Дисертації з теми "Healthy Building and Environment"

The building industry is one of the most polluting industry in the world as buildings are responsible for 30% of greenhouse gas emission in the world (IAE, 2010) and have very low replacement rates. Measuring the environmental impacts of construction is now a major concern.The main objective of this thesis was to give an overview of the current status of building certifications, discuss the expected roles and limitations of building certifications, and analyze the impact of building certification tools during the conception of a building or an urban project.For the following thesis, qualitative research was used the most since the purpose is to have a better understanding of the role of building certifications among building and real estate professionals. An empirical study was made consisting of 9 semi-structured interviews and a survey designed for building professionals such as architects, constructors, environmental building consultants, and property developers.This paper shows that certification tools are becoming very common among building professionals especially in metropolitan areas such as Paris. The main drivers for developing certified buildings are client demand, marketing advantage and an overall high quality building. The main obstacle remains the initial cost. Building professionals from the interview and the survey almost all agree that certifications are a good guide and assessment tool to build high quality buildings. However, building professionals are quite insure on the impact of certification tools on sustainability on the conception of a building or urban project as many factors are to take into account.

The aim of this research was to evaluate a relatively young technology, Geographical Information Systems (GIS), in a specific applications environment. The application adopted was that of searching for environmental causes of childhood cancer, in particular that of Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia (ALL), in Northern England. It is also relevant in terms of the WHO's intention to develop a Health and Environment GIS, and therefore the research aims to satisfy their recommendations for pilot studies. The subject matter of this thesis therefore covers two very high profile topics, which it is believed will mutually benefit from the research carried out. Firstly, very little is known about the aetiology of ALL, and thus any new methodology which is introduced to help analyse sensitive issues of causation is welcomed not only by those in the medical field but also the public. The application was made possible with the provision of detailed cancer data for Northern England and a weak but interesting hypothesis that environmental factors may be an attributable mechanism for causation. Key questions which are asked include; Where are incidences of ALL located? Why are they there? Is there a cluster? and What could be the cause? Secondly a Geographical Information System, in this case the proprietary software package ARC/INFO, was considered an excellent medium for tackling this spatial epidemiological problem. Especially with its capability to store large volumes of diverse data, and its inherent flexibility to deal with spatial information pertaining to health and environmental factors. More importantly the application itself offered a means of evaluating the implementation of a GIS. Establishing the advantages and pitfalls which accompany all stages of 'The GIS Process' and an invaluable documentation of the experiences acquired as an initiator, developer and implementor of this new technology. In addition, this research offers fresh ideas and techniques for improving those areas of the technology which appear to be lacking in these early phases of its development. The problems of spatial analysis in GIS and the provision of useful tools such as 'pattern spotters', 'relationship seekers' and 'error handlers' are discussed as alternative techniques. To ensure an exciting future for GIS technology in application environments the latter and other key areas of research which should be persued are highlighted in this thesis.

The places in which we live have a direct influence on our health and wellbeing. The interest in human health and experience of a space was apparent in the work of 20th century architects such as Le-Corbusier and Alvar Aalto during the tuberculosis epidemic. The Paimio Sanatorium, which was a collaboration between doctors and architect by Alvar Aalto in 1929-33, was one of the most famous projects that shows the tuberculosis influence on architecture. Therefore, the need to redesign spaces in order to live a happier and healthier life began to influence modern architecture from the early 20th century. The change of body perception because of disease impacted architecture, reconfiguring it in a way that the building could function as a medical tool. However, after years of living in a world without pandemics, designers just about to forget the importance of the design and its influence on human health. Although, the new restrictions placed on society due to Covid-19 outbreak, played an important role to reconsider the functional connection between the built environment and human wellness. This thesis explores the ways that the built environment and its surroundings can affect human physical and mental wellbeing by examining the ways that the world has adapted to the new trends and strategies through the design of an assisted living facility in Oldtown, Alexandria, Virginia.
Master of Architecture
In the early months of 2020, the World Health Organization announced a pandemic due to Covid-19 which was first reported in China. Following the WHO declaration, people were forced to be quarantined for months. The fear of the contagious airborne disease became the most important factor in determining which spaces people can safely frequent. Therefore, space became an essential component of concern during the Covid-19 pandemic and will continue to play a role in architecture thereafter. These issues are examined through the design of an assisted living facility in Oldtown Alexandria, Virginia.

Many serious illnesses are linked to everyday exposures to toxic chemicals. In the U.S., most chemical exposure comes from common consumer products such as pesticides, fragranced products, cleaning supplies, and building materials--products so widely used that people consider them "safe." As the links between everyday toxic exposures and potential health effects become better understood, evidence increasingly shows that reducing exposures can create a healthier society. Although some individuals may choose to build a healthy home and maintain a healthy household, they are still exposed to pollutants at their residences from the actions of others, such as to pesticides that are used by neighbors, businesses, and governments. They need healthy residential developments in environmentally healthy communities. This research investigates "healthy residential developments," defined as a property that aims to reduce pollutant exposures to the extent required by vulnerable populations, which for this research are individuals with multiple chemical sensitivities (MCS). Through a case study approach, this research investigates two exemplars of healthy residential developments, and explains how and why they form and continue. It also examines their implementation methods, and implications for planning and policy. Primary data collection methods included in-person interviews, telephone interviews, and site visits. Research strategies included the analysis of interview data, and categorical aggregation using thematic categories within and across cases. The categories focused on factors of formation and continuation for the two healthy residential developments. Findings include the challenges of people disabled with MCS to find safe housing; the importance of planning to address these challenges; the role of individuals, funding, and zoning in the formation of healthy residential developments; the role of funding, safe maintenance, and property management in their continuation; and, the need for affordable and safe housing for vulnerable populations. Future research can address the need to develop methods to create and sustain healthy residential developments, understand and reduce sources of exposure that initiate and trigger chemical sensitivity, and investigate experiences and implementation strategies in other countries.

