EC2502* Sustainability for Engineers PDF

EC2502* Sustainability for Engineers Topic 01: SD and Engineering By Dr Md Motiar Rahman EC3502 SD 01 SD & Engineering 1  SD and Engineering: What is expected ? 1) The evolution of the SD concept > Compi...

EC2502* Sustainability for Engineers Topic 01: SD and Engineering By Dr Md Motiar Rahman EC3502 SD 01 SD & Engineering 1  SD and Engineering: What is expected ? 1) The evolution of the SD concept > Compiled from many sources. 2) Relevance between SD and Engineering 3) Role of Engineering & Civil Engineering to SD 4) Guiding principles of Engineering for SD 5) Application of the guiding principles Please download free from internet: for 2-5: Dodds, R and Venables, R. (2005). Engineering for Sustainable Development: Guiding Principles, The Royal Academy of Engineering (RAE). ISBN: 1-903496-21-7. (Editors: Richard Dodds and Roger Venables). EC3502 SD 01 SD & Engineering 2 EC3502 SD 01 SD & Engineering 3 EC3502 SD 01 SD & Engineering 4  Global Tallest Buildings EC3502 SD 01 SD & Engineering 5  Sky Scrappers Buildings: taller ≥ 150 m (492 ft) and ≥ 40 storeys Rank Country Total 200m+ 300m+ Tallest City 1 China 3,259 1,153 118 Shanghai 2 USA 1,025 256 34 New York 3 UAE 336 156 35 Dubai 4 Malaysia 304 70 6 Kuala Lumpur 5 Japan 283 52 2 Tokyo 6 South Korea 281 81 7 Seoul 7 Canada 162 42 0 Toronto 8 Australia 161 61 2 Melbourne 9 Indonesia 136 50 2 Jakarta 10 Thailand 131 29 3 Bangkok EC3502 SD 01 SD & Engineering 6  Development and Problem File:PizzaHutfloodJune2007UK.jpg The AXE Chesterfield, the UK : 15 June 2007 Tutong, Brunei: 25 January 2014. 01 SD & Engineering EC3502 SD 7  Environmental Concerns ??? Bio-diversity Climate Change Resource Depletion Hole in Ozone Acid Rain EC3502 SD 01 SD & Engineering 8 CE40009/50003/50020 Lean part 1 9 The conventional idea of production: Transformation CE40009/50003/50020 Lean part 1 10 The conventional idea of production: Transformation CE40009/50003/50020 Lean part 1 11  The conventional idea of production: Transformation In manufacturing, the T idea leads – to buffering for creating (relative) independence between workstations, i.e. material piles which ensure that each work station can keep a high utilization rate and seem always busy – to big batches for minimizing the set-up time Up until pre-1970s: Model of development: Creation of wealth Minimum cost Maximize profit CE40009/50003/50020 Lean part 1 12  Sustainable Development (SD) Up until pre-1970s: Model of development: – Creation of wealth >> minimum cost >> maximize profit Realisation that: – it is creating many problems, e.g. pollution, land use, deforestation, H&S, … – many social and economic problems & environmental degradation are intimately connected, e.g. poverty, disease and education, – these issues can not be solved in isolation – problem lies in the way we do things, which is currently undermining the natural systems, upon which we all depend on to keep on doing things So, the ‘present’ model of development is not ‘sustainable’ >> development should be in a different way. EC3502 SD 01 SD & Engineering 13  Sustainable Development (SD) The Timeline: some major events – Global think-tank on development model, e.g. 1962: The Silent Spring >> impact of agricultural pesticide 1968: The Population Bomb>> human population, resource exploitation and the environment – 1972: Stockholm Conf. on the Human Environment – 1980: World Conservation Strategy, and Global 200 Report – 1983: Gro Harlem Bruntland commission> report 1987: Nor PM – 1985: Climate Change – 1992: Two: SD, and Earth summit in Rio (Brazil) > UNCED >> Agenda 21 >> UNFCCC – 1994: Kyoto Protocol: 192 >>> 55 countries – 1997: Protocol adopted; 2005 entered into force, that member countries/ signatories must reduce CO2 emission, as long as there is Global warming & Man-made GHG – 2000 : Millennium development goals (MDGs) – 2002: World summit on SD – 10 years of UNCED – 2012 (Rio) > to develop SDGs – 2015: Paris Agreement – 2015: 2023 Agenda for SD, 17 SDGs, 169 targets EC3502 SD 01 SD & Engineering 14  Sustainable Development (SD) Therefore SD arises as a concept Sustainable 1970s: The Global Think Tank 1980s: The World Commission on Environment & Development Culture, The Brundtland Report (1987) the 4th Pillar Our Common Future (1987): SD is the development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs Key principles of SD: 1) Improve social & economic conditions 2) Promote equity 3) Protect the environment EC3502 SD 01 SD & Engineering 15  Sustainable Development (SD) So, what does SD mean in the present context? – SD is the development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs – However, any development (/ human activity) results in to disturbance to the natural environment, creates many