Etiqueta: Sustainability

Propuesta de indicadores de sostenibilidad para el proyecto de puentes de pequeña luz

Acaban de publicarnos un artículo en la revista International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (revista indexada en el JCR) sobre la propuesta de indicadores de sostenibilidad para el proyecto de puentes de pequeña luz.

El trabajo se enmarca dentro del proyecto de investigación DIMALIFE que dirijo como investigador principal en la Universitat Politècnica de València.

También es fruto de la colaboración con el profesor Moacir Kripka, de la Universidad de Passo Fundo, de Brasil.

En este trabajo se presenta la aplicación de técnicas que analizan la sostenibilidad en el ciclo de vida de las superestructuras de puentes de pequeña luz. El objetivo es obtener indicadores ambientales y económicos para su integración en el proceso de adopción de decisiones a fin de minimizar el impacto ambiental, reducir el consumo de recursos y  los costos del ciclo de vida. Se analizaron 27 configuraciones de puentes de pequeñas luces (6 a 20 m) de los siguientes tipos: puentes mixtos de acero y hormigón, puentes de hormigón armado in situ, puentes prefabricados y puentes de hormigón pretensado, que comprenden un total de 405 estructuras. Los impactos ambientales y los costos se cuantificaron mediante la evaluación ambiental del ciclo de vida y el análisis del costo del ciclo de vida siguiendo los límites de los sistemas desde la extracción de los materiales hasta el final de la vida del puente (“de la cuna a la tumba”). En general, los resultados indicaron que el rendimiento ambiental de los puentes estaba vinculado significativamente a la selección de los materiales y la configuración de los puentes. Además, el estudio permitió identificar los productos y procesos de mayor impacto a fin de subvencionar el diseño de estructuras y políticas gubernamentales más sostenibles.

Abstract:

The application of techniques to analyze sustainability in the life cycle of small-span bridge superstructures is presented in this work. The objective was to obtain environmental and economic indicators for integration into the decision-making process to minimize the environmental impact, reduce resource consumption and minimize life cycle costs. Twenty-seven configurations of small-span bridges (6 to 20 m) of the following types were analyzed: steel–concrete composite bridges, cast in situ reinforced concrete bridges, precast bridges and prestressed concrete bridges, comprising a total of 405 structures. Environmental impacts and costs were quantified via life cycle environmental assessment and life cycle cost analysis following the boundaries of systems from the extraction of materials to the end of bridge life (“from cradle to grave”). In general, the results indicated that the environmental performance of the bridges was significantly linked to the material selection and bridge configuration. In addition, the study enabled the identification of the products and processes with the greatest impact in order to subsidize the design of more sustainable structures and government policies.

Keywords:

bridges; sustainability; design; life cycle assessment

Reference:

MILANI, C.J.; YEPES, V.; KRIPKA, M. (2020). Proposal of sustainability indicators for the design of small-span bridges. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(12):4488. DOI:10.3390/ijerph17124488

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Evaluación del impacto ambiental y social de puentes de carretera óptimos de hormigón postesado

Acaban de publicarnos un artículo en la revista Sustainability,  revista indexada en JCR. En este artículo se evalúa el impacto social y ambiental de puentes de carretera óptimos de hormigón postesado. El trabajo se enmarca dentro del proyecto de investigación DIMALIFE que dirijo como investigador principal en la Universitat Politècnica de València.