This action research study investigated the feasibility of building evaluation capacity into the design process of Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service’s (GMFRS) community initiatives. GMFRS runs over 400 community initiatives every year and an appropriate evaluation framework is needed to provide evidence of their impact and effectiveness. Information that previous evaluation processes had failed to provide. The feasibility of establishing an evaluation framework for use by non-specialists users was explored, the development of a new evaluation system for GMFRS was examined critically, and the processes and challenges involved in embedding evaluation within a large public sector emergency service investigated. Mixed research methods -- document analyses, qualitative interviews, observations and focus groups -- were used in the three action research cycles conducted between April 2008 and April 2010. In cycle one, existing evaluation materials and key characteristics of the initiatives were assessed. GMFRS’s community initiatives were found to lack direction, and the existing evaluation tool lacked the detail required for use by personnel with no previous evaluation experience. Hence, new evaluation materials were developed and, in the second cycle, their use was observed, and interviews conducted to ascertain the barriers to evaluation practices. Lack of resources, organisational guidance, and support with evaluation activities were identified as barriers. In the third cycle focus groups were used to gain feedback on the usability of the new evaluation material and processes. The principal conclusions of the research are that there were no theoretical models and/or guidance to assist Emergency Services to develop internal evaluation capacity. Insufficient attention has been paid to organisational support processes to nurture individuals’ evaluation skills and abilities, and to assist complex organisations utilise evaluations. For evaluation to become an embedded and systematic activity, it has to be supported by a project management methodology that underpins evaluation processes.

Pesticide use has steadily increased in the United States and throughout the world since the development of more highly effective agrichemicals dating back to World War II. While many of these compounds are considered to have little to no detrimental environmental impact with relatively low toxicity and potential for causing adverse health effects in humans, many recent studies examining the toxicological properties and health outcomes associated with exposure to a variety of pesticides suggest otherwise. In heavily agricultural-based regions, particularly where row crops predominate, large amounts of herbicides and insecticides are used in activities involving pest management annually. The high volume of chemical applications to agricultural fields is cause for concern due their potential for leaching into soil following application events and subsequent transport to water systems. Pesticide-contaminated ground and surface water systems may pose a threat to public health by the presence and persistent elevated concentrations of chemicals found in both public and private drinking water. The herbicides atrazine and glyphosate are and have been the two most heavily applied pesticides in the U.S. Many studies have examined occupational exposures to these compounds and related health outcomes, yet very few have evaluated low-level exposures to more susceptible rural populations. This thesis will examine state-of-the- science behind atrazine and glyphosate, evaluate drinking water quality measurements in relation to herbicide usage estimates in Iowa, and finally, make recommendations for future atrazine and glyphosate exposure assessment studies in rural Iowa populations.

Day care centers and schools are important environments for children, but few epidemiological studies exist from these environments. Mould, dampness, fungal DNA and allergens levels in these environments and respiratory health effects in school children were investigated in this thesis. In the day care centers studies, Allergen Avoidance Day care Centers (AADCs) and Ordinary Day care Centers were included. One third of the Swedish day care centers had a history of dampness or mould growth. Total fungal DNA levels were positively associated with risk construction buildings, reported dampness/moulds, rotating heat exchangers, linoleum floors and allergens (cat, dog, horse allergen) levels. The two school studies included secondary schools in Johor Bahru, Malaysia and elementary schools from five European countries (Italy, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, and France) (HESE-study). In Malaysia, 13 % of the pupils reported doctor-diagnosed asthma but only 4 % had asthma medication. The prevalence of wheeze in the last 12 months was 10 % in Malaysia and 13 % in the HESE-study. Cough and rhinitis were common among children in the HESE-study. There were associations between fungal DNA and reported dampness or mould growth. Fungal DNA levels and viable mould (VM) concentration in the classrooms were associated with respiratory symptoms (wheeze, rhinitis, cough, daytime breathlessness) in school children. In the HESE-study, associations were found between total fungal DNA, Aspergillus/Penicillium DNA and respiratory symptoms among children. Moreover, Aspergillus versicolor DNA and Streptomyces DNA were associated with respiratory symptoms in Malaysia and the HESE-study, as well as reduced lung function [forced vitality capacity (FVC) and forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1)] among children in the HESE-study. In conclusion, fungal DNA and pet allergens were common in day care centers and schools and respiratory symptoms in school children were common. The associations between VM concentration and fungal DNA levels in the schools and respiratory health effects in school children indicated a need for improvement of these environments. Moreover, risk constructions should be avoided and buildings should be maintained to avoid dampness and microbial growth. Health relevance of microbial exposure and biodiversity needs to be further studied using molecular methods.

