Investigation of a concrete deck connection in reusable composite floor system

In the construction industry, composite structures combining concrete and steel are commonly employed in floor systems due to their exceptional performance in compression and tension. With a growing emphasis on sustainability and Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), this thesis introduces a novel concept: a modularised floor system consisting of...

Sustainability Integration in Engineering Practice: A Comparative Life Cycle Assessment Study for the Case Study of a Wing Rib

Having seen exponential growth in demand for air travel, the aviation industry has found itself trying to find a balance between economic growth, technological development, and environmental sustainability. This saw a shift in attention towards materials such as fiber reinforced composites, predominantly thermoset in the past with higher...

Comparative Life Cycle Assessment of Disposable and Reusable Absorbent Mats: Paving the way for product redesign and informed decision-making to promote sustainable healthcare practices

Absorbent mats, abundantly used in hospitals, are integral to maintaining hygiene and cleanliness by effectively collecting and retaining patient's bodily fluids. absorbent mats are available as disposable and reusable products. In the Netherlands, predominantly disposable products are used, and approximately 23 million absorbent mats are...

Life Cycle Assessment of Offshore Low Head Pumped Hydro Storage

Aiming to comply with the Paris Agreement, the reduction of Europe’s GHG emissions in the energy sector is a must. Due to the intermittency of renewable sources, energy storage technologies are essential to this plan. Offshore Low Head Pumped Hydro Storage (LH PHS) is presented as an alternative to partly solve this problem. Considering that its...

Enabling designers to integrate the fundamentals of Life Cycle Assessment into design practices: A case study at the Industrial Design Engineering faculty in Delft

This study answerd the research question, What is needed to enable design students, particularly at the Industrial Design Engineering (IDE) faculty in Delft, without prior experience in Life Cycle Assessment to effectively incorporate the fundamentals of the LCA method into their design practices? Through empirical research (interviews and...

Decreasing the environmental impacts of residential buildings: to renovate or to rebuild?

The built environment is responsible for a substantial amount of energy use and greenhouse gas emissions. To improve energy efficiency and reduce environmental impacts, buildings can be renovated or replaced with more energy-efficient alternatives. Although new buildings often cause less environmental impacts from operating energy use, the...

Building a sustainable future: a comparative life cycle assessment of a cross-laminated timber and a lightweight steel frame building

The Netherlands has faced rapidly increasing housing prices over the previous years. As a counter measure, the government is aiming to increase the construction of new houses from around 70 thousand annually to 100 thousand annually, to achieve 900 thousand new houses by 2030. At the same time the world is facing a climate crisis and the...

The jetty of the future: Reducing the environmental impact of a jetty platform structure by designing for reusability

The significant adverse contribution of the construction industry to greenhouse gas emissions and natural resource depletion has to be reduced. Regarding jetty platform structures, this challenge can be faced by designing for reusability, a promising concept for environmental impact reduction. However, this principle is not yet being widely...

Research on deployment of modern nuclear reactors in the urban environment with emphasis on the Molten Salt Reactor

Many important life cycle assessment elements are left out of current energy energy transition evaluation methods, making it impossible to conduct a neutral and long-term assessment of the highly complicated energy transition. Consequently, chosen strategies cannot truly ensure long-term sustainable development due to the emergence of new...

Sustainable and circular retrofitting facade: "A future proof panel for building renovation"

The Paris agreement’s mechanisms for 2050 represent a challenge for the world to achieve Net-zero emission and climate resilience. Retrofitting the existing stock is a critical step in every nation to achieve these goals. The building sector has a significant role in the Net-zero emission transition. The ambitions for retrofitting the...