La mayoría de las definiciones de sostenibilidad incluyen tres pilares básicos: económico, ambiental y social. El aspecto económico siempre se evalúa, pero no necesariamente en el sentido de la sostenibilidad económica. Por otra parte, el aspecto ambiental se está considerando cada vez más, mientras que el pilar social apenas se ha trabajado en él. Centrándose en los pilares ambiental y social, resulta crucial el uso de metodologías que permitan una evaluación amplia de todos los aspectos y la integración de la evaluación en unos pocos indicadores que sean comprensibles. Este artículo se estructura en dos partes. En la primera parte se hace un examen de los métodos de evaluación del impacto del ciclo de vida, que permiten una evaluación amplia de los aspectos ambiental y social. En la segunda parte, se realiza una evaluación completa de la sostenibilidad ambiental y social utilizando la base de datos de ecoinvent y el método ReCiPe, para el pilar ambiental, y la base de datos SOCA y el método simple de ponderación del impacto social, para el pilar social. Esta metodología se utilizó para comparar tres puentes optimizados: dos puentes de carretera de hormigón postensado de sección en cajón con diversas características iniciales y de mantenimiento, y un puente prefabricado de hormigón pretensado. Los resultados muestran que existe una alta interrelación entre el impacto ambiental y social para cada etapa del ciclo de vida.

Abstract

Most of the definitions of sustainability include three basic pillars: economic, environmental, and social. The economic pillar has always been evaluated but not necessarily in the sense of economic sustainability. On the other hand, the environmental pillar is increasingly being considered, while the social pillar is weakly developed. Focusing on the environmental and social pillars, the use of methodologies to allow a wide assessment of these pillars and the integration of the assessment in a few understandable indicators is crucial. This article is structured into two parts. In the first part, a review of life cycle impact assessment methods, which allow a comprehensive assessment of the environmental and social pillars, is carried out. In the second part, a complete environmental and social sustainability assessment is made using the ecoinvent database and ReCiPe method, for the environmental pillar, and SOCA database and simple Social Impact Weighting method, for the social pillar. This methodology was used to compare three optimized bridges: two box-section post-tensioned concrete road bridges with a variety of initial and maintenance characteristics, and a pre-stressed concrete precast bridge. The results show that there is a high interrelation between the environmental and social impact for each life cycle stage.

Keywords

 Sustainability; LCA; S-LCA; social assessment; ecoinvent; SOCA

Reference:

PENADÉS-PLÀ, V.; MARTÍNEZ-MUÑOZ, D.; GARCÍA-SEGURA, T.; NAVARRO, I.J.; YEPES, V. (2020). Environmental and social impact assessment of optimized post-tensioned concrete road bridges. Sustainability, 12(10), 4265. DOI:10.3390/su12104265

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Optimización de emisiones de CO2 y costes de muros de contrafuertes con el algoritmo del agujero negro

Acaban de publicarnos un artículo en la revista Sustainability,  revista indexada en JCR. En este artículo minimizamos las emisiones de CO2 en la construcción de un muro de contrafuertes de hormigón armado usando la metaheurística del agujero negro (Black Hole Algorithm). El trabajo se enmarca dentro del proyecto de investigación DIMALIFE que dirijo como investigador principal en la Universitat Politècnica de València.

La optimización del costo y de las emisiones de CO2 en los muros de contención de tierras es relevante, pues estas estructuras se utilizan muy frecuentemente en la ingeniería civil. La optimización de los costos es esencial para la competitividad de la empresa constructora, y la optimización de las emisiones es relevante en el impacto ambiental de la construcción. Para abordar la optimización se utilizó la metaheurística de los agujeros negros, junto con un mecanismo de discretización basado en la normalización mínimo-máxima. Se evaluó la estabilidad del algoritmo con respecto a las soluciones obtenidas; se analizaron los valores de acero y hormigón obtenidos en ambas optimizaciones. Además, se compararon las variables geométricas de la estructura. Los resultados muestran un buen rendimiento en la optimización con el algoritmo de agujero negro.

Abstract

The optimization of the cost and CO 2 emissions in earth-retaining walls is of relevance, since these structures are often used in civil engineering. The optimization of costs is essential for the competitiveness of the construction company, and the optimization of emissions is relevant in the environmental impact of construction. To address the optimization, black hole metaheuristics were used, along with a discretization mechanism based on min–max normalization. The stability of the algorithm was evaluated with respect to the solutions obtained; the steel and concrete values obtained in both optimizations were analyzed. Additionally, the geometric variables of the structure were compared. Finally, the results obtained were compared with another algorithm that solved the problem. The results show that there is a trade-off between the use of steel and concrete. The solutions that minimize CO 2 emissions prefer the use of concrete instead of those that optimize the cost. On the other hand, when comparing the geometric variables, it is seen that most remain similar in both optimizations except for the distance between buttresses. When comparing with another algorithm, the results show a good performance in optimization using the black hole algorithm.

