Decision-making for Sustainable Buildings

To contribute to society’s decarbonization goals, the Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) industry must rapidly transition to low-carbon buildings. Low carbon construction materials and other building technologies are contributing to this decarbonization, but the rate of change for this transition remains low. A range of technical issues must be addressed to transition to low-carbon buildings, but the drivers and barriers to these changes often extend beyond the technology alone, and involve the interface of technical, economic, social (organizational, governance, and individual), and process issues. This research will explore these drivers, barriers, and decision-making across the techno-socio-economic domain through a series of detailed case studies of construction projects, examining both what worked and what didn’t to make the buildings more sustainable. The research will result in important lessons learned and recommendations for accelerating this transition to low-carbon construction.

Faculty Supervisor:

Thomas Froese

Student:

Partner:

TransECO

Discipline:

Engineering

Sector:

Construction and infrastructure

University:

University of Victoria

Program: