built environment sustainability: a latin american perspective

Built Environment Sustainability:A Latin American Perspective

J. A. Vanegas

School of Civil and Environmental Engineering

College of Engineering

Georgia Institute of Technology

Atlanta, Georgia, USA

Building Connections: Promoting Partnerships to Achieve Sustainable Building and Construction

United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the World Resources Institute (WRI)

October 2-3, 2003Washington DC

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

The point of departure:In Latin America, people want/need to

sustain what we all do...

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

Individuals

Communities

OrganizationsF

amil

ies Body Mind

Heart Soul

…People…

Air Water

Soil Biota(Plant and

AnimalSpecies)

GlobalL

ocal

…And the Natural Environment…

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

ProductionSystems for

Products


Services

…The Industrial Base…


Goods

ResidentialFacilities

CivilInfrastructure

Systems

Non-ResidentialFacilities

IndustrialFacilities

…And the Built Environment…

Stated in another way, we want/need to sustain the resource base that provides the foundation upon which any society exists,

develops, and survives…

The Resource Base…

TheResource

Base

PeopleIndividuals

Communities

OrganizationsF

amil

ies Body Mind

Heart Soul

TheNatural Environment

Air Water


AnimalSpecies)

Local

Glo

bal

TheBuilt

Environment


CivilInfrastructure

Systems



TheIndustrial

Base


Products


Services


Goods

…Which tends to be seen primarily as Economic Capital…

EconomicCapital

The BuiltEnvironment

SocialCapital

The Industrial

Base

NaturalCapital

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...

But despite these commonalities, attempting to implement built

environment sustainability in Latin America is not an easy task; rather, it is a

complex challenge, as a result of the following…

First, the interrelationships and interdependencies among its dimensions

have unique characteristics…Individuals

Communities

OrganizationsF

amil

ies Body Mind

Heart Soul

Air Water


AnimalSpecies)

Local

Glo

bal


CivilInfrastructure

Systems




Products


Services


Goods

EconomicCapital


SocialCapital

The IndustrialBase

NaturalCapital

Second, the multiple levels of perspectives on, complexity of, and scales of sustainability also have unique

characteristics…

Individuals

CommunitiesO

rganizationsFam

ilie

s Body Mind

Heart Soul

Air Water


AnimalSpecies)

Local

Glo

bal


CivilInfrastructure

Systems




Products


Services


Goods

EconomicCapital


SocialCapital

The IndustrialBase

NaturalCapital

Perspectives

INDIVIDUAL

PROFESSIONAL

ENTERPRISE

INDUSTRY

SOCIETY

WORLD

Second, the multiple levels of perspectives on, complexity of, and scales of sustainability also have unique

characteristics…

Individuals

CommunitiesO

rganizationsFam

ilie

s Body Mind

Heart Soul

Air Water


AnimalSpecies)

Local

Glo

bal


CivilInfrastructure

Systems




Products


Services


Goods

EconomicCapital


SocialCapital

The IndustrialBase

NaturalCapital

Perspectives Complexity

TODAY

1 YEAR

1 – 5 YEARS

5 – 10 YEARS

10 – 25 YEARS

25 – 50 YEARS +

Third, the multiple influences on sustainability also have unique

characteristics…

Social, Cultural, Political,Social, Cultural, Political,and Regulatory Systemsand Regulatory Systems

Economic and Financial Systems

Environmental andEcological Systems

Individuals

Communities

OrganizationsF

amil

ies Body Mind

Heart Soul

Air Water


AnimalSpecies)

Local

Glo

bal


CivilInfrastructure

Systems




Products


Services


Goods

EconomicCapital


SocialCapital

The IndustrialBase

NaturalCapital

More specifically, the characteristics for built environment sustainability in Latin

America are...

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

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


• 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


• 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


• 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

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

Which of these forms of Sustainability

must/should/could/would we use in Latin

America?

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…

What they do...Characteristics and Requirements

of a Specific Facility orCivil Infrastructure System

...howthey

do it...

...andwith

what...

Com

pati

bilit

y

Compatibility

Com

patibility

Processes for theDelivery and Use


Resources for theDelivery and Use

of a Specific Facility orCivil Infrastructure SystemDefinition of the

Contextual Envelopeof a Specific Facility or

Civil Infrastructure System

Finally, Latin America faces threats to their Status Quo...

(Inspired by M. Vorster)

Characteristics and Requirementsof a Specific Facility or


Com

pati

bilit

y

Compatibility

Com

patibility

Processes for theDelivery and Use


Resources for theDelivery and Use

of a Specific Facility orCivil Infrastructure SystemDefinition of the

Contextual Envelopeof a Specific Facility or


(Inspired by M. Vorster)

Finally, Latin America faces threats to their Status Quo...

Currentunsustainable

paradigmsand behaviors

can lead to...

Inte

rnal

Exte

rnal

SO

UR

CE

OF

CH

AN

GE

Proactive Reactive

ATTITUDE TOWARD CHANGE

(Inspired by A. Pearce)

...which in turn, create triggers of change...

Triggers are changes in: • Values • Mission • Perceptions

FLASH

Triggers are changes of: • Functional Requirements • Physical Integrity /Function

CRASH

Triggers are changes caused by: • Market • Benchmarks • Competition

SPLASH

Triggers are changes in: • Codes • Regulations • Standards

CLASH

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…

Inte

rnal

Exte

rnal

SO

UR

CE

OF

CH

AN

GE

Proactive Reactive

ATTITUDE TOWARD CHANGE

(Inspired by A. Pearce)

FLASH CRASH

SPLASH CLASH

...stated in another way...

“...You really-oughta-

wanna...”

“...You really-shoulda...”

“...You really-gonna-hafta...”

“...You really-gonna-

wanna...”(Inspired by P. Melhus)

Thank you…

[email protected]

built environment sustainability: a latin american perspective

Documents

scales of sustainability

significant sustainability

built environmenturban

latin american perspectivej

unique characteristicssecond

sustainable technology

construction engineering

unique characteristicsthird