Keywords

CO2 emission; earth-retaining walls; optimization; black hole; min–max discretization

Reference:

YEPES, V.; MARTÍ, J.V.; GARCÍA, J. (2020). Black hole algorithm for sustainable design of counterfort retaining walls. Sustainability, 12, 2767. DOI:10.3390/su12072767

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Valoración multicriterio de alternativas sostenibles para viviendas unifamiliares

Acaban de publicarnos un artículo en la revista Journal of Cleaner Production, revista de ELSEVIER indexada en el primer decil del JCR.

En este artículo se presenta un estudio de tres alternativas estructurales diferentes que se aplican a un chalet adosado para facilitar la toma de decisiones, basándose en múltiples criterios y teniendo en cuenta la sostenibilidad. La metodología empleada permite identificar la estructura y evaluar las diferentes alternativas aquí propuestas para encontrar la opción óptima. Se compara una solución de referencia tradicional, un diseño prefabricado y, finalmente, una opción tecnológica basada en un sistema estructural integral de hormigón armado. El estudio proporciona un conjunto de indicadores para evaluar los aspectos ambientales, económicos y sociales de un edificio a lo largo de su ciclo de vida.

El trabajo se enmarca dentro del proyecto de investigación DIMALIFE que dirijo como investigador principal en la Universitat Politècnica de València.

El artículo lo podéis descargar GRATUITAMENTE hasta el 25 de abril de 2020 en el siguiente enlace:

https://authors.elsevier.com/a/1ah94_LqUdMgSB

Abstract

In the architecture sector, single-family housing projects are often linked to demand from private clients, without arousing very much interest from developers, who seek higher returns on other real estate assets. For any owner, the construction of a home is perhaps the biggest investment of their life, and success or failure will therefore depend on the right decision. This paper presents a study of three different structural alternatives that are applied to a terraced house to facilitate decision making by a self-promoter, based on multiple criteria and taking sustainability into consideration. The methodology used allows us to identify the structure and to evaluate the different alternatives proposed here in order to find the optimal option. A comparison is drawn between a traditional reference solution, a pre-cast design and finally a technological option based on an integral reinforced concrete structural system. Although the technical feasibility of these last two solutions has been proven, they have not yet received enough attention from researchers to allow the thermal envelope of the building to be solved at the same time as the structure itself. The last of these alternatives achieved the best valuation, although it is neither the most widely used alternative or the quickest to build. This study demonstrates the practical versatility of a method that is seldom used in residential construction and only rarely used for single-family homes. We evaluate three alternatives for optimizing the structure and enveloping walls of a self-promoted, terraced house from a sustainability perspective. The study provides a set of indicators for assessing the environmental, economic and social aspects of a building throughout its life cycle. The sustainability index of the structural envelope obtained in this way allows a self-promoter to prioritize solutions to ensure its global sustainability.

Highlights

  • Each self-promoting decisions influence the global model of sustainable construction.
  • Self-construction prioritizes economic and functional aspects in the life cycle.
  • Three alternatives comparing traditional structure with non-conventional MMC systems.
  • A balance between the indicators favours a better sustainability index.
  • Reinforced concrete technology in housing reduces 10% lead times and 23% cost.

Keywords

Single-family house
Multi-criteria decision making
Sustainable design
MIVES
Ytong
Elesdopa

Reference:

SÁNCHEZ-GARRIDO, A.J.; YEPES, V. (2020). Multi-criteria assessment of alternative sustainable structures for a self-promoted, single-family home. Journal of Cleaner Production, 258, 120556. DOI:10.1016/j.jclepro.2020.120556

Special Issue “Sustainable Construction II”

High visibility: indexed by the Science Citation Index Expanded, the Social Sciences Citation Index (Web of Science) and other databases. Impact Factor: 2.801 (2018)

Special Issue “Sustainable Construction II”

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section “Sustainable Engineering and Science“.