Environmental certification systems has, apart from improving the environment, contributed to buildings with a better indoor air quality. The realization of this has led to the next focus in the built environment, building for occupant health and wellbeing. It is recognized that if buildings are designed with the occupant health and wellbeing at center, it increases employee productivity and reduce absenteeism, which in turn yields economic benefits for a business. This thesis project is set out to investigate how building for occupant health and wellbeing can be done in Swedish office buildings. The project is partly based on the relatively new WELL Building Standard, a tool for certifying, measuring and monitoring the functions of a building in terms of health and wellbeing. The largest part of the project is the analysis, where WELL Building Standard is compared to Swedish legislation as well as the Swedish environmental certification system Miljöbyggnad. A literature study is also included in order to see how the health situation looks like in Sweden, and what aspects are the most important to highlight in the scope of this thesis.  The thesis project is a pilot study of the health and wellbeing in Swedish offices and it shows that Swedish legislation includes a large number of issues set forth in WELL Building Standard. In some cases, Swedish legislation goes quite a bit further than WELL and in some cases Swedish projects can gather inspiration from WELL in order to build even healthier. Miljöbyggnad also fulfills some of the subjects presented in WELL.  As WELL Building Standard is a very extensive system, not all parts of it could be included in the analysis of this project. There are a lot of further research that needs to be conducted before drawing too general conclusions on how Swedish projects perform on the aspects of health and wellbeing. Generally, WELL is a useful system if a project intends to be as healthy as can be, even though the project does not use it to be certified. The system provides the building owners with arguments they can use to communicate how the building may benefit health and wellbeing to the tenants, as WELL puts the human at center rather than the building.
Miljöcertifieringar har, utöver att bidra till en bättre miljö, bidragit till att byggnader fått bättre inomhusklimat. Upptäckten av detta har lett till nästa fokus i den byggda miljön, att bygga hälsosamt för människorna som lever i byggnaden. Det är erkänt att om byggnader är planerade och byggda med människornas hälsa och välmående i fokus så ökar de anställdas produktivitet och frånvaron minskar, vilket i sin tur bidrar med ekonomiska fördelar för företag. Målet med denna masteruppsats är att undersöka hur svenska kontorsbyggnader kan planeras och byggas med hälsa och välmående i fokus. Projektet är delvis baserat på det amerikanska systemet WELL Building Standard, som är relativt ny på den svenska marknaden. Det är ett system för certifiering, mätning och övervakning av en byggnads funktioner inom områdena hälsa och välmående. Den största delen av uppsatsen utgörs av analysen, där WELL jämförs med svensk lagstiftning samt det svenska miljöcertifieringssystemet Miljöbyggnad. En litteraturstudie är också inkluderad för att undersöka hur hälsoläget ser ut i Sverige och vilka aspekter av hälsa och välmående som är viktigast att betona inom omfattningen av detta projekt.   Projektet är en pilotstudie om hälsa och välmående i svenska kontorsbyggnader och den visar att svensk lagstiftning innehåller ett stort antal frågor som presenteras i WELL Building Standard. I några fall så går den svenska lagstiftningen steget längre än kraven i WELL och i vissa fall så finns inspiration att hämta från standarden för svenska projekt som vill bygga mer hälsosamt. Miljöbyggnad uppfyller också en del krav som presenteras i WELL.  WELL Building Standard är ett väldigt omfattande system, och därför kunde inte alla delar ur systemet inkluderas i analysen i detta projekt. Det är en del framtida forskning som krävs innan alltför generella slutsatser kan dras om hur svenska projekt presterar i fråga om hälsa och välmående. Generellt så är WELL ett bra system att använda om ett projekt siktar på att bli så hälsosamt som möjligt, även om projektet inte använder systemet för certifiering. Systemet ger byggnadens ägare argument de kan använda för att kommunicera hur byggnaden bidrar till hälsa och välmående till och för hyresgästerna, eftersom WELL sätter människan i centrum istället för byggnaden.

The purpose of this project was to identify the standards for the American Association of Critical Care Nurses (AACN). The employees of a 39-bed medical surgical unit within a 697-bed metropolitan medical center were selected through collaboration with the practicum site. Out of 68 allocated positions for this unit, only permanent employees were selected to participate. An employee presented the purpose of the project, the survey process, and inferred consent represented by online login to complete the survey. Following the online assessment, the employee explained the AACN healthy work environment standards in a subsequent presentation. The online healthy work environment assessment measured the AACN healthy work environment standards, which included skilled communication, collaboration, effective decision making, appropriate staffing, meaningful recognition, and authentic leadership. A mean score was generated by the healthy work environment online assessment tool on a scale ranging from 1 (Needs Improvement) to 5 (Excellent). Data from the online assessment were analyzed by comparing mean pre- (3.03) and post- (2.17) project results, which revealed a need for greater understanding of AACN healthy work environment standards. Increased education of the AACN healthy work environment standards and implementation of a formal program would impact nursing turnover rates, improve employee engagement, and ultimately improve the care and outcome of patients, thereby promoting positive social change.

By its nature, building maintenance requires an ability to respond to a demand that is random in time, random in nature and random in location. This in turn creates complex operational and logistical problems for management, specially if the property complex is large. The objective of this research is to assess the scope for and effectiveness of quantitative modelling, and the prediction of the outcome of alternative management action (policy), to assist in the management of building maintenance complexes of the size of a hospital. Both building and engineering equipments are encompassed within the study as appropriate. The research issues are split into three related phases; a demand study; a defect reduction study; and a maintenance management model. 1- The maintenance demand study: Based upon general statistics obtained, attempts have been made to identify and quantify both the major problems areas (in terms of cost and frequency of maintenance activities), and the nature and cause of the demand for maintenance. They have revealed no coherent picture in that the demand from wards and buildings seems independent of the patient throughput and the age of buildings. The demand for maintenance, for the main trades involved, has been estimated and used in the simulation models mentioned in below. 2- Demand reduction model: Accepting the current demand situation for maintenance, it was proposed to identify what is the cause of the demand and what possible actions could reduce the demand: Possibly through design modification, changes in materials used, change in practice of service/building user, development of Preventive Maintenance 'PM' or inspection system for component. Despite considerable effort, it proved not possible to progress this aspect of the study and the reasons are discussed. 3- Maintenance management models: Simulation models to the maintenance activities within the hospital has been developed using, Extended Control and Simulation Language, ECSLPLUS, to model the maintenance policies, and assessing any changes in operating procedures. The advantage of modelling is that the magnitude and nature of changes can be assessed and contemplated prior to any actual change in operating procedures. This is generally recognised as being most valuable. For specific problems and areas of operation identified, development of specific methods of deployments have been attempted. For instance, 'recieving one job at a time'; 'recieving a batch of jobs at a time'; and 'delaying non-urgent jobs and grouping them in time'. A number of maintenance management policies have been assessed using the above models, these are: 'Previewing' and 'not previewing' most of the defects before repair to identify the required resources; 'employing extra part-time tradesmen during the busy days'; 'working 7 days instead of 5 days a week'; 'no sickness policy'; and 'employing multi-skilled tradesmen option'. These models should be capable of indicating to management the gains and consequances, in terms of measures of interest to them such as the workforce and manhours required to meet the demand for maintenance per trade, changing operating practice, customs and timescales. That is, their decision variables.

