1 / 62

Sustainability in Geotechnical Engineering

Sustainability in Geotechnical Engineering. ASCE Geo-Institute Sustainability in Geotechnical Engineering Committee July 2017. PRESENTATION OUTLINE. What is sustainability? Sustainable engineering Sustainability in geotechnical engineering Resilience and sustainability

broadnax
Download Presentation

Sustainability in Geotechnical Engineering

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Sustainability in Geotechnical Engineering ASCE Geo-Institute Sustainability in Geotechnical Engineering Committee July 2017

  2. PRESENTATION OUTLINE • What is sustainability? • Sustainable engineering • Sustainability in geotechnical engineering • Resilience and sustainability • Sustainability assessment tools/methodology • Case studies

  3. WHAT IS SUSTAINABILITY? Learning objectives of this module: To understand the origins, concepts, and fundamental principles of sustainability

  4. Origins of sustainability idea • Environmentalism in the 19th century and contemporary environmentalism in 1970s were the roots to the fundamentals of sustainability • Key triggers to the idea of sustainability • Degradation of Earth’s life-supporting capacity • Growing awareness on environmental problems • Socio-economic issues (i.e., poverty and inequality) • Impacts of current generation’s decision-making on future generations Prepared by: Mina Lee

  5. Definitions of sustainability • Defined in the United Nations’ “Our Common Future” Brundtland Report in 1987 Sustainability is the development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs Prepared by: Mina Lee

  6. ASCE Definition of sustainability • A set of environmental, economic, and social conditions – the “Triple Bottom Line” – in which all of society has the capacity and opportunity to maintain and improve its quality of life indefinitely, without degrading the quantity, quality, or the availability of natural, economic, and social resources Prepared by: Tugce Baser http://www.asce.org/sustainability-at-asce/

  7. Triple bottom line Functional definition of sustainability: • Sustainability should be evaluated with respect to three fundamental criteria: • environment, economic, and society Prepared by: Mina Lee

  8. Sustainable engineering Learning objectives of this module: To understand the role of engineers in sustainable development

  9. ASCE Code of Ethics • Canon 1. Engineers shall hold paramount the safety, health, and welfare of the public and shall strive to comply with the principles of sustainable development in the performance of their professional duties.   • Canon 2. Engineers shall perform services only in areas of their competence. • Canon 3. Engineers shall issue public statements only in an objective and truthful manner. • Canon 4. Engineers shall act in professional matters for each employer or client as faithful agents or trustees, and shall avoid conflicts of interest. • Canon 5. Engineers shall build their professional reputation on the merit of their services and shall not compete unfairly with others. • Canon 6. Engineers shall act in such a manner as to uphold and enhance the honor, integrity, and dignity of the engineering profession and shall act with zero tolerance for bribery, fraud, and corruption. • Canon 7. Engineers shall continue their professional development throughout their careers, and shall provide opportunities for the professional development of those engineers under their supervision. Prepared by: Krishna Reddy

  10. ASCE Policy statements • Policy 418: Civil Engineer’s Role in Sustainable Development: • the reality of limited natural resources • the desire for sustainable practices • the need for social equity in resource consumption • Principle 1: Do the right project • Triple Bottom-Line sustainability context • Principle 2: Do the project right • Perform life-cycle assessment • Use resources wisely • Plan for resiliency • Validate application of principles Prepared by: Mina Lee

  11. ASCE Policy statements • Policy 517: Millennium Development Goals (now Sustainable Development Goals) • Engineers play a critical role in contributing to peace and security • obligation to provide solutions to meet the basic needs of all humans for water, sanitation, food, health, and energy • at the same time, protecting cultural and natural diversity, conserving resources, and using them sustainably Prepared by: Mina Lee

  12. United nations: 2030 Agenda for sustainable development • 17 goals and169 associated targets • Agreed in September 2015 and effective in January 1, 2016 Prepared by: Krishna Reddy

