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Advances of Sustainability Research: A Canadian Perspective

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 August 2024) | Viewed by 4346

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Faculty of Applied Science, School of Engineering, The University of British Columbia, Kelowna, BC V1V 1V7, Canada
Interests: sustainable construction materials; rammed earth; carbon capture; waste to value; biocomposites
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

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Guest Editor
Materials and Manufacturing Research Institute, The University of British Columbia, Kelowna, BC V1V 1V7, Canada
Interests: circular economy; advanced manufacturing; bio-based materials; composite materials; machine learning

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

(1) Introduction

Human-induced climate change is one of the greatest global crises of our time, and the changes are expected to be widespread, rapid, and intensifying. Climate change is primarily caused by increasing concentrations of greenhouse gases (GHGs) in the atmosphere. The construction industry alone is responsible for producing 36% of world’s total CO2 and 35% of world’s total waste annually. Adding to this problem, tons of industrial waste are disposed of in landfills causing environmental pollution; thus, tackling the waste issue is also an economic, social, and environmental priority. These challenges create an opportunity to look into how we approach waste. Similarly, the lifecycle of engineering materials is a significant contributor to the environmental footprint associated with government, corporate and private activities, with respect to CO2 emissions and other environmental impacts. As such, the circular economy is a novel paradigm to supplant the classic take–make–dispose model. Canadian researchers are developing new sustainable techniques to minimize waste and reduce CO2 emissions across many industries, including construction, forestry, manufacturing, consumer goods, energy, architecture and more. The scope of which covers material selection and design, functional design practices, manufacturing, operations management, as well as supply chain development and management. The proposed research in this Special Issue is being conducted directly in partnership with community stakeholders (e.g., municipal governments, small-to-medium enterprises, large corporations), providing application-based and multi-disciplinarity contexts for solving pertinent and complex real-world challenges.

(2) Aim of the Special Issue

The Special Issue on “Advances of Sustainability Research: A Canadian Perspective” focuses on the recent developments in the field and aims to bring together high-quality research articles in this issue. We aim to target academic researchers and industry practitioners alike, demonstrating pathways for action-based collaboration and transformative change. This direct illustration of the importance of sustainability and achieving sustainable development for humanity, is well-aligned with the journal aims. Further, the subject areas addressed in this issue, within the journal’s scope, are as follows:

  • Unsustainable patterns of production and consumption;
  • Industrial development and energy crisis;
  • Air pollution and climate change;
  • Sustainable chemistry;
  • Health-related aspects of sustainability;
  • System analysis methods, including life cycle assessment and management.

(3) Suggest themes

In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include (but not limited to) the following:

  • Waste to value-added products;
  • Sustainability in the construction industry;
  • Recycling and upcycling materials;
  • Supply chain development and optimization, including socio-economic elements;
  • Lifecycle assessment, including the role of biodegradability;
  • Advanced manufacturing and data analytics in the context of reducing environmental impacts.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Sumi Siddiqua
Dr. Bryn J. Crawford
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • sustainability
  • construction industry
  • climate change
  • health, environment
  • lifecycle
  • supply chain
  • manufacturing
  • data analytics

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

21 pages, 4362 KiB  
Article
A Preliminary Study of 3D Printing Home Designs for Improving Efficiency and Sustainability of Indigenous Housing in Canada
by Hellen Lacava, Noah Cherrington, Anthony Corrado, Saeide Bigdellou and Qian Chen
Sustainability 2024, 16(13), 5781; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16135781 - 7 Jul 2024
Viewed by 1401
Abstract
Canada has been experiencing a significant housing crisis in recent years, especially in remote and Indigenous communities, yet most of the existing construction approaches have not been rapid, sustainable, and affordable enough to meet community needs. To address this challenge, this study explores [...] Read more.
Canada has been experiencing a significant housing crisis in recent years, especially in remote and Indigenous communities, yet most of the existing construction approaches have not been rapid, sustainable, and affordable enough to meet community needs. To address this challenge, this study explores the feasibility of 3D printed (3DP) housing and develops a design that is informed by Indigenous housing requirements and is realized through a physical design prototype tailored for the implementation of 3DP homes. Site visits and community engagement were integral parts of the research to help deliver invaluable insights that guided the design process, ensuring cultural sensitivity and inclusivity. The prototyped 3DP design offers efficient and sustainable solutions customized to the unique cultural and climatic needs of Indigenous communities in Canada. The final 3DP design seamlessly integrates traditional Indigenous architectural elements, such as a circular shape inspired by pit houses, with modern construction techniques, yielding a flexible, sustainable, and culturally pertinent home design. Future research work will be focused on how the proposed 3DP design can be adapted to enable mass customization to accommodate the diverse needs and preferences of Indigenous communities across Canada. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances of Sustainability Research: A Canadian Perspective)
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23 pages, 7465 KiB  
Article
An Integrated Building Information Modeling and Life-Cycle Assessment Approach to Facilitate Design Decisions on Sustainable Building Projects in Canada
by Parsa Namaki, Bhavya Sree Vegesna, Saeide Bigdellou, Ruizhi Chen and Qian Chen
Sustainability 2024, 16(11), 4718; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16114718 - 1 Jun 2024
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2306
Abstract
In the context of the digital and sustainable transformation of building projects, the integrated approach of Building Information Modeling (BIM) and life-cycle assessment (LCA) has been widely studied. Recent advancements in such integrated modeling processes and techniques have not yet provided reliable and [...] Read more.
In the context of the digital and sustainable transformation of building projects, the integrated approach of Building Information Modeling (BIM) and life-cycle assessment (LCA) has been widely studied. Recent advancements in such integrated modeling processes and techniques have not yet provided reliable and robust decision-making capabilities for designers to intuitively choose between material alternatives. This study develops a new design framework that integrates BIM, LCA, and multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) algorithms to facilitate sustainable design processes in building projects. A case study using a single-family housing project in the British Columbia province of Canada was implemented to test the designs to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed integrated framework, including a three-way comparison of design scenarios—conventional hot-roll steel, recycled steel, and timber. The results indicate a significant performance improvement with the adoption of recycled structural steel materials, surpassing conventional steel designs and demonstrating a similar performance to that of timber designs. The study underscores the importance of informed decision-making in material selection, driven by the quantitative analysis of digital designs and multi-criteria evaluation (e.g., social carbon cost). This integrated framework offers a valuable tool for designers, engineers, and builders to achieve sustainability when designing building projects through the systematic and rapid comparison of environmental performance. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances of Sustainability Research: A Canadian Perspective)
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