The following master thesis is conducted on behalf of The Royal Institute ofTechnology and KTH Live-in Lab with the purpose of proposing a healthybuilding infrastructure for the KTH Live-in Lab. The Lab will serve as atestbed for products and services that can be tested and veried within anoptimal space that can simulate a real life usage of the tested products or services.Since the KTH Live-in Lab proposes to create a smart environment inorder to fulll its goal, this thesis proposes to design a system that measuresthe key factors that inuence the user's health while living in the building.The problem that this thesis is solving is that of understanding the relevantmetrics that aect the person living in the building, then identify andplace the sensors that can measure the health metrics and nally encapsulatethe result in a WSN, paying close attention to the topology and the communicationprotocols used, capable of monitoring and collecting all the relevantdata for further use.The most dicult part of the thesis is translating the health parametersinto the optimal quantiable metrics so that a developed system couldbecome a feasible solution for a home automation. The attempted way ofsolving this problem is through literature review of health studies in order tounderstand which are the quintessential parameters that should be measured.The system considers dierent health factors from 9 dierent domainsVentilation, Air Quality, Thermal Comfort, Moisture, Dust and Pests, Safetyand Security, Water Quality, Noise and Lighting and Views. Each of thesedomains will be analyzed and the best metrics for monitoring will be selected.The solution will be tailored on the KTH Live-in Lab as the sensor placementis done on the schematic of the Housing Design, of the Fall Semester 2017.In order to choose the optimal way to implement the wireless sensor network,several topologies and communication protocols are compared, the chosen onebeing ZigBee as protocol while the topology was separated in how sensorsare organized in every room which will be a mesh topology and how they areorganized in the whole building for which the chosen topology is the Two-tierhierarchical cluster topology. The system also proposes a security encryptionalgorithm for data protection and a way to evaluate the system based on thestandard of the WELL Building Institute.Future work will consist in implementing all the features that are designedin this paper while nding the perfect trade-o between the cost andtechnology accuracy when this project will be scaled for a whole apartmentbuilding.As a conclusion, there are certain variations that one can follow whenimplementing the designed system as the implementation will be a trade-obetween the quality of the equipment used which translates into the accuracyof the measurements and the nancial and social constraints. This thesisproposes a set of core elements that cannot be replaced in monitoring andalso provides approximations for other less common metrics.
Foljande masteravhandling har utfardats pa uppdrag av The Royal Instituteof Tecnology och KTH Live-in Lab med syftet att foresla en halsosambyggnadsinfrastruktur for KTH Live-in Lab. Labbet kommer att fungerasom en testbadd for produkter och tjanster som kan testas och verierasinom ett optimalt utrymme som kan simuleras till en verklig situation foranvandandet av de testade produkterna eller tjansterna. Eftersom att KTHLive-in Lab foreslar att skapa en smart miljo for att uppfylla sitt mal, foreslardenna avhandling att man designar ett system som mater huvudfaktorernasom paverkar anvandarens halsa under den tid som anvandaren vistas i byggnaden.Det problem som denna avhandling amnar losa ar att skapa en forstaelsefor de relevanta matvarden som paverkar den person som bor i byggnadenoch darefter identiera och placera de sensorer som kan mata halsomatvardenoch slutligen sammanfatta resultatet i en Tradlost sensornatverk, men ocksaagna stor uppmarksamhet till topologin och kommunikationsprotokollen somanvants, som ar kapabla att monitorera och samla all relevant data for vidareanvandning.Det svaraste med denna avhandling ar att oversatta halsoparametrarnatill optimala kvantierbara matvarden sa att ett utvecklat system kan bli engenomforbar losning for en hemautomatisering. Tillvagagangssattet for attlosa detta problem ar genom att granska litteratur om halsostudier for attforsta vilka parametrar som ar vasentliga och som bor matas.Systemet tar hansyn till olika halsofaktorer fran 9 olika domaner; Ventilation,Luftkvalitet, Temperaturkomfort, Fukt, Damm, Sakerhet, Vattenkvalitet,Ljud och Ljus och Syn. Var och en av dessa domaner kommer att analyserasoch de basta matvardena for monitorering kommer att bli utvalda. Losningenkommer att skraddarsys pa KTH Live-in Lab medan sensorplaceringen arutfardad pa schematik av husets design, hostterminen 2017. For att kunnavalja det mest optimala sattet att implementera det tradlosa sensornatverkethar era topologier och kommunikationsprotokoll jamforts. Genom att goradetta har ZigBee valts som kommunikationsprotokoll medan topologin hardelats upp i hur sensorer ar organiserade i varje rum, vilket kommer att varaen "mesh"-topologi, och hur de ar organiserade i hela byggnaden och darav arden valda topologin"Two-tier hierarchial cluster topology". Systemet foreslarocksa en sakerhetskrypteringsalgoritm som dataskydd och som ett satt attutvardera systemen som ar baserade pa standarden av "the WELL BulidingInsitute".Framtida arbete kommer att innefatta implementering av alla funktionersom ar designade i denna avhandling medan det perfekta utbytet mellankostnad och teknologiprecision hittas da detta projekt kommer att skalas foren hel lagenhetsbyggnad.Som slutsats, nns vissa variationer som en kan folja vid implementeringav det designade systemet da implementationen kommer att vara ett utbytemellan kvalitet av utrustningen som anvands som oversatts i noggrannhetav matningar och nansiella och sociala begransningar. Denna avhandlingforeslar ett set av karnelement som inte kan bytas ut i monitorering och somocksa bistar med approximationer for andra mindre vanliga matvarden.