social and environmental problems, impacting on land use, food, materials, production cost & carbon emission, etc. … – an extreme consequence of which is: rich becomes richer and poor becomes poorer. – The target is therefore to make a balance between the three pillars or spheres, i.e. to ensure economic growth, while at the same time, taking care of the degradation in social and environmental terms. – i.e. the process of moving human activities to a pattern that can be sustained in perpetuity. EC3502 SD 01 SD & Engineering 16  Economic Success Make a Informed Sustainable Balance Development Decision Making Economic Loss EC3502 SD 01 SD & Engineering 17  What is Engineering? ABET: Accreditation Board of Engineering & Technology – The creative application of scientific principles to design or develop structures, machines, apparatus, or manufacturing processes or works utilizing them singly or in combination; or – to construct or operate the same with full cognizance of their design; or – to forecast their behavior under specific operating conditions; – all as respects an intended function, economics of operation or safety to life and property. EC3502 SD 01 SD & Engineering 18  The Role of Engineers – I: Civil Engineer Royal Charter, 1828: The profession of a Civil Engineer – being the art of directing the great sources of power in Nature for the use and convenience of man, – as the means of production and of traffic in states both for external and internal trade, – as applied in the construction of roads, bridges, aqueducts, canals, river navigation and docks, for internal intercourse and exchange, and – in the construction of ports, harbours, moles, breakwaters and lighthouses, and – in the art of navigation by artificial power for the purposes of commerce, and – in the construction and adaptation of machinery, and in the drainage of cities and towns EC3502 SD 01 SD & Engineering 19  The Role of Engineers – II: Civil Engineer Common sense perception: – Civil engineering is a professional engineering discipline that – deals with the design, construction and maintenance – of the physical and natural built environment, – including works such as bridges, roads, canals, dams & buildings. Civil engineering is the oldest discipline after military engineering – it was defined to distinguish non-military engineering from military engineering. It is now divided into several sub-disciplines including: – structural engineering, environmental engineering, geotechnical engineering, transportation engineering, … – water resources engineering, coastal engineering, materials engineering, surveying, municipal or urban engineering, and construction engineering … EC3502 SD 01 SD & Engineering 20  The Role of Engineers – III: Mechanical Engineer Mechanical Engineering: – Deals with the design, construction and operation of machines. Mechanical Engineers / Engineering : – Are now divided into several sub-disciplines including composites, mechatronics, nanotechnology, – overlaps with aerospace engineering, metallurgical engineering, civil engineering, electrical engineering, manufacturing engineering, chemical engineering, industrial engineering, and other engineering disciplines to varying amounts. – may also work in the field of biomedical engineering, specifically with biomechanics, transport phenomena, biomechatronics, bionanotechnology, and modelling of biological systems. EC3502 SD 01 SD & Engineering 21  The Role of Engineers - IV As development progresses: – Engineers face 3 types of Concerns. – Socio-centric, Techno-centric, and Eco-centric concerns Socio-centric concerns: human expectations & aspirations – i.e. the needs of human beings to live worthwhile lives – UK Govt. ‘a better quality of life for everyone, now and in the future’. Techno-centric concerns, i.e. techno-economic systems: – the skills that Engineers must continue to deploy, and – the economic system within which skills are deployed. Eco-centric concerns > the ability of the planet to sustain us, – both by providing the material and energy resources/needs, and – by accommodating us and our emissions and wastes. EC3502 SD 01 SD & Engineering 22  1. Underlying meaning of SD is: Techno-centric & Socio- centric concerns are kept within Eco-centric concerns. 2. Achieving sustainability through SD will require some significant shifts in behavior & consumption patterns. 3. Engineers are the key players to do this, as both citizen + technical expert. 4. They take important decisions on the use of material, energy, water resources, etc. etc. to design and develop various new products and infrastructures. …. …. 5. Engineers to Lead, practice more & more, & achieve SD 6. Remember: SD is the process of moving human activities … to be sustained in perpetuity 7. Available Limited capitals: (1) Human, (2) Environmental, (3)social, (4) Financial, and (5) Manufactured. 