Lowering ECI/MPG value by implementing sustainable foundations for houses

This research addresses the environmental impact of foundations in lightweight housing units, focusing on BAM's timber house concept, FLOW. While the engineered timber superstructure is environmentally conscious, the foundation's contribution is often overlooked. The study aims to minimise the Environmental Cost Indicator (ECI) of FLOW houses by...

Reuse of concrete structural elements in practice: Design of a tool which stimulates structural engineers to reuse concrete structural elements by giving insight in structural safety, environmental impact, and economic impact

Due to global warming, in the construction sector there is aimed for a transition towards the circular economy. The past years, many utility buildings were demolished, consisting of a concrete structure. This results in concrete rubble which is often down- or recycled. For new construction projects, new concrete elements will be produced....

Shadow cost optimization of the main bearing construction of industrial halls: Development of an optimization methodology for industrial halls that combines shadow price data with a structural parametric model and generative design

The purpose of this thesis is to determine the most optimal material use and configuration of structural elements with regard to minimizing shadow costs associated with the main bearing construction of industrial halls. Central themes in thesis are reusability, parametric modelling and generative design. <br/><br/>The construction sector is...

Reducing the environmental impact of distribution centres: Environmental impact assessment of the load-bearing structures of distribution centre design alternatives

Buildings influence the environment due to the emission of greenhouse gases, energy use, water consumption, and waste generation. The load-bearing structures of buildings also have a significant share in these emissions. Currently, European and national regulations oblige to focus on sustainability in designs as well. In this research, it is...

The road to sustainable load bearing glass designs: possibilities and limitations of current glass design with focus on the connections

Despite the increased popularity of the application of load bearing glass in the built environment, its design does rarely address sustainable or circular aspects. This Master’s Thesis analyses what the influence of connections is on the sustainable performance of structural glass and informs about the limitations and possibilities of sustainable...

A decision support model for analysing the reuse potential of hollow-core slab floor components

This thesis ‘A decision support model for analysing the reuse potential of hollow-core slab floor components’ describes the development of a decision support model to investigate the reuse potential of a structural building component. For this research, the hollow-core slab floor component is chosen as the structural building component to be...

Designing a sustainable high-rise structure: Research into the material environmental impact of the main load-bearing structure of the building for the European Patent Office

This research investigated in which ways the material environmental impact of the main load-bearing structure of a high-rise building can be reduced. To determine this material environmental impact, the shadow price for each material and product has been determined by using ten environmental impact categories. One of these categories is global...

Quantifying Life Cycle Environmental Benefits of Circular Steel Building Designs: development of an environmental assessment tool for reuse of steel members in building designs for the Netherlands

The re-use of building components and structural elements is an underdeveloped practice which could be an important strategy in the global paradigm shift towards a circular economy. Steel is one of the most important structural building materials which combines incredible strength, favourable mechanical properties and excellent durability...