According to recent research, more than 75% of newly employed nurses leave employment within 6 months. Changes in organizational training programs are needed in order to improve psychiatric nurse retention, nationally and globally. A healthy work environment (HWE) has been described as an environment that includes mentoring for good communication skills; it is also one that explores collaborative strategies for safe practice; professional advancement; and empowerment through research, education, and skill development. Examination of the impact of this HWE psychiatric nurse orientation training program on nurse retention was done using Rogers' theory of diffusion. Study variables included the length of training and retention rates pre- and post-training to help identify the impact of the HWE training program on retention using different methods of policy review. The project included 88 nurses and outcomes were measured through review of hire and termination rates for the targeted facility 3 months pre- and post-intervention. An independent samples t test revealed that the average retention rate for nurses trained in the current versus HWE program differed significantly by program (p > .05). Training also was shown to improve clinical practice and increase awareness of existing evidence about strategies to improve psychiatric nurse retention. Social change implications include potentially decreasing the costs associated with hiring and training nurses, improving clinical practice, adding to the nursing knowledge base and skill set, and enhancing workflow processes for quality outcomes.

When buildings are constructed and renovated today, environmental aspects aremost often taken into consideration. There might, however, not always be aclearly expressed health perspective. This study explores the obstacles andopportunities to initiating a clearer health perspective in the construction and realestate branches. A qualitative method was used, consisting of semi-structuredinterviews with ten agents from the construction and real estate branches in theprivate and municipal sectors. The analysis was performed by the use oforganisational theory. The results show that different financial incentives such as“ROT-deductions” are the ones most discussed when it comes to attaining aclearer health perspective into the sustainability work of the branches.Suggestions for improvement in the legislative area were for example aboutspecifying threshold values for certain substances in the indoor environment, andabout improving policy for how chemical products are to be declared. Differentclassification systems for healthy buildings could also be of use, if coordinated tobe better understood. Also the need to discuss ethics, morality and “attitude” inthe branches was brought up. The need to use health economic measures to beable to make comparisons to other societal costs was also emphasized.

Between 1965 and 1975 a major housing project was carried out in Sweden to resolve a major housing crisis, the so-called one million housing program (Swedish: miljonprogrammet). To raise the standards and create a more attractive housing in these areas is currently a very relevant topic in Sweden.Evidence-based design is the process of basing decisions of the built environment on credible research and studies to achieve the best possible outcome. This method is primarily used in the healthcare sector to improve quality of care and reduce costs by creating healthy environments.The possibility of refurbish apartment buildings from miljonprogrammet using evidence-based design has been studied by means of an extensive literature review and a closer examination of the residential area, Husby in Stockholm, which has been chosen to represent the miljonprogrammet in its entirety. Furthermore, the evidence-based research has been limited to seven fields; nature, noise, color, wayfinding, safe environment, daylight and thermal comfort which has been assessed to be applicable on housing. In order to obtain a comprehensive overview of the different fields, four different subjects were chosen to investigate further within each field; research and studies, laws and regulations, constructional aspect and Husby. The analysis has shown that the seven fields to varying degrees can be applicable to miljonprogrammet. The thesis concludes that an evidence-based method can be used for refurbishment of miljonprogrammet. Some of the fields investigated in the thesis may need further development, in particular; nature, color and wayfinding. Some of the benefits of the evidence-based design process may be to give architects an instrument to justify their design decisions which were earlier based on experience and intuition rather than credible research.