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 June 2020.

Special Issue Editors

Guest Editor

Prof. Dr. Víctor Yepes
Concrete Science and Technology Institute (ICITECH), Department of Construction Engineering and Civil Engineering Projects, Universitat Politècnica de València Valencia, Spain
Interests: multi-objective optimization; life-cycle assessment; decision-making; sustainability; concrete structures; CO2 emissions; construction management

Guest Editor

Prof. Dr. José V. Martí
Concrete Science and Technology Institute (ICITECH), Department of Construction Engineering and Civil Engineering Projects, Universitat Politècnica de València Valencia, Spain
Interests: multiobjective optimization; structures optimization; lifecycle assessment; social sustainability of infrastructures; construction engineering

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This “Sustainable Construction” Special Issue comprises selected papers for Sustainability. Construction is one of the main sectors generating greenhouse gases. This industry consumes large amounts of raw materials, such as stone, timber, water, etc. Additionally, infrastructure should provide service over many years without safety problems. Therefore, their correct design, construction, maintenance and dismantling are essential to reduce economic, environmental and societal consequences. That is why promoting sustainable construction is becoming extremely important nowadays. This Special Issue is seeking papers that explore new ways of reducing the environmental impacts caused by the construction sector, as well promoting social progress and economic growth. These objectives include, but are not limited to:

  • The use of sustainable materials in construction
  • The development of technologies and processes intended to improve sustainability in construction
  • The optimization of designs based on sustainable indicators
  • The reduction of the economic, environmental and social impact caused by production processes
  • The promotion of durable materials that reduce the future maintenance
  • The life-cycle assessment
  • Decision-making processes that integrate economic, social, and environmental aspects

Papers selected for this Special Issue are subject to a rigorous peer-review procedure with the aim of rapid and wide dissemination of research results, developments and applications.

Submission

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All papers will be peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Keywords

  • sustainable materials
  • life-cycle assessment
  • sustainable and efficient technologies and processes
  • design optimization
  • durable materials
  • maintenance minimization
  • decision-making

Revisión de las técnicas de valoración multicriterio aplicadas al diseño sostenible de infraestructuras

Acaban de publicarnos un artículo en la revista Advances in Civil Engineering (revista indexada en el JCR) sobre la revisión de las técnicas de valoración multicriterio aplicadas al diseño sostenible de infraestructuras. El trabajo se enmarca dentro del proyecto de investigación DIMALIFE que dirijo como investigador principal en la Universitat Politècnica de València.

Dados los grandes impactos asociados a la construcción y mantenimiento de infraestructuras, tanto en la dimensión ambiental como en la económica y social, un enfoque sostenible de su diseño parece esencial para facilitar el cumplimiento de los Objetivos de Desarrollo Sostenible fijados por las Naciones Unidas. Un repaso a la bibliografía existente indica, por lo general, que se aplican métodos de toma de decisiones multicriterio para abordar los criterios complejos y a menudo contradictorios que caracterizan la sostenibilidad. El presente estudio revisa el estado actual de la técnica en la aplicación de dichas técnicas en la evaluación de la sostenibilidad de las infraestructuras, analizando también los impactos y criterios de sostenibilidad incluidos en las evaluaciones.

