The Power of Existing Buildings
The Power of Existing Buildings

Author: Robert Sroufe

Publisher: Island Press

Published: 2019-11-12

Total Pages: 234

ISBN-13: 164283050X

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Your building has the potential to change the world. Existing buildings consume approximately 40 percent of the energy and emit nearly half of the carbon dioxide in the US each year. In recognition of the significant contribution of buildings to climate change, the idea of building green has become increasingly popular. But is it enough? If an energy-efficient building is new construction, it may take 10 to 80 years to overcome the climate change impacts of the building process. New buildings are sexy, but few realize the value in existing buildings and how easy it is to get to “zero energy” or low-energy consumption through deep energy retrofits. Existing buildings can and should be retrofit to reduce environmental impacts that contribute to climate change, while improving human health and productivity for building occupants. In The Power of Existing Buildings, academic sustainability expert Robert Sroufe, and construction and building experts Craig Stevenson and Beth Eckenrode, explain how to realize the potential of existing buildings and make them perform like new. This step-by-step guide will help readers to: understand where to start a project; develop financial models and realize costs savings; assemble an expert team; and align goals with numerous sustainability programs. The Power of Existing Buildings will challenge you to rethink spaces where people work and play, while determining how existing buildings can save the world. The insights and practical experience of Sroufe, Stevenson, and Eckenrode, along with the project case study examples, provide new insights on investing in existing buildings for building owners, engineers, occupants, architects, and real estate and construction professionals. The Power of Existing Buildings helps decision-makers move beyond incremental changes to holistic, results-oriented solutions.

Design-build Subsurface Projects
Design-build Subsurface Projects

Author: Gary S. Brierley

Publisher: SME

Published: 2010

Total Pages: 230

ISBN-13: 0873353218

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Design-Build construction has become so widely accepted that owners and their advisors must seriously consider this approach when making decisions about project delivery. With its opportunities for cost containment and substantial risk transfer, Design-Build is increasingly becoming the delivery method of choice for owners with challenging funding limitations. But deciding to use the Design-Build system for underground projects is one thing; successfully implementing it is quite another. Design-Build Subsurface Projects, Second Edition, can help bridge that gap. First published in 2002, this cutting-edge book provides a straightforward, comprehensive look at how to make Design-Build work on complicated projects involving tunnels, highways, dams, and deep foundations. The authors are a "who's who" of subsurface construction experts, many of whom are key players in the most high-profile and challenging projects in the world. Drawing upon their wealth of practical experience, they spell out a list of common sense best practices that can be used by today's project owners and designers. Be advised: these authors don't shy away from the many thorny issues of Design-Build. Nor are they unabashed cheerleaders. They dispassionately explore both the advantages and disadvantages of this system, which must be carefully weighed and evaluated so planners can decide what is best for their projects based on all the important variables, including third-party impacts and environmental/community concerns. You'll find extensive information about procurement, as well as risk allocation issues, which are significantly different from the Design-Bid-Build approach. Team structure, agreements, design development, subsurface exploration, geotechnical reports, construction phase issues, and insurance are also examined in great detail. Design-Build Subsurface Projects is an indispensable resource for owners, engineers, construction managers, contractors, and others involved in the design and construction of subsurface projects. You'll gain a thorough understanding of how and why the system works and where the pitfalls can arise. The authors' years of experience will benefit even the most seasoned of practitioners.

Career Opportunities in the Energy Industry
Career Opportunities in the Energy Industry

Author: Allan Taylor

Publisher: Infobase Publishing

Published: 2008

Total Pages: 385

ISBN-13: 1438110693

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Presents one hundred and thirty job descriptions for careers within the energy industry, and includes positions dealing with coal, electric, nuclear energy, renewable energy, engineering, machine operation, science, and others.