La labor de un profesional de construcción se orienta al diseño y desarrollo de proyectos inmobiliarios que busquen satisfacer las necesidades del público objetivo, bajo estrictos estándares de seguridad y calidad; y con énfasis en la integración del proyecto en su propio entorno de acuerdo con sus diversas características sociodemográficas, urbanísticas y ambientales, de manera que sean un hito que potencie el entorno y sus complejas relaciones sociales. En particular, existe una cada vez mayor tendencia global que busca disminuir al máximo el impacto ambiental de las diversas obras de edificación. Un claro ejemplo de lo anterior se basa en las diversas certificaciones de edificios verdes o sostenibles; alcanzables bajo estrictos estándares en cuanto a materiales, procesos, mantenimiento, etc. Por esta razón, el presente trabajo de investigación consiste en el desarrollo de un proyecto inmobiliario de 101 viviendas unifamiliares, enfocado para satisfacer la necesidad del sector socioeconómico “C” en la ciudad de Arequipa. En consecuencia, se ha previsto que para el desarrollo del proyecto se deban cumplir con los requerimientos propuestos por la Normas G 050 – Seguridad durante la construcción; la OHSAS 18001 – Sistema de Gestión de Seguridad y Salud en el Trabajo, y la Ley 29873 de Seguridad y Salud en el Trabajo. Asimismo, se implementarán los ocho principios básicos de Edificaciones Verdes. Finalmente, los resultados de la evaluación económica resultan ser prometedores luego de realizar el análisis financiero y el flujo de caja. Esto predice un proyecto rentable y viable.
The construction professional’s work, it is oriented to design and development projects that seek to satisfy the needs of target audience, under strict safety and quality standards; and with emphasis on the project in its own environment integration according to its various sociodemographic, urban and environmental characteristics, so that they are a milestone that enhances the environment and its complex social relationships. In particular, there is a growing global trend that seeks to minimize the environmental impact of the various building works. A clear example of the above, it is based on the various certifications of green or sustainable buildings, achievable under strict standards regarding materials, processes, maintenance, etc. For this reason, the present research consists in the development of a real estate project of 101 single-family homes, focused to satisfy the need of the socioeconomic sector "C" in Arequipa city. Consequently, it has been foreseen that for the development of the project the requirements proposed by Norms G 050 - Safety during construction must be met; OHSAS 18001 - Occupational Health and Safety Management System, and Law 29873 on Occupational Safety and Health. Likewise, the eight basic principles of Green Buildings will be implemented. Finally, the results of the economic evaluation turn out to be promising after carrying out the financial analysis and the cash flow. This predicts a profitable and viable Project.
Trabajo de investigación

In the early years of the 21st century environmental health has to contend not only with the more 'traditional' and essentially localised environmental risks to human health. We now face the additional challenges posed by a range of 'modern' environmental health issues. These are characteristically more complex, more ubiquitous, and much less clearly defined than any we have previously encountered. They have been brought about through rapid industrial expansion, technological advances that have transformed our social structures and the emergence of a global economy that is now forging ahead in the face of ever-increasing socio-economic inequity. These are problems that are not amenable to traditional environmental health solutions. They call instead for new, innovative and integrative strategies based on cooperative and collaborative working partnerships. This thesis explores the question of what needs to be done to build capacity for such partnerships among environmental health stakeholders in Australia. The current situation is clarified through a critical review of the author?s professional career, the historical development of environmental health practice, the different knowledge constructs of four distinguishable stakeholder groups and the objectives and guiding principles of Australia's National Environmental Health Strategy. A case study of a federally funded collaborative environmental health project serves to highlight some of the inherent challenges of intersectoral partnership and community participation. The metaphor of the spider's web illustrates the imperative of such partnerships among stakeholder groups and across all geographical scales from the local to the global. Finally, the barriers to be overcome in building environmental health capacity are analysed through a force field analysis. The study concludes with an analysis of the constituents of action necessary to develop the partnering capabilities of the various stakeholders, to build supportive community and organisational infrastructures and to demonstrate the political will of government to support change.

This Thesis attempts to question how the built environment affects public and planet health. I am particularly concerned with childhood obesity and how it is related to the affordability of neighborhoods, accessibility to public parks, availability of healthy food, and accountability for sustainability within our cities and suburbs. The architectural design proposal is an Elementary School, in Old Town Alexandria, that promotes learning through activity and play, is a living laboratory for environmental stewardship, and fosters a strong sense of community.
Master of Architecture

This thesis studied empirically the air-handling etiology of the nonspecific symptoms of the eyes, respiratory tract, skin, and central nervous system in office workers, often termed the sick building syndrome. The results of a four-period crossover trial in 75 office workers suggest that 70% air recirculation when accompanied by an adequate intake of outdoor air can be used without causing adverse effects. A cross-sectional study of 2678 workers in 41 randomly selected office buildings from Helsinki metropolitan area provides evidence that mechanical ventilation, air conditioning, steam and evaporative humidification and air recirculation are risk indicators of studied symptoms in the existing Finnish office building stock. The results also suggest that outdoor-air ventilation rates below the optimal (15-25 L/s per person) increase the risk of the sick building syndrome symptoms with such sources of pollutants as present in mechanically ventilated office buildings.
Theoretical examination reveals that the sick building syndrome is a figurative concept of everyday language, rather than a singular disease entity. A theoretical model, the Office Environment Model, is presented to explain relations between the office environment and health.

This thesis explores the role of prosocial considerations in society. It suggests that a willingness to take other persons into consideration in one’s resource allocation decisions is an essential element of social cohesion which, in the civic sector, is manifest in giving. An inclination to give is influenced by one’s wider social environment (norms, pressures and incentives) and also by one’s own values and attitudes, which sometimes motivate a person to act for the good or bad of others independently of her social environment. The combination of these factors drives prosocial behaviours like giving to positively impact the wider social environment and the prosocial inclinations of others. The altered social environment then feeds back to the prosocial motivation of the individual. This response and counter-response as people interact determines whether social cohesion expands or contracts over time. Giving behaviours then comprise one, easy-to-measure flow from a highly complex social stock. By monitoring giving behaviours we gain insight into civic sector pro-sociality and the way that the civic sector is contributing to social cohesion. Civic sector cohesion is valuable, and thus I find that giving is associated with a host of better welfare outcomes: improved life-satisfaction, improved trust, improved incomes, improved neighbourhood ratings, improved sense of security and reduced crime and deprivation: In some ways, giving interacts with these factors on a scale comparable to the big social drivers like education, health and wealth, and predicts welfare outcomes better than incomes can. I find that giving within one’s close social circle and giving outside of it both have their own significance. By monitoring giving behaviours then, governments and development agents gain insight into a community’s social strengths and weaknesses, and the way that their interventions are influencing these vital attributes. This provides them with a basis for policy evaluation and adjustment.

