Browsing by Author "Ignatius, Janica"

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Rating the Sustainability of Apartment Buildings, Determining Appropriate Criteria
(2012) Ignatius, Janica
School of Engineering | Master's thesis
The main objective of the thesis is to determine appropriate criteria with which to rate the sustainability of new apartment buildings. The environmental impacts of the built environment and the residential sector have been studied to be able to identify key factors impacting sustainability. In order to incorporate these findings into a rating tool the characteristics of well-functioning rating tools have also been researched. The thesis has been conducted as a constructive study supported by a literature review. The literature review serves as theoretical basis for the development of the presented tool. It provides the background for the thesis and an explanation to why the rating tool has been developed including its benefits from an environmental and financial point of view. A comparison of existing rating tools was used as a starting point for the development of the presented rating tool. A total of 8 persons were interviewed as part of the study to obtain expert opinions regarding the chosen criteria and the tool in general. A total of 7 criteria to be rated were recognized as a result of the study. These were divided into two main categories. The first main category is aimed to measure the efficiency of the building by rating the consumption of electricity, imported thermal heating, the energy certificate rating and the consumption of water. The second category rates the ecological impact by taking into account the construction phase, construction waste and location of the site. In addition to the criteria mentioned the rating tool also features a bonus category where more innovative solutions are awarded points. This provides the rating tool with more flexibility. The criteria with which to rate the sustainability have been chosen to enable auditing of the building during its operational stage.