El artículo se encuentra publicado en abierto, y por tanto se puede descargar gratuitamente en el siguiente enlace: https://www.hindawi.com/journals/ace/2019/6134803/

ABSTRACT:

Given the great impacts associated with the construction and maintenance of infrastructures in both the environmental, the economic and the social dimensions, a sustainable approach to their design appears essential to ease the fulfilment of the Sustainable Development Goals set by the United Nations. Multicriteria decision-making methods are usually applied to address the complex and often conflicting criteria that characterise sustainability. The present study aims to review the current state of the art regarding the application of such techniques in the sustainability assessment of infrastructures, analysing as well the sustainability impacts and criteria included in the assessments. The Analytic Hierarchy Process is the most frequently used weighting technique. Simple Additive Weighting has turned out to be the most applied decision-making method to assess the weighted criteria. Although a life cycle assessment approach is recurrently used to evaluate sustainability, standardised concepts, such as cost discounting, or presentation of the assumed functional unit or system boundaries, as required by ISO 14040, are still only marginally used. Additionally, a need for further research in the inclusion of fuzziness in the handling of linguistic variables is identified.

REFERENCIA:

NAVARRO, I.J.; YEPES, V.; MARTÍ, J.V. (2019). A review of multi-criteria assessment techniques applied to sustainable infrastructures design. Advances in Civil Engineering, 2019: 6134803. DOI:10.1155/2019/6134803

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VisualUVAM: Una nueva herramienta para el apoyo en la toma de decisiones sobre vulnerabilidad urbana

Nos acaban de publicar en la revista Sustainaibility (segundo cuartil en Web of Science) un artículo donde se explica una nueva metodología, VisualUVAM, que sirve de apoyo en la toma de decisiones relacionada con la vulnerabilidad urbana. Esta herramienta se ha aplicado a nivel regional, provincial y municipal en España. Complementa los artículos y estudios previos realizados por nuestro grupo de investigación en el marco del proyecto de  investigación DIMALIFE, plasmados en la tesis doctoral de Jorge Salas, de la que ya comentamos algo en un artículo anterior.

Como se trata de una publicación en abierto, os dejo a continuación el artículo completo para su descarga.

Referencia:

SALAS, J.; YEPES, V. (2019). VisualUVAM: A Decision Support System Addressing the Curse of Dimensionality for the Multi-Scale Assessment of Urban Vulnerability in Spain. Sustainability, 11(8), 2191. doi:10.3390/su11082191

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Selección de puentes sostenibles de vanos pequeños en Brasil

Nos acaban de publicar en la revista Sustainaibility (segundo cuartil en Web of Science) un artículo donde se aplica la toma de decisiones multicriterio (AHP y Vikor) para seleccionar el tipo de puente de vano corto más idóneo desde el punto de vista de la sostenibilidad en el contexto de Brasil.

Se trata del fruto del trabajo conjunto desarrollado por el profesor Moacir Kripka, catedrático de estructuras en la Universidade de Passo Fundo, que estuvo de estancia en nuestra universidad hace unos meses.

Este artículo forma parte de nuestra línea de investigación DIMALIFE en la que se pretenden optimizar estructuras atendiendo no sólo a su coste, sino al impacto ambiental y social que generan a lo largo de su ciclo de vida.

Como se trata de una publicación en abierto, os dejo a continuación el artículo completo para su descarga.

 

Referencia:

KRIPKA, M.; YEPES, V.; MILANI, C.J. (2019). Selection of sustainable short-span bridge design in Brazil. Sustainability, 11:1307. DOI: 10.3390/su11051307

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Técnicas de decisión multicriterio para la educación de ingenieros en sostenibilidad

ABSTRACT

In recent times, a great deal of interest has emerged from different sectors of society towards sustainability and sustainable product design. Decision makers are increasingly encouraged to take into consideration the economic, environmental and social dimensions of reality when dealing with problems. Sustainability is of particular importance in the field of civil engineering, where structures are designed that are long lasting and shall cause significant impacts over a long period of time, such as bridges or dams. Consequently, when addressing a structural design, civil engineers shall account for the three dimensions of sustainability, which usually show conflicting perspectives. Multi-criteria methods allow the inclusion of non-monetary aspects into the design process of infrastructure. In the postgraduate course ‘Predictive and optimisation models for concrete structures’, offered at the Masters in Concrete Engineering of the Universitat Politècnica de València, civil engineering students are taught how to apply such tools within the framework of sustainable design of concrete structures. The present paper conducts a state-of-the-art review of the main multi-criteria decision making methodologies taught in the course in the context of sustainability. Articles are searched in recognized databases, such as SCOPUS and Web of Science. The most significant methods, such as Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP), Elimination and Choice Expressing Reality (ELECTRE), Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) or Complex Proportional Assessment (COPRAS) are systematically discussed, identifying the actual trends concerning the use of such methodologies in the field of civil engineering. The review provides a deep insight in the multi criteria techniques that are most frequently used when assessing sustainability of infrastructure designs.