The theme of the thesis is to propose urban efficient comfortable living in a quiet natural environment between the original settlement of Líšná and the panel housing estate from the 1980s. The design of the new residential complex will be in line with the current trends and needs of healthy living.

This is the transformation of the former military camp near Český Krumlov to the KRUMLOVIA training center, which should be a source of inspiration not only in the field of education but also a source of inspiration for the creation of a modern urban space with a significant social and ecological overlap.

This is the transformation of the former military camp near Český Krumlov to the KRUMLOVIA training center, which should be a source of inspiration not only in the field of education but also a source of inspiration for the creation of a modern urban space with a significant social and ecological overlap.

This is the transformation of the former military camp near Český Krumlov to the KRUMLOVIA training center, which should be a source of inspiration not only in the field of education but also a source of inspiration for the creation of a modern urban space with a significant social and ecological overlap.

This is the transformation of the former military camp near Český Krumlov to the KRUMLOVIA training center, which should be a source of inspiration not only in the field of education but also a source of inspiration for the creation of a modern urban space with a significant social and ecological overlap.

This is the transformation of the former military camp near Český Krumlov to the KRUMLOVIA training center, which should be a source of inspiration not only in the field of education but also a source of inspiration for the creation of a modern urban space with a significant social and ecological overlap.

Research from multiple domains has provided insights into how neighborhood design can be improved to have a more favorable effect on physical activity, a concept known as walkability. The relevant research findings/hypotheses have been integrated into a Walkability Framework, which organizes the design elements into nine walkability categories. The purpose of this study was to test whether this conceptual framework can be used as a model to measure the interactions between the built environment and physical activity. We explored correlations between the walkability categories and physical activity reported through a survey of residents of Tucson, Arizona (n=486). The results include significant correlations between the walkability categories and physical activity as well as between the walkability categories and the two motivations for walking (recreation and transportation). To our knowledge, this is the first study that reports links between walkability and walking for recreation. Additionally, the use of the Walkability Framework allowed us to identify the walkability categories most strongly correlated with the two motivations for walking. The results of this study support the use of the Walkability Framework as a model to measure the built environment in relation to its ability to promote physical activity. (C) 2017 The Authors.

Thesis (M.Eng.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, 2000.
Includes bibliographical references (leaf 65).
by Charles R. Broderick, III.
M.Eng.