  13. Sustainability approaches Prepared by: Mina Lee and Tugce Baser Gagnon et al. (2008) Basu et al. (2015)

  14. Sustainability principles Prepared by: Mina Lee

  15. Sustainability principles (Con’t) Prepared by: Mina Lee Gagnon et al. (2008)

  16. Sustainability in geotechnical engineering Learning objectives of this module: To recognize the importance of sustainable practices in geotechnical engineering

  17. Sustainable considerations • Sustainable systems/designs • Examples: ground improvement techniques; geosynthetics; reuse of existing foundations; geothermal energy foundations • Sustainable materials • Examples: recycled or waste materials (fly ash, bottom ash, shredded scrap tires, glass, quarry fines, blast furnace slag); bioengineered materials; geosynthetics • Sustainable energies • Example: geothermal energy • Sustainable construction and maintenance technologies • Example: sustainable ground improvement techniques Prepared by: Mina Lee

  18. Geothermal energy foundations Prepared by: Tugce Baser

  19. Resilience and sustainability Learning objectives of this module: To understand the need of resilience in sustainable development

  20. Resilience concept • Resilience refers to the capacity to mitigate against significant all-hazards risks and incidents and to expeditious recovery and reconstitution of critical services with minimum damage to public safety and health, the economy, and national security Prepared by: Mina Lee Basu et al. (2015)

  21. Potential disruptive events • Gradual deterioration from ageing, exacerbated by adverse ground conditions (including chemical, biological, and physical threats) • Damage due to surface loading or stress relief due to open-cut interventions • Severely increased demand and ever-changing (different, or altered) demands • Terrorism • Effects of climate change • Effects of population increase, including increasing population density • Funding constraints • Severe natural hazards (extreme weather events, earthquakes, landslides, etc.) Prepared by: Mina Lee

  22. Relevance with sustainability Sustainability Resilience Resilient systems perpetually evolve through cycles of growth, accumulation, crisis, and renewal as well as often self-organize into unexpected new configurations • Attribute of dynamic and adaptive systems that are able to flourish and grow in the face of uncertainty and constant change • Require innovation, foresight, and effective partnerships among corporations, governments, and other groups to achieve sustainability Disruptive/extreme events are unpredictable For systems to be sustainable, it is necessary to ensure that the system is inherently capable of ‘bouncing back’ to its functionality irrespective of the nature or magnitude of shock or distress to which it is subjected. Such systems are called resilient systems Prepared by: Tugce Baser and Mina Lee

  23. Contrasting sustainability and resilience Prepared by: Mina Lee Bocchini et al. 2014

  24. Resilience in geotechnical engineering • Resilient geotechnical infrastructure are prepared for and robust against potential disruptive events • Sustainable development can be achieved if less expenditures are spent for maintaining and repairing existing geotechnical infrastructure over its lifespan • Both resilience and sustainability should be considered in geotechnical infrastructure to minimize impacts on the public • Foundations • Embankments, levees, and dams • Earth retaining structures • Tunnels Prepared by: Mina Lee

  25. Sustainability assessment tools Learning objectives of this module: To present different available tools that may be used to assess the sustainability of a given project

  26. Sustainability assessment in geotechnical engineering • “Sustainability assessment” is the missing link in the traditional geotechnical design • Sustainability assessment in geotechnical project allows to: • Compare potential alternative designs • Optimize the design to improve sustainability Prepared by: Tugce Baser and Mina Lee Misra and Basu (2011)

  27. types sustainability assessment tools • Quantitative vs. Qualitative • Metrics and indicators • Rating-based tools (e.g., Envision, LEED, BREEAM, I-LAST, INVEST, Greenroads, STAR, SPeAR, SITES, BE2ST Highways) • Carbon footprint analyzers (e.g., Deep Foundation Institute (DFI) Carbon Calculator) • Frameworks (e.g., Life-cycle assessment (LCA)) Some of these tools are more suited for direct application in geotechnical framework than others, but in principal geotechnical engineers may use any of these tools to an extent that is relevant