KEYWORDS

Postgraduate education; multi-criteria decision making; sustainability; structural design; state of the art review

REFERENCE

NAVARRO, I.; MARTÍ, J.V.; YEPES, V. (2018). Multi-criteria decision making techniques in civil engineering education for sustainability. Proceedings of ICERI2018,the 11th annual International Conference of Education, Research and Innovation, Seville (Spain), 12th-14th November 2018, pp. 9798-9807.  ISBN: 978-84-09-05948-5

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Comparativa medioambiental de muros atendiendo a su ciclo completo de vida

Acaban de publicarnos un artículo en la revista Journal of Cleaner Production (primer decil del JCR), de la editorial ELSEVIER, en la que analizamos una de las construcciones más habituales en la ingeniería civil, como son las estructuras de contención de tierras.

Se ha realizado para ello un análisis de ciclo de vida completo de cuatro tipos de muros: muros de hormigón armado, de hormigón en masa, de gaviones y de escollera. Además se ha realizado un estudio paramétrico para averiguar hasta qué altura de tierras es mejor una u otra tipología. Las conclusiones obtenidas no son evidentes a priori. Podéis verlas en el resumen que os paso a continuación.

Además, la editorial ELSEVIER nos permite la distribución gratuita del artículo hasta el 29 de junio de 2018. Por tanto, os paso el enlace para que os podáis descargar este artículo: https://authors.elsevier.com/a/1X15O3QCo9R1sI

Referencia:

PONS, J.J.; PENADÉS-PLÀ, V.; YEPES, V.; MARTÍ, J.V. (2018). Life cycle assessment of earth-retaining walls: An environmental comparison. Journal of Cleaner Production, 192:411-420.  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2018.04.268

Abstract:

Earth-retaining walls are one of the most common structures in civil engineering, a discipline of the construction sector, which is known to produce one of the highest environmental impacts. Therefore, developing cleaner design and construction practices could contribute to a more sustainable future for our planet. To make a step towards this goal, this study comprises the life cycle assessment (LCA) of the four most common earth-retaining walls built between 1 to 6 m of height: cantilever walls, gravity walls, masonry walls and gabion walls to obtain the best solutions for the environment. To assess the environmental impacts caused throughout their whole life-cycle including the production, construction, use and end of life phases, we used the OpenLCA software, the ecoinvent 3.3 database and the ReCiPe (H) method. The associated uncertainties have been considered and the results are provided in both midpoint and endpoint approaches. Our findings show that gabion and masonry walls produce the lowest global impact. On the one hand, gabion walls cause less damage to human health but on the other hand, masonry walls cause less damage to the ecosystems. Furthermore, gravity walls produce similar impacts to gabion and masonry walls between 1 and 3 m of height as well as fewer impacts than cantilever walls for a height of 4 m. In conclusion, gabion and masonry walls are preferable to concrete walls for heights between 1 and 6 m and cantilever walls should be used over gravity walls for greater heights than 4.5 m.

Keywords:

Life cycle assessment; Sustainability; Earth-retaining wall; ReCiPe

Highlights:

  • Four earth-retaining walls are compared to obtain the best environmental solution.
  • The OpenLCA software, the Ecoinvent 3.3 database and the ReCiPe (H) method are used.
  • Gabion walls cause less damage to human health than masonry walls.
  • Masonry walls cause less damage to the ecosystems than gabion walls.
  • Mass concrete walls are cleaner than reinforced ones until 4.5 m of height.