprint, we
have to rely on
Policy leadership
Technological innovation
Open minds to new approaches and ancient
approaches
Cultural changes (especially in consumption habits)
Individual responsibility

25.

Levels of analysis and impact
HUMAN
ECOLOGICAL
Global
Regions
Biochemical Cycles
(e.g., Caucasus, North America)
Biospheres (atmoshpere, terra,
Countries
aqua, …
Ecosystems
Provinces
Watersheds
Cities
Habitats
Neighborhoods
Buildings

26.

Why Cities and Buildings Matter
0.5% to 2% of Earth’s area (estimates vary)
50% of global population
400 cities with 1,000,000+ people
20“mega-cities” with 10,000,000+ people
80% of global CO2 emissions
75% of global energy consumption
Buildings use 40% of all energy and
They generate 50% of all greenhouse gases
Source: Presentation by Philip Duffy on April 30, 2009 at the “Cities and Climate Change: A Solutions Oriented Conference” held at the University of Southern California

27.

Traditionally, architects, planners, and builders had to
balance several values:
Aesthetics
Function
Cost
Today, they not only have to consider these but they
also have to consider:
Environment
Adopt a “life-cycle approach”
“cradle-to-cradle” approach;
we have to think system-wide.
Reduce, re-use, recycle;
renewable energy

28.

Over the past 15-20 years there is a growing body of
experience and experimentation in the fields of urban
planning and architecture that we can learn from:
Brand new cities designed on principals of
sustainability; these have been dubbed as
“eco cities”
There are also semi sci-fi ideas;
technologies under development and
some being marketed
Adoption of sustainable design
approaches in existing cities/buildings

29.

Brand New Cities (aka “Eco-Cities”)
Masdar City, Abu Dhabi, UAE
Foster+Partners applying the 10
principals of the One Planet
Living Programme; designed for
50k residents; construction
underway
Zero-carbon, zero-waste, and
fossil-fuel-car-free

30.

Brand New Cities (aka “Eco-Cities”)
Dongtan, People’s Republic of China
Arup Consultancy; ¾ size of Manhattan near Shanghai,
eventually home to 500k people; construction delayed
Carbon neutral, organic sustainable farming; solar, wind and
biomass energy; no landfills: all waste to be used; green roofs;
clean-fuel cars; hydrogen fuel cell public transport; network of
foot and bike paths; …

31.

Semi Sci Fi – Tech available or under development
MAGLEV SKYTRAN: An ondemand magnetic
levitation railway system
from the California startup
Unimodal can carry up to
14.4k people an hour (as
many as a 3 lane highway).
Speeds reach up to 150
mph (240 km/h); uses
permanent magnets which
use a fraction of the
energy hogging electric
magnets. System costs
$10m per mile, a tenth of
light rail systems
ENERGY PAINT: Invented by chemist
Somenath Mitra of the New Jersey
Institute of Techno]ogy, the viscous
solution contains two types of
nanoparticles—one that traps the sunlight
and another that converts it to electricity
GREEN TOWER: Based on a design by French architect Jacques Ferrier, has
an exterior concrete lattice, bearing the structural load of the building and
housing photovoltaic cells and rainwater channels. The latter funnel water to
a central purification system that provides clean water for the building.
Below geothermal wells tap into the constant temprature of the bedrock to
cool in the summer and warm in the winter.
Water-retaining
building skins
POD CAR: Small
electrical cars that fold
up when parked, saving
parking space. Solar
panels recharge the pod
and excess energy is
pumped into grid
CROWD FARMS: Proposed by the architects James Graham and Thaddeus Juscyk, gather energy
from footfalls that strike the sidewalk or any walking surface. If installed in a busy train station, a
Crowd Farm can power 6,500 LEDs, enough to light the building.

32.

Semi Sci Fi – Tech available or under development
Wind turbines (super efficient)
VERTICAL FARMS:
inspired by Israeli
company Organitech. A
30-story farm can
produce food and water
for 50,000 people.
Irrigation comes from
filtered sewer, purified
by a tower of zebra
mussels.
HYDROGEN AND
THE SUPER GRID:
Super grid that also
transports hydrogen
reducing waste
created from heat
generated from
transmission of
electricity
HIGHWAY WIND:
Harvesting of wind
created by human
activity; wind turbines
generated by architect
Mark Oberholzer line
all highway medians
Wave and tidal
energy harvesting

33.

10 Components of Green Cities and Buildings
Land and
Land Use
Economic
Activity
Waste
Bldg.
Materials
Water
Green
Built
Environment
Food
Energy
Green
Zones
Transport
Air

34.

VIEW VIDEO
Econic Design:
A Fantasy Piece on the Challenges of Engineering
Questions:
•What strikes you as one or two very interesting observations by
the filmmakers?
•What was discussed that was unexpected for you?
•Which of the suggested solutions resonated with you?
•Which of the suggested solutions sounds most realistic?
•Any other questions?

35.

HOW MANY PEOPLE THINK THIS IS A COURSE ABOUT
CREATING A UTOPIA?
Solutions may be:
•Simple / complex
•New / old
•Individual choice / systemic
•Decentralized / centralized
•About efficiency / about new resources / about eliminating waste
Approach will be:
•Integrated, system-wide thinking
•Focus on energy, water, and waste (but other topics may come up)
•IT’S GOING TO BE ABOUT TRADEOFF
•NO PREPACKAGED OPINIONS

36.

The content of my lectures will be:
Process
Basic facts
Measures
Practices
Your task is to:
• Critically absorb this
• Think about what applies to your current situation
• Not everything needs to apply; because you might
end up doing work elsewhere or current conditions
in Armenia may change

37.

How do you learn and grow professionally?
a) Formal education
b) Critical thinking (you play critical)
c) Practice
d) Colleagues and professional org’s
e) Professional Conferences
f) Reading: prof. publications, etc.

38.

ASSIGNMENT 1
Calculate your ecological footprint