  28. Common rating-based tools • EnVision • LEED • I-LAST • INVEST • Greenroads • BE2ST Highways • SITES • STAR • SPeAR • BREEAM

  29. EnVision tm • Infrastructure rating system • May be used to evaluate, grade, and give recognition to infrastructure projects that provide progress for and contributions to a sustainable future • Founded jointly by APWA, ACEC, and ASCE • Hosted by Institute for Sustainable Infrastructure (ISI) • EnVision’s Purpose: • To foster necessary and dramatic improvement in the performance and resiliency of physical infrastructure by means of economic, social, and environmental sustainability Prepared by: Krishna Reddy https://sustainableinfrastructure.org/

  30. ENVISION TM • 60 credits divided into 5 sections: • Quality of life • Leadership • Resource Allocation • Natural World • Climate and Risk Prepared by: Krishna Reddy

  31. LEED (Leadership in energy and environmental design) • Green building certification program • Applicable for new construction, existing buildings, commercial and residential buildings, neighborhood development, schools, healthcare facilities, and laboratory facilities • Certification system is based on 69 points with 4 different ranks (Certified, Silver, Gold, and Platinum) • 6 credit categories: • Sustainable sites • water efficiency • energy and atmosphere • materials and resources • indoor environmental quality • innovation and design process Prepared by: Mina Lee http://www.usgbc.org/leed

  32. I-LAST (ILLINOIS – LIVABLE AND SUSTAINABLE TRANSPORTATION RATING SYSTEM and guide) • Comprehensive list of practices that have potential to bring sustainable results to highway projects • Developed jointly by IDOT, IRTBA, and ACEC • Scoring is completed in the following categories • Planning • Design • Environmental • Water quality • Transportation • Lighting • Materials • Innovation • Construction Not a certification program – scoring is used to assess the degree of sustainable components on a given transportation project http://www.idot.illinois.gov/assets/uploads/files/transportation-system/reports/desenv/enviromental/i-last%20v%202%2002.pdf Prepared by: BurakTanyu

  33. INVEST (INFRASTRUCTURE VOLUNTARY EVALUATION Sustainability tool) • Self-evaluation tool to improve sustainable practices in highway programs and projects to result in social, economic, and environmental outcomes • Developed by FHWA as part of Sustainable Highways Initiative • Scoring is completed in four categories: • System planning for States (SPS) • System planning for Regions (SPR) • Project development (PD) • Operations and maintenance (OM) Prepared by: BurakTanyu https://www.sustainablehighways.org/

  34. greenroads • A rating system to measure and manage sustainability on transportation projects. • Developed by research conducted by University of Washington and is managed by Greenroads Foundation • Rating system is only available to members who must pay fees to register their projects and access the rating • Independent third-party system that awards points for sustainable design and construction practices and can be used to certify projects Prepared by: BurakTanyu https://www.greenroads.org/

  35. BE2ST (Building environmentally and economically sustainable transportation-infrastructure-highways) • Excel based program that is interlinked to other publicly available open sources such as MEPDG, PaLATE, Realcost, and TNM-LookUp. • Developed by RMRC/University of Wisconsin Prepared by: Bora Cetin http://rmrc.wisc.edu/be2st-in-highways/

  36. SITES (The sustainable initiative) • A rating system and certification program designed to distinguish sustainable landscapes, measure their performance, and elevate their value. • Administered by Green Business Certification Inc. (GBCI) • Certification program is geared towards improving: • reduction of water demand • filtering and reducing storm water runoff • providing wildlife habitat • reducing energy consumption • improving air quality • improving human health • increasing outdoor recreation opportunities Prepared by: Tugce Baser http://www.sustainablesites.org/

  37. Star (sustainability tools for assessing and rating communities) • A rating system and certification program for local governments to assess their communities progress on sustainability and economic, environmental, and social measures. • Managed by a nonprofit organization and is available for free. • Certification program is based on a rating system with total of 750 points in the following categories: • climate and energy • economy and jobs • education, arts, and community • equity and empowerment • health and safety • natural systems • built environment Prepared by: Arvin Farid http://www.starcommunities.org/

  38. SPEAR (Sustainable project appraisal routine) • A sustainability decision-making tool based on 23 different indicators. • Developed by ARUP – a consulting firm and may be purchased. Prepared by: Mina Lee http://www.arup.com/projects/spear

  39. Breeam (building research establishment environmental assessment method) • Environmental assessment method for new and existing buildings, which awards a sustainability rating based on a series of credit points • Rating system includes: • Assessment categories include: • management • health and wellbeing • energy • transport • water • materials • waste • land use and ecology • pollution • innovation Prepared by: Mina Lee https://www.bre.co.uk/page.jsp?id=3535

  40. Quantitative sustainability assessment tools • Quantify triple bottom line (environmental, economic and social) impacts during life-cycle of the project • Indicators and metrics for environmental impacts are well defined but not for economic and social impacts • Example tools to assess environmental sustainability: • DFI Carbon Calculator • ISO 14040 Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)

  41. DFI CARBON CALCULATOR • Excel tool to calculate the CO2 emissions of foundation and geotechnical works. • Includes the following Emission Factor Databases: Bilan Carbone v7, Defra 2012, coInvent v2.2, EcoTransit, ICE V2, IEA 2012, sustainable concrete • Tool allows to: • evaluate the carbon footprint of your designs • compare the carbon footprint of alternative designs • compare pre-project projections of carbon emissions with post-project measurements Prepared by: Krishna Reddy

  42. LIFE-CYCLE ASSESSMENT (LCA) • In addition to carbon footprint (global warming), LCA provides a quantified assessment of various other environmental impacts (e.g., acidification, eutrophication, carcinogens, etc.) as well as energy consumption during the entire life-cycle of a project • LCA is useful to: • Identify main contributors to environmental impacts and allow making improvements • Assess alternate designs and select the most sustainable design Prepared by: Krishna Reddy

  43. LIFE-CYCLE ASSESSEMENT METHODOLOGY • ISO LCA guidance documents: • ISO 14040: Principles and framework • ISO 14044: Requirements and guidelines • ISO 14040 definition of LCA: • LCA is the “compilation and evaluation of the inputs, outputs and the potential environmental impacts of a product system throughout its life cycle.” Prepared by: Krishna Reddy

  44. Sustainability assessment of geotechnical projects and case studies Learning objectives of this module: To demonstrate the use of sustainability assessment tools in geotechnical projects

  45. Sustainability assessment of geotechnical projects • Limited case studies are reported on the use of sustainability assessment tools for geotechnical projects • The objective of this module is to present some geotechnical examples/case studies where sustainability assessment was practiced • Examples/case studies: • Control Piles in Mexico City • LCA of Pile Foundations • Landfill Cover Systems • Ground Improvement Methods

  46. CONTROL PILES in MEXICO CITY Angel Reforma Pemex HQ, B-2, 1968 • Project objective: to support buildings and manage land subsidence • Problem: pile foundations and groundwater decline • Solution: • Use of control pile to adjust continuously to keep Floor 0 at ground level or maintain utility connections and entry ways • Sustainability assessment was conducted using EnVision rating system Prepared by: Mina Lee (project detail and photographs courtesy of Jeffrey Keaton)

  47. Envision checklist ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ Prepared by: Mina Lee (project detail courtesy of Jeffrey Keaton) ✓ ✓

  48. Lca of pile foundations • Drilled shafts and driven piles in homogeneous sand and clay profiles • Working superstructure loads: 1000 kN, 2000 kN, 5000 kN • Fixed pile length of 12 m • Which pile is more sustainable? Prepared by: Mina Lee Misra (2010)

  49. LCA Results % consumption of energy for piles in sand % consumption of energy for piles in clay Environmental impacts of piles in sand Environmental impacts of piles in clay Prepared by: Mina Lee

  50. Lca of land fill covers Subtitle D Cover Biocover Prepared by: Krishna Reddy Sadasivam and Reddy (2014)

More Related