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Built Environment Sustainability: A Latin American Perspective

Building Connections: Promoting Partnerships to Achieve Sustainable Building and Construction United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the World Resources Institute (WRI) October 2-3, 2003 Washington DC. Built Environment Sustainability: A Latin American Perspective.

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Built Environment Sustainability: A Latin American Perspective

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  1. Building Connections: Promoting Partnerships to Achieve Sustainable Building and Construction United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the World Resources Institute (WRI) October 2-3, 2003 Washington DC Built Environment Sustainability:A Latin American Perspective J. A. VanegasSchool of Civil and Environmental Engineering College of Engineering Georgia Institute of Technology Atlanta, Georgia, USA

  2. Background • This presentation is based on insights gained over the last ten years, from an ongoing education and research program on Built Environment Sustainability within: • The Construction Engineering and Management Program (CEM) of the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE) at Georgia Tech • The Sustainable Facilities and Infrastructure (SFI) Branch of the Safety, Health, & Environmental Technology Division (SHETD) of the Electro-Optics, Environment, & Materials Laboratory (EOEML) of the Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI) • The Institute for Sustainable Technology and Development (ISTD) at Georgia Tech

  3. The point of departure:In Latin America, people want/need to sustain what we all do...

  4. …And within this world, we want/need to sustain...

  5. …People… Individuals Body Mind Organizations Families Heart Soul Communities

  6. …And the Natural Environment… Air Water Global Local Soil Biota (Plant and Animal Species)

  7. …But, this is not enough; we also want/need to sustain...

  8. …The Industrial Base… Production Systems for Goods Production Systems for Products Production Systems for Services

  9. …And the Built Environment… Civil Infrastructure Systems Residential Facilities Non- Residential Facilities Industrial Facilities

  10. Stated in another way, we want/need to sustain the resource base that provides the foundation upon which any society exists, develops, and survives…

  11. People The Built Environment The Industrial Base The Natural Environment The Resource Base… The Resource Base

  12. SocialCapital NaturalCapital The BuiltEnvironment The Industrial Base EconomicCapital …Which tends to be seen primarily as Economic Capital…

  13. Specifically for the Built Environment, the A/E/C Industry is both its: Provider(From planning, design, procurement, and construction, to commissioning, start-up, and turnover),and its Life Cycle Custodian(From operations and maintenance, to end-of-service life) And this is the case in Latin America as well...

  14. But despite these commonalities, attempting to implementbuilt environment sustainability in Latin America is not an easy task; rather, it is a complex challenge, as a result of the following…

  15. First, the interrelationships and interdependencies among its dimensions have unique characteristics…

  16. Perspectives Second, the multiple levels of perspectives on, complexity of, and scales of sustainability also have unique characteristics…

  17. INDIVIDUAL PROFESSIONAL ENTERPRISE INDUSTRY SOCIETY WORLD

  18. Complexity Perspectives Second, the multiple levels of perspectives on, complexity of, and scales of sustainability also have unique characteristics…

  19. TODAY 1 YEAR 1 – 5 YEARS 5 – 10 YEARS 10 – 25 YEARS 25 – 50 YEARS +

  20. Social, Cultural, Political, and Regulatory Systems Economic and Financial Systems Environmental and Ecological Systems Third, the multiple influences on sustainability also have unique characteristics…

  21. More specifically, the characteristics for built environment sustainability in Latin America are...

  22. More specifically, the characteristics for built environment sustainability in Latin America are...

  23. Characteristics • Social/Political/Economic • The complex social, political, and economic realities Latin American affects the sustainability of the built environment • Urban • Increasing urbanization in Latin America is creating significant sustainability, quality of life problems and needs, and pressures and strains on the built environment • Scale • The challenges posed by the scale of built environment sustainability problems and needs in Latin America are daunting from a magnitude, a spatial/geographic, and a temporal points of view

  24. Characteristics (cont.) • Technological • The types of labor, materials, equipment, and methods used for the built environment in Latin America offer both challenges and opportunities • Affordable • Affordability is a key criterion in developing a sustainable built environment in Latin America • Infrastructure • Providing basic civil infrastructure systems (e.g., transportation, water supply, waste management, energy, communications) is a critical priority in Latin America

  25. Characteristics (cont.) • Networks • Latin America has existing educational, professional, industry, and trade/commerce networks that offer an opportunity to establish mechanisms for collaboration • Appropriate • Sustainable solutions for the built environment in Latin America need to be contextually compatible and responsive • Basic • Fundamental satisfaction of human needs (e.g., food, water, health, shelter, employment) is a priority in Latin America

  26. Characteristics (cont.) • Indigenous • Latin America offers a rich diversity of indigenous knowledge and experience that needs to be preserved, tapped, and shared • Local • In Latin America, there a numerous examples of successful sustainability efforts in building and construction at a local level • Indicators • There is a need to develop sustainability indicators that reflect the unique social, political, economic, and environmental realities of Latin America

  27. Characteristics (cont.) • Tribal • Latin America suffers from extreme social, political, and economic fragmentation and hierarchies, and a prevalent provincial mentality that inhibits integration and cooperation • Young • Compared to other parts of the world, sustainability efforts in building and construction are young in Latin America

  28. Characteristics (cont.) • Social/Political/Economic • Urban • Scale • Technological • Affordable • Infrastructure • Networks • Appropriate • Basic • Indigenous • Local • Indicators • Tribal • Young

  29. Fourth, the lack of a unified theoryof sustainability… • Sustainability is currently expressed in multiple forms: • Frameworks • Models • Principles • Concepts • Heuristics • Strategies • Guidelines • Specifications • Standards • Processes/Tools • Best Practices • Lessons Learned… Which of these forms of Sustainability must/should/could/would we use in Latin America?

  30. Compatibility Compatibility Compatibility Finally, Latin America faces threats to their Status Quo... Characteristics and Requirements of a Specific Facility or Civil Infrastructure System What they do... ...how they do it... ...and with what... Processes for the Delivery and Use of a Specific Facility or Civil Infrastructure System Resources for the Delivery and Use of a Specific Facility or Civil Infrastructure System Definition of the Contextual Envelope of a Specific Facility or Civil Infrastructure System (Inspired by M. Vorster)

  31. Currentunsustainableparadigmsand behaviorscan lead to... Characteristics and Requirements of a Specific Facility or Civil Infrastructure System Compatibility Compatibility Processes for the Delivery and Use of a Specific Facility or Civil Infrastructure System Resources for the Delivery and Use of a Specific Facility or Civil Infrastructure System Definition of the Contextual Envelope of a Specific Facility or Civil Infrastructure System (Inspired by M. Vorster) Compatibility Finally, Latin America faces threats to their Status Quo...

  32. ATTITUDE TOWARD CHANGE Proactive Reactive FLASH CRASH Triggers are changes in: • Values • Mission • Perceptions Triggers are changes of: • Functional Requirements • Physical Integrity /Function Internal SOURCE OF CHANGE SPLASH CLASH Triggers are changes caused by: • Market • Benchmarks • Competition Triggers are changes in: • Codes • Regulations • Standards External (Inspired by A. Pearce) ...which in turn, create triggers of change... Regardless of the trigger, sustainability will inevitably force change, and how organizations respond will make them end… either with a Pile of CASH… or as a Pile of ASH…

  33. ...stated in another way... “...You really-shoulda...” “...You really-oughta-wanna...” “...You really-gonna-hafta...” “...You really-gonna-wanna...” (Inspired by P. Melhus)

  34. Thank you… jvanegas@ce.gatech.edu

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