8. SD is to utilize the first 3, to EC3502 SD 01 SD & Engineeringenhance either/all five capitals 23  The Role of Engineers – V: The Challenges Developments = Engineered products, services & infrastructure SIX Challenges faced by engineers to achieve SD : – Reduce the adverse environmental and social aspects of developments – Improve environmental performance of Developments – Improve contribution of Developments to a high quality of life – Help society to move towards a more sustainable lifestyle, and – Ensure that products, services and infrastructure meeting these criteria are competitive in the market place, and ideally the most competitive – Overarching Challenge>> Conflict between dual role: as a citizen / member to the society, and as a technocrat/ engineer to client or customer How to overcome the challenges? – Sensible decision making for using materials, energy, water resources, infrastructure development, etc. – Innovation and creativity, along with traditional skills, for using any alternatives available – Extensive planning and teamwork with other disciplines Read case studies – Sound knowledge of any Guiding Principles from the Guide EC3502 SD 01 SD & Engineering 24  What has been covered so far: Development creates many inter-related problems, which cannot be solved in isolation >> Sustainable Sustainable Development (SD): – Definition: Meets the needs >> both ‘present’ and ‘future’ – Principles: improve social and economic conditions, promote equity and protect environment – Underlying meaning: Techno-centric and Socio-centric concerns are kept within Eco-centric concerns – The need for ‘balancing’ SD and Engineering > the relevance – Various engineering branches / professions are involved SD and Engineers: and their roles – Concerns for SD: socio-centric, techno-centric and eco-centric. – Engineers play the key role > Lead, practice and achieve SD – A number of challenges > conflict of dual role Have you read – The need for Guiding Principles Case studies? EC3502 SD 01 SD & Engineering 25  12 Guiding Principles 1. Look beyond your own locality & the immediate future: – Locally sustainable with problems in broader context, e.g. material extraction for construction at other places – Identify potential positive & negative impacts – Seek to minimize the negative, and maximize the positive 2. Innovate and be creative: – Not to follow specific rules, but an approach to strike a balance – Alternative solution to fit SD, with flexible options to change 3. Seek a balanced solution> between 3 pillars & 5 capitals – Balance –ve & +ve impacts PLUS Seek gains from all 3 pillars – Prefer use of renewable & recyclable resources – Equal focus on present & future: aiming durability, flexibility & low impact – Market creating SD >>> e.g. alternatives to burning straw. EC3502 SD 01 SD & Engineering 26  12 Guiding Principles 4. Seek engagement from all stakeholders – User requirement: their views, perceptions and knowledge – Professional engineers: as citizen AND professional roles 5. Make sure you know the needs & wants – Problem identification: differentiate user needs & wants > stakeholder – Interdependencies of needs and wants between 3 pillars – Consult the stakeholders about SD solutions using broad framework 6. Plan and manage effectively – Open-ended terms of aims > NOT to preclude innovative solutions – Critically review historical evidence, for appropriate balance – Do not use a sledgehammer to crack a nut / fire a cannon to kill a mosquito – Keep plan straight-forward and use the easiest solutions and gains – Low hanging fruits (easily doable), but sustainable for future generations EC3502 SD 01 SD & Engineering 27  12 Guiding Principles 7. Give sustainability the benefit of any doubt > precautions – i.e. future impact of today’s decisions, – so need to demonstrate the results of the actions proposed – Caution: scientific understanding of the problems and effects of the decisions / actions not sure – ONLY reject very uncertain future events 8. If polluters must pollute … then they must pay as well – Production > pollution > effect at different places – Challenge: compensation amount>> so: law, attitude, CSR, … – Use social, environmental & political implications in appraisal 9. Adopt a holistic, ‘cradle to grave’ approach: WLC / LCC – to costing, EIA, & social equity to future generations – Future options, materials use, maintainability, end-of-life option EC3502 SD 01 SD & Engineering 28  12 Guiding Principles 10. Do things right, having decided on the right thing to do – Decided …>> following the principles 1-9, e.g. Retain the sustainability focus through WLC – Manage intermediate processes with active