In recent years indoor environment and indoor air quality has been subjected to extensive worldwide research efforts. Still, at present there are a lack of methods for prediction of risks and consequences for any defined damage to occur, similar to the probabilistic methods used in modern design codes for structures and buildings. Such a method, if available and usable, could be very beneficial as a tool for decision making at different stages of the building process. In this licentiate thesis a method is developed to estimate the risk of occurrence of high radon concentrations indoors. The method is developed using risk analysis applied on a concrete slab on the ground, which is a foundation method commonly used in Sweden for residential buildings. The undesirable event is "Leakage of radon into the building" and fault tree analysis is used starting in the top with the undesirable event and then working downwards finding the events, which causes the top event. This procedure continues until basic events are established and for which failure probabilities are available. Fault tree analysis is a deductive method mainly used for systems built up with electronic equipment where failure probabilities in terms of relative frequency are easy to establish. Failure probabilities are more difficult to establish in the building process since failures are rare. However, this uncertainty can be handled by applying structural reliability analysis on the quantitative analysis whereas several random variables can be taken into account in a single analysis, which makes it possible to analyse a whole branch of a fault tree in a single analysis. The basis for structural reliability methods is probability theory to handle the uncertainties and Monte Carlo simulation and first-order second-moment theory to estimate the risk. To get an indoor environment that is unhealthy to human beings environmental impact is needed together with fault due to human error in some phase of the building process. Examples of faults made in the building process are changes and/or addition of work ordered by the proprietor, unsuitable design or delivery of wrong material to the construction site. Several surveys have come to the same conclusion that a large amount of faults made in the building process depends on e.g. insufficient commitment or lack of knowledge. However, the building could be designed and constructed according to the state-of-the art of knowledge and still has an improper function. Errors cannot be ruled out completely but the use of fault tree technique to develop the causes to an unhealthy indoor environment and the estimation of risk can be a valuable communication tool to the quality management system to get an overview of the entire building process and to identify the week links. The residential building used as an example in this work is situated outside the municipality of Linköping since long-term measurements of radon concentrations in soil air are available from this area. The building has a self-draught ventilation system and the design of the concrete slab, starting from the excavated rock floor, include a geotextile, 150 mm well washed macadam, 50 mm insulation, 100 mm reinforced concrete, a levelling compound and finally a flooring. The causes to radon concentrations indoor has been developed with fault tree analysis where "Leakage of radon contaminated soil air into the building", "Radon contaminated drinking water" and "Building material contains radium disintegrating to radon" constitute the main causes. The event "Leakage of radon contaminated soil air...." is developed further, since it is the major contributor to radon concentrations indoor, into the events "Lower air pressure indoor than outdoor", "Radon contaminated soil air under or around the building" and "Fault in component with regard to air-tightness". A function expressing the relationship between the basic events and their random variables is established and both Monte Carlo simulation and first-order second-moment theory is applied to estimate the probability and the safety index b for the undesirable event to occur. The leakage of radon-contaminated soil air has only been considered through fissures in the concrete slab and it has been difficult to find proper relationships between how fissures occur, fissure width, and concrete and reinforcement properties. Approximations have therefore become necessary. However, the simulation and the analytical calculation gives e.g. safety index beta = 0.30 on normal risk area, which is 70 % of the total area of Sweden, in residential buildings where people stay more than temporary. Comparison can be made with the safety index beta larger or equal to 4.3 for safety class 2 in the Swedish Design Regulations for the structure of residential buildings. In a residential building on normal risk area and designed in accordance with the concrete slab in this work, the probability for radon concentrations indoor to exceed the Swedish Building Regulations threshold value 200 Bq/m3 is over 40.000 times larger than the risk for structural failure.
Världen över bedrivs det omfattande forskning på inomhusmiljö och luftkvalitet. Trots det finns det fortfarande ingen metod för att bestämma sannolikheten för att någon form av definierad skada inträffar på inomhusmiljön med konsekvenser för människors hälsa på samma sätt som det finns metoder i moderna konstruktionsregler för att bestämma risken för mekanisk påverkan på byggnadskonstruktioner. Förekomsten av en sådan metod skulle vara ett viktigt instrument för miljöbeslut i alla led i byggprocessen.En metod har utvecklats i denna licentiatuppsats för att bestämma risken för att höga koncentrationer av radon skall förekomma i inomhusluften. Metoden har tagits fram genom att tillämpa riskanalys på en platta på mark som är en vanlig handläggningsmetod för bostadshus i Sverige. Orsakerna till den oönskade händelsen "Läckage av radon in i byggnaden" har kunnat härledas med hjälp av felträdsanalys genom att starta i toppen av trädet och arbeta sig nedåt. Proceduren upprepas tills primärhändelser erhålls för vilka sannolikheter kan bestämmas. Felträdsanalys är en deduktiv metod som är utvecklad för system som är uppbyggda av elektroniska komponenter och för vilka sannolikheter för fel i form av relativa frekvenser är enkla att bestämma. Det är svårare att bestämma sannolikheter för fel i byggprocessen eftersom varje objekt oftast är unikt. Denna osäkerhet kan dock hanteras genom att använda samma säkerhetsfilosofiska modell som används för mekanisk påverkan på bärande konstruktioner där hänsyn kan tas till flera stokastiska variabler i samma analys vilket gör det möjligt att ersätta en hel gren i ett felträd. För att hantera osäkerheter används den säkerhetsfilosofiska modellen för bärande konstruktioner sannolikhetsteori och för att bestämma risken kan Monte Carlosimuleringar och 'första ordningens nivå 2'-metod användas.För att få en ohälsosam inomhusmiljö behövs miljöpåverkan tillsammans med ett fel i byggnaden orsakat i något led av byggprocessen. Exempel på fel som kan medföra en ohälsosam inomhusmiljö är att byggherren ändrar eller gör kompletteringar i byggnaden, konstruktionen är olämpligt utförd eller att materialleveranser är felaktiga. Flera undersökningar har kommit fram till att t.ex. bristande engagemang eller bristande kunskap många gånger är orsakerna till de fel som uppkommer i byggprocessen. Bristande kunskap kan också bero på att kunskapen inte finns, dvs byggnaden utförs på ett riktigt sätt med avseende på den kunskap som finns. Fel kan aldrig elimineras helt men användandet av felträdsanalys för att ta fram orsakerna till en ohälsosam inomhusmiljö och bestämmandet av risken skulle kunna vara ett värdefullt verktyg i kvalitetssystem för att få en överblick över hela byggprocessen och för att kunna identifiera de svaga länkarna.Bostadshuset som exemplifieras i den här uppsatsen är beläget utanför Linköping eftersom det där har förekommit långtidsmätningar på radonhalten i marken. Byggnaden ventileras genom självdrag och grundplattans konstruktion består, med start från schaktbotten, av en geotextil, 150 mm vältvättad makadam, 50 mm isolering, 100 mm armerad betong, avjämningsmassa samt golvbeläggning. Orsakerna till radonkoncentrationer inomhus har bestämts genom felträdsanalys och består av "Läckage av radonhaltig jordluft", "Radonhaltigt dricksvatten" och "Byggnadsmaterialet innehåller radium som sönderfaller till radon". Den huvudsakliga orsaken till radon i inomhusluften är "Läckage av radonhaltig jordluft" och den utvecklas därför vidare och orsakas av "Lägre lufttryck inomhus än utomhus", "Jordluften under eller runt byggnaden innehåller radon" och "Fel i byggnadsdelen med hänsyn till lufttäthet". En funktion som beskriver förhållandet mellan de olika primärhändelserna och dess stokastiska variabler har tagits fram och genom att använda både Monte Carlo-simulering och första ordningens nivå 2-metod har sannolikheten samt säkerhetsindex β bestämts för att den oönskade händelsen skall inträffa.Hänsyn har bara tagits till läckage av radonhaltig jordluft genom sprickor i betongplattan och det har varit svårt att hitta lämpliga förhållanden mellan hur sprickor uppkommer, sprickvidd och betongens och armeringens egenskaper. Därför har antaganden gjorts i vissa fall. För normalriskmark, som 70 % av Sveriges yta består av, har simuleringarna och beräkningarna givit ett säkerhetsindex β = 0.30 för bostadshus där människor uppehåller sig mer än tillfälligt. En jämförelse kan göras med de svenska konstruktionsreglerna där bärande konstruktioner i ett bostadshus skall uppfylla säkerhetsklass 2 med ett säkerhetsindex β ≥ 4.3 för att ett bostadshus, byggt på normalriskmark med en platta på mark enligt denna uppsats, skall innehålla radonkoncentrationer över det svenska normgränsvärdet 200 Bq/m3, är alltså mer än 40.000 gånger större än risken för att den bärande konstruktionen inte skall hålla.

Godkänd; 2003; 20070217 (ysko)