Drawdown
Drawdown

Author: Paul Hawken

Publisher: Penguin

Published: 2017-04-18

Total Pages: 258

ISBN-13: 1524704652

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

• New York Times bestseller • The 100 most substantive solutions to reverse global warming, based on meticulous research by leading scientists and policymakers around the world “At this point in time, the Drawdown book is exactly what is needed; a credible, conservative solution-by-solution narrative that we can do it. Reading it is an effective inoculation against the widespread perception of doom that humanity cannot and will not solve the climate crisis. Reported by-effects include increased determination and a sense of grounded hope.” —Per Espen Stoknes, Author, What We Think About When We Try Not To Think About Global Warming “There’s been no real way for ordinary people to get an understanding of what they can do and what impact it can have. There remains no single, comprehensive, reliable compendium of carbon-reduction solutions across sectors. At least until now. . . . The public is hungry for this kind of practical wisdom.” —David Roberts, Vox “This is the ideal environmental sciences textbook—only it is too interesting and inspiring to be called a textbook.” —Peter Kareiva, Director of the Institute of the Environment and Sustainability, UCLA In the face of widespread fear and apathy, an international coalition of researchers, professionals, and scientists have come together to offer a set of realistic and bold solutions to climate change. One hundred techniques and practices are described here—some are well known; some you may have never heard of. They range from clean energy to educating girls in lower-income countries to land use practices that pull carbon out of the air. The solutions exist, are economically viable, and communities throughout the world are currently enacting them with skill and determination. If deployed collectively on a global scale over the next thirty years, they represent a credible path forward, not just to slow the earth’s warming but to reach drawdown, that point in time when greenhouse gases in the atmosphere peak and begin to decline. These measures promise cascading benefits to human health, security, prosperity, and well-being—giving us every reason to see this planetary crisis as an opportunity to create a just and livable world.

The Impact of School Infrastructure on Learning
The Impact of School Infrastructure on Learning

Author: Peter Barrett

Publisher: World Bank Publications

Published: 2019-02-04

Total Pages: 71

ISBN-13: 1464813787

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

'The Impact of School Infrastructure on Learning: A Synthesis of the Evidence provides an excellent literature review of the resources that explore the areas of focus for improved student learning, particularly the aspiration for “accessible, well-built, child-centered, synergetic and fully realized learning environments.†? Written in a style which is both clear and accessible, it is a practical reference for senior government officials and professionals involved in the planning and design of educational facilities, as well as for educators and school leaders. --Yuri Belfali, Head of Division, Early Childhood and Schools, OECD Directorate for Education and Skills This is an important and welcome addition to the surprisingly small, evidence base on the impacts of school infrastructure given the capital investment involved. It will provide policy makers, practitioners, and those who are about to commission a new build with an important and comprehensive point of reference. The emphasis on safe and healthy spaces for teaching and learning is particularly welcome. --Harry Daniels, Professor of Education, Department of Education, Oxford University, UK This report offers a useful library of recent research to support the, connection between facility quality and student outcomes. At the same time, it also points to the unmet need for research to provide verifiable and reliable information on this connection. With such evidence, decisionmakers will be better positioned to accurately balance the allocation of limited resources among the multiple competing dimensions of school policy, including the construction and maintenance of the school facility. --David Lever, K-12 Facility Planner, Former Executive Director of the Interagency Committee on School Construction, Maryland Many planners and designers are seeking a succinct body of research defining both the issues surrounding the global planning of facilities as well as the educational outcomes based on the quality of the space provided. The authors have finally brought that body of evidence together in this well-structured report. The case for better educational facilities is clearly defined and resources are succinctly identified to stimulate the dialogue to come. We should all join this conversation to further the process of globally enhancing learning-environment quality! --David Schrader, AIA, Educational Facility Planner and Designer, Former Chairman of the Board of Directors, Association for Learning Environments (A4LE)

Lifelines
Lifelines

Author: Stephane Hallegatte

Publisher: World Bank Publications

Published: 2019-07-16

Total Pages: 316

ISBN-13: 1464814317

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Infrastructure—electricity, telecommunications, roads, water, and sanitation—are central to people’s lives. Without it, they cannot make a living, stay healthy, and maintain a good quality of life. Access to basic infrastructure is also a key driver of economic development. This report lays out a framework for understanding infrastructure resilience - the ability of infrastructure systems to function and meet users’ needs during and after a natural hazard. It focuses on four infrastructure systems that are essential to economic activity and people’s well-being: power systems, including the generation, transmission, and distribution of electricity; water and sanitation—especially water utilities; transport systems—multiple modes such as road, rail, waterway, and airports, and multiple scales, including urban transit and rural access; and telecommunications, including telephone and Internet connections.