sustainability orientation – Ensure legal requirements and constraints are complied with. – Critically appraise good practices, and market & technical developments for adopting them 11. Beware of cost reductions that deceit as value engineering – Rationale: first time decisions are unlikely to be best every time. – Avoid sacrificing sustainability against cost reduction – Be self-critical to own assumptions & values – Challenge own and others’ existing assumptions – Re-examine first preferences for re-appraisal, if needed 12. Practice what you preach – Be accountable for self-work: design, … – Change yourself before seeking others to change – You must not expect more of others than you do EC3502 SD 01 SD & Engineering 29  Construction Project Lifecycle (PLC) The Construction Process (BS PD6079:4) EC3502 SD 01 SD & Engineering 30  PLC phases and project management structure [CIOB] EC3502 SD 01 SD & Engineering 31  Phases of PLC (BSI) EC3502 SD 01 SD & Engineering 32  Optional: Slides 24 - 30 Application of the Guiding Principles: STAGES Various ways to divide projects: APM, CIOB, RICS, PMI, BS For guiding purposes, into five main stages of Life-cycle: 1) Framing the requirement Participative & Qualitative 2) Scoping the decision 3) Planning and Design Strategic & Analytic 4) Implementation, Delivery and operations Managerial & Quantitative 5) End of usable life 1. Framing the requirement: – Often completed in a feasibility study or early design stages – Involves defining the need or desired outcome – Done by describing the issue/ problem, challenge, and boundary of decision making – Consideration on acceptability to build or manufacture>> i.e. client may not be able to accommodate full SD approach EC3502 SD 01 SD & Engineering 33  Application of the Guiding Principles 2. Scoping the decision: project definition study Usually in ‘project definition study’ for large projects, but in initial design for small & simple projects. Typical elements: Project description: name of the project, e.g. constructing a multi- storey residential building in … … KB + date Business need: aims and objectives, may or may not be measurable, e.g. cost reduction, 24-hr in hospital area, etc. Project ownership /approval, i.e. names of PM, or client Financial & project timing goals, e.g. project cost, IRR (internal rate of return), BE (break-even), CBR (cost-benefit ratio), profitability, etc. Resources: Internal resources to support the project (e.g. PM, site supervision, etc.) PLUS cost for external consultant and/or contractor. Project risks: all identified risks, consequences, measures, … The above demands rigorous consideration of SD issues with WLC approach to harvest maximum benefit, as most design decisions are taken at this stage. EC3502 SD 01 SD & Engineering 34  Application of the Guiding Principles 3. Planning and Design Planning: Determining in advance on what to do to execute a project within required time, cost & to the quality> choose from alternatives Detailed design: solutions that meet the diverse requirements Things to consider: fitness for purpose, safety, quality, VfM, … Minimize adverse impacts, & enhancement of environment, quality of life of consumers / clients, workers, neighbours, etc. Dis-assembly for maximum re-use and recycling 4. Implementation, Delivery and operations – Practical realisation of the design into a real physical product – Crucial to maintain earlier decisions based on SD approaches, as against unforeseen difficulties and cost reduction measures – Many issues to consider: waste, pollution (noise, sound, dust), delay, quality, unforeseen events, … … … EC3502 SD 01 SD & Engineering 35  Application of the Guiding Principles 5. End of usable life – Dismantle and/or further SD approach after actual design life, e.g. – Further use, recycling, disposal – Waste Hierarchy: reuse > recycling > disposal with landfill as last resort EC3502 SD 01 SD & Engineering 36  Thank You! EC3502 SD 01 SD & Engineering 37  Practice / Tutorial Questions Practice Questions: 1. Discuss the role of Engineers in achieving sustainability 2. Describe the concerns and challenges faced by engineers to achieve sustainable development. 3. Explain how to overcome the challenges faced by engineers. 4. Explain: “If polluters must pollute … then they must pay as well”. How to implement it? 5. Explain what is meant by “Do things right, having decided on the right thing to do”. 6. Explain the role/ importance/ need of any guiding principles in delivering duties of civil engineers to achieve sustainable development. Tutorial Question: For a given project, summarise the activities you will do and solutions you will seek, if assigned for conducting: a) project definition study, or b) planning and design. EC3502 SD 01